But I have a few things against thee that thou hast there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to cast a snare before the sons of Israel, to eat [of] idol sacrifices and commit fornication.
Commentary for this verse has not been generated yet.
So thou also hast those who hold the doctrine of Nicolaitanes in like manner.
Pergamos made room for two groups of error, not one: some held the teaching of Balaam, others that of the Nicolaitans. The question is not whether the church believed the error, but why it let the error stay.
The Lord's complaint here is plural. It falls on two separate sets of people, and the same assembly sheltered both.
Here the plural "things" points to more than one just cause of complaint. Those who held the teaching of Balaam were one class. Those who held the teaching of the Nicolaitans were another. The Pergamos assembly tolerated both.
Older Bibles end this verse with "which thing I hate." The true word is "likewise," and it ties the second group to the first.
The true reading of verse 15 is "likewise," instead of "which thing I hate," which was probably copied from Rev. 2:6. The sense is that there were some who held the Nicolaitan doctrine, as well as those who held that of Balaam.
The Nicolaitans appear at Ephesus too. What changed by Pergamos is how far the evil had gone.
The Lord commended Ephesus for hating the deeds of the Nicolaitans. But this is an advance in evil. After the "deeds" came a doctrine. It justified the deeds and taught on purpose the very things Christ hated. Satan moved with caution at Ephesus. At Pergamum the evil is let in and taught. There is nothing to show that the Nicolaitans were a sect that had separated from the flock… The Lord holds the assembly responsible for having them there. They had not separated as a sect, and the assembly had not put them away as evil persons.
Look at the verb the Lord uses: they hold the teaching.
The words used are very significant. It is not that the church has adopted the teaching. There are people inside who "hold" the doctrine. It seems they were allowed to hold it without being disturbed and without rebuke.
Commentators differ on what the Nicolaitans actually taught. One reading takes it as grace twisted into permission to sin.
The doctrine of the Nicolaitans seems to be an evil from within, while that of Balaam came from without… It was a corruption of grace, turning grace into licence to sin… Grace has set us completely free through Him who died and rose again. What claim does it not have on our hearts?… Even when we are certain of our deliverance, if the joy of it fades a little, we begin to use the Lord's grace just to serve ourselves. This, carried on without conscience, is Nicolaitanism.
Others read the name itself as the clue, and find in it a clergy set over ordinary believers.
Nicolaitans is Greek; it is a compound. Nikao is a verb and means to have the upper hand, to domineer; laos means the people (our English "laity"). Nicolaitans means "the dominators of the people." A priestly class had grown up in the Church. It domineered over the rest of the people, the so-called laity… Ephesus rejected this evil, but Pergamos fully approves and tolerates it.
The man addressed in this letter was sound himself. That did not clear him.
To be sound himself was not enough. He should have allowed no compromise with evil. He was sound in himself, yet he let evil spread among them. The Lord could not rest satisfied with that state of things… They had authority to act. If they had used it, they would have found they had the power as well. But since they failed to act, the Lord Himself must fight the corrupters with the sword of His mouth. What a place then the assembly occupies, and what responsibility rests on it!
The Lord's answer to this state is a call to repentance. It reaches the whole assembly, and it reaches each believer in it.
To overcome here is not only to resist the teaching of these groups, and to resist it with success. It is also to listen to the call to repentance. The message comes to believers one by one, and each one is responsible to heed what is said. Even so, no believer can shake off responsibility for the state of the assembly… They must humble themselves before God, because these evils are tolerated, even if they are not accepted. They must mourn over the dishonour this brings on the Lord's name.
- Hated — at Ephesus the Nicolaitans showed up as deeds, and the Lord commended that church for hating them.
- Held — at Pergamos the deeds have hardened into a doctrine that defends them. People inside the church held it, and the church never put them away.
- Tolerated — the Lord does not accuse Pergamos of believing the error. He accuses it of housing those who do.
- Disputed — commentators differ on what they taught. Some read it as grace turned into licence to sin. Others read it as a priestly class ruling over ordinary believers.
- Repent — a sound personal creed is no cover for allowed evil. If the assembly will not judge it, the sword of His mouth will.