Revelation 3:15 (ASV)

Passage

I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.

Nearby Context

Revelation 3:13 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches.

Revelation 3:14 And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God:

Revelation 3:15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.

Revelation 3:16 So because thou art lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spew thee out of my mouth.

Revelation 3:17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and have gotten riches, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art the wretched one and miserable and poor and blind and naked:

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "works", "thou", "neither", "cold", and "wert". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "works" and "thou", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 14's "And to the angel of the church..." into verse 16's "So because thou art lukewarm and neither...", so "works" and "thou" belong inside that flow. In Revelation context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "works" and "thou" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.