What Does It Mean: Lose Your First Love: And Who Are The Nicolaitans?

Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, 

because thou hast left thy first love. 

Remember therefore from whence 

thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works;

 or else I will come unto thee quickly, 

and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, 

except thou repent. But this thou hast, that 

thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitanes, 

which I also hate. He that hath an ear, 

let him hear what the Spirit saith unto

 the churches; to him that overcometh will I give 

to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst 

of the paradise of God.

Revelation 2:4-7 

      The Church at Ephesus was doing good things, in fact they had good works, patience, and they labored, that is they detested evil, those evil men who called themselves apostles but taught another gospel. All this was done in the name of Jesus so on the surface it seemed all was good, that they were a faithful Church. Yet, there was something wrong: they left their first love. What is meant: "first love?" Speaking to the Church at Ephesus we are led to the Garden of Eden where there was the Tree of Life in the middle of the Garden so we then look at that narrative in the garden to understand "first love." Adam and Eve lived a pure and simplistic life, they walked and talked with God in the garden and yet they left their first love, that love for God that all of God's children are to have and practice. Eve, then Adam were beguiled by Satan by just slanting ever so slightly the words spoken by God and by this they left their "first love." "First love," is demonstrated to us by the illustration of a man and woman who are married, their love for one another, to have an unselfish love without thought for another, a response of love to love. This love is self-denying, to be abandoned, committed to the one they love. 

     Adam and Eve lost their first love and by this loss they were cast out of the Garden of Eden, this pure and simplistic life to a life of hard work, just to be able to live. God cast them aside. This should be a warning to us that if we leave our first love that God will remove that candlestick, the Church from His presence. We might even understand that this "first love" has meaning for a man and a woman, married and are under vow to each other. When divorce occurs it means that one or the other has left their love for the other to give to another this love that was to be committed to just their spouse. God will not bless that new union. Some rely on the Scriptures that give a right to a divorce when the other has committed adultery. Paul adds to this reason to have the right to have another spouse is the non-believer leaves and has not intention of coming back to the marriage. Too many have used these verse to divorce another but there is no command that a person should do so, in fact the offended one has the right to forgive the offender and if the offender has repented, not just feel sorry, but truly has repented then that marriage is to continue. The offender must overcome this lack of purity and simplicity and return to their first love, their spouse, and better yet their first love for Jesus Christ. He is our true "first love," that is if we are Authentic in our Christian Faith. If Adam and Eve had overcome their fallen act they would have remained in the Garden of Eden and would have then tasted what the tree of life would give to them. If we would overcome and return to our "First Love," that love for Jesus in all its purity and simplicity and not rely on our works, programs, meeting, or other acts of works that we place ahead of our simple love for Jesus, the Gospel, then w too will overcome and have God give to us the ability to eat of the tree of life, this tree of life that is in paradise with God. 

     Who are the Nicolaitans? Much debate and theories have arisen over this name, so, I will give what will at least aid you to understand why God and the Church at Ephesus hated the Nicolaitans. Jesus spoke about the chief priests and even the temple officials that they had corrupted the truth of God with the doctrines of men. These false teachers were blinding the minds of men and making them their converts. This is apparently what the Nicolaitans were doing by their false man-made doctrines. The word Nicolaitans is derived from three Greek words: Nikos, Laos, and Ton. Nikos means "a conquest, victory, triumph, the conquered and by implication to have domination over the defeated. Laos means people, and Ton means which is the genitive case plural in all genders. The apostle Peter give us this: "The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed:  Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; NOR AS BEING LORDS OVER THOSE ENTRUSTED TO YOU, but being examples to the flock" (1Peter 5:1 - 3).
     There are those who believe that the original Nicolas was Nimrod who conquered people and who put himself in the place of God (Genesis 10:8-12). Others thing that Nicolas mentioned in Revelation is the man called Nicolas a proselyte from Antioch who was ordained as a deacon (Acts 6:1-6). Writing from that time state that he later came to follow Gnostic teachings and became an ascetic causing many to follow his doctrines. 
     We have many Nicolaitans in our world today, in some of our so-called "Christian" Churches who are teaching false doctrine and conquering the minds and souls of those who listen to him. We are to hate them, to teach against them, to expose them in all the things they do that are contrary to our "first love." This the Church of Ephesus were doing, but they too were cooling off, so to speak, and allowing in their Church what should never be allowed and this was causing them to lose their "first love," the love for the truth, the Gospel. Do not allow this in your Church for you too will cool off and if not stopped there is a great chance that you will be misled into a doctrine of man and lose your true pure and simplistic love of God, for our Savior Jesus Christ.

Moreover all the chief of the priest, 
   and the people, transgressed very much
after all the abominations of the heathen;
     and polluted the house of the LORD
which He had hallowed in Jerusalem. 
     And the LORD God of their fathers sent
to them by His messengers, rising up betime,
    and sending; because He had compassion
on His people, and on His dwelling place: but
   they mocked the messengers of God, and 
despised His words, and misused His prophets,
    until the wrath of the LORD arose against
His people, till there was no remedy.
                                 IIChronicles 36:14-16

Do not lose your "First Love."

Richard L. Crumb