UASV’s Daily Devotional All Things Bible, Friday, June 13, 2025

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Daily Devotional: Standing Strong When Love Grows Cold

Rooted in Matthew 24:12 – “Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold.”

Remaining Faithful in an Age of Apostasy

Few statements from Jesus strike the heart of the faithful with such sobering clarity as Matthew 24:12: “Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold.” Spoken within His Olivet Discourse—a prophetic outline of the events leading up to His return—this declaration is both a warning and a call to endurance. It describes not merely the condition of the world, but the spiritual temperature of those who once professed devotion to God.

This passage cuts through sentimental views of the end times and confronts the hard truth: lawlessness (ἀνομία, anomia) will rise, and it will suffocate genuine love (ἀγάπη, agapē) among the majority. The chilling result is apostasy, spiritual apathy, and relational decay. But in the very next verse, Jesus offers the antidote: “But the one who stands firm to the end will be saved” (Matthew 24:13).

In our time—marked by moral confusion, rampant apostasy, and counterfeit gospels—Matthew 24:12 exposes the spiritual erosion that precedes judgment. This devotion will explore what Jesus meant, how it relates to our current condition, and how believers can guard against growing cold in an increasingly wicked world.

Context: The Olivet Discourse and Its Prophetic Weight

Matthew 24 is part of Jesus’ private teaching to His disciples shortly before His arrest and crucifixion. In response to their question about the signs of His coming and the end of the age (Matthew 24:3), Jesus outlines a sequence of global upheavals: wars, famines, earthquakes, persecution, betrayal, and false prophets. Verse 12 is nestled in this context of increasing lawlessness and spiritual deception.

The Greek word translated “wickedness” is anomia—literally “lawlessness.” It does not refer to mere immorality or occasional sin, but a systemic rejection of God’s moral law. This is not cultural decline in the abstract—it is defiant rebellion against the revealed will of Jehovah. It includes false teaching, moral perversion, persecution of the righteous, and elevation of self over Scripture.

Jesus warns that this lawlessness will cause agapē—selfless, covenantal love—to grow cold. This term agapē is never used of unbelievers in Matthew’s Gospel; it most often refers to the love of the saints, especially toward God and one another (cf. Matthew 22:37–39). Thus, the warning is not about the world becoming more wicked—though it will—but about the professing people of God becoming colder, distant, and apathetic toward spiritual truth and holy living.

The Nature of Growing Cold

Spiritual coldness is rarely abrupt. Like a fire left untended, it diminishes over time—through neglect, compromise, or exhaustion. The verb “grow cold” (Greek: ψύγω, psygō) is used only here in the New Testament and conveys the image of extinguished warmth, like a candle flickering out.

This coldness manifests in several ways:

Neglect of spiritual disciplines – Prayer becomes rare, Scripture study superficial, worship mechanical.
Loss of compassion – Service to others is replaced by cynicism, indifference, or self-preservation.
Compromise with sin – What once stirred conviction is now tolerated or rationalized.
Resistance to truth – Doctrinal clarity is traded for emotional comfort or cultural acceptance.

As lawlessness increases—especially under pressure from false teachers, social persecution, and moral decay—many become desensitized. What used to shock the conscience becomes normalized. Jesus’ point is that wickedness will not simply exist; it will erode the foundation of love in the visible church.

Modern Fulfillment and Warning Signs

We see the symptoms of Matthew 24:12 in full bloom today. Churches that once stood firm on biblical authority now capitulate to cultural pressures—affirming unbiblical sexual ethics, diluting doctrine, and embracing relativism. False teachers peddle therapeutic religion and material prosperity while denying core truths like sin, repentance, and divine judgment.

Lawlessness also increases through the dismantling of divine structures: the family, biblical gender roles, sanctity of life, and God-ordained authority. The resulting confusion is not neutral—it fosters apostasy. Paul warned Timothy of such times: “The time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine… they will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths” (2 Timothy 4:3–4).

We also see the love of many growing cold in the form of growing division among believers, cancel culture infecting churches, and the fading of evangelistic zeal. Many once passionate for the gospel now retreat into apathy or blend with the world. Jesus’ words are not about isolated coldness, but widespread departure from vibrant, obedient love for God and His truth.

Guarding Against Coldness: Practical Counsel

How can the believer resist this chilling effect and remain fervent? Jesus offers the path in verse 13: endurance. “But the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.” This is not a call to passive survival but to active perseverance. True discipleship involves guarding the heart (Proverbs 4:23), resisting the world (James 4:4), and clinging to the Word (Psalm 119:11).

Practically, believers must:

Return to daily devotion – Cultivate a life of prayer, Scripture reading, and heartfelt worship. Fan into flame the gift of God (2 Timothy 1:6).
Join with faithful community – Surround yourself with believers who love the truth, exhort one another, and walk in the light (Hebrews 10:24–25).
Flee false teaching – Reject any message that minimizes sin, avoids repentance, or contradicts Scripture (Galatians 1:6–9).
Engage in sacrificial love – Reignite agapē through action: serve, give, forgive, and speak the truth in love (1 John 3:17–18).
Anchor in eschatological hope – Keep your eyes on Christ’s return. Knowing the end strengthens the present (1 Peter 1:13).

Jesus did not promise that many would stand firm—He said “the love of most will grow cold.” But for those few who endure, there is assurance: salvation, reward, and eternal communion with the One who never grows cold in His love for us.

Conclusion: A Burning Faith in a Chilled World

Matthew 24:12 is not just a prophecy—it is a test. It forces every believer to ask: Is my love growing cold? Am I allowing the rising tide of lawlessness to extinguish my zeal, distort my convictions, or numb my soul?

In a world where wickedness escalates and love fades, the true disciple must burn brighter. The early church did not survive persecution and false teaching through innovation or compromise—but through steadfast endurance and spiritual fervor. Paul urged the Romans: “Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord” (Romans 12:11).

Now is the time to rekindle what is fading. To fan the flame of faith through truth, community, and endurance. For while the love of most may grow cold, Jesus still walks among His lampstands, trimming wicks and reigniting hearts (Revelation 2:1–5).

May we not be numbered among the many who grew cold—but among the few who endured.

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About the Author

EDWARD D. ANDREWS (AS in Criminal Justice, BS in Religion, MA in Biblical Studies, and MDiv in Theology) is CEO and President of Christian Publishing House. He has authored over 220+ books. In addition, Andrews is the Chief Translator of the Updated American Standard Version (UASV).