Revelation 3:5—“I will not blot out his name out of the book of life”

He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels (Rev. 3:5).

ARMINIAN ARGUMENT:

“If believers’ names are in the book of life from the foundation of the world, as Revelation 17:8 teaches, and if God causes them to persevere to the end, how is it possible for God to ‘blot out’ names from the book of life (Rev. 3:5)?”

(I)

Prof. Herman C. Hanko

[Source: Covenant Reformed News, vol. 4, nos. 23-24]

When Scripture speaks of the Book of Life … it refers to God’s own decree of sovereign election. This is proved by the fact that Revelation 17 speaks of “the book of life from the foundation of the world.”

Those who are elect of God and who have their names written in the Book of Life shall indeed inherit the life of which the Book of Life speaks. That life is eternal life with God and Christ in glory.

The promise to the faithful in the church of Sardis is that Christ will not blot out the names of these faithful from the book of life. Such a promise surely implies that it is possible for their names to be blotted out.

I am quite sure that almost all the references to the Book of Life are found in Revelation. The references in this book, other than the two mentioned above, are Revelation 13:8 and 20:12.  The only other place in Scripture where the term is found is in Philippians 4:2. But the text in Revelation 3:5 is the problem.

I think it is probably worthwhile to notice that not even Revelation 3:5 actually states that Christ ever erased one name from the Book of Life. In the letter to the church of Sardis, the Lord promises that He will not do this to those who are faithful.

There are many promises in Scripture which Christ makes to us which do not necessarily imply their opposite, but which are given to encourage us. The letters to the seven churches of Asia Minor all close with such a promise which is always to those who are faithful. To quote but one: “To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne” (Rev. 3:21).

There are, in fact, even negative promises which come closer to what appears in Revelation 3:5.  I have in mind, e.g., a passage like Hebrews 13:5: “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” Surely this does not imply that it is possible for God to leave or forsake His people. But the promise never to leave us is an encouragement to fight the devils of covetousness.

So also in Revelation 3:5, God gives us the promise that our names will not be blotted out of the Book of Life as an encouragement to fight the good fight of faith.

But this is not yet quite satisfying. There is more here. And we ought to notice that. Although the text is indeed a promise to those who overcome, it certainly does imply a certain threat to those who are unfaithful—and there were many unfaithful in Sardis.

The point is that the gospel not only comes with promises, but it also comes with threats. The promises are to those who are faithful; the threats are to those who are unfaithful.

Why does God come in the gospel with threats? That is an important question.

The whole matter has to do with the address of the gospel, and it appears sometimes as if there is a great deal of confusion on this subject.

The address of the gospel means, first of all, that the gospel is preached and must be preached to elect and reprobate alike. It is proclaimed far and wide without respect of persons. All must hear.

The address of the gospel means, in the second place, that the gospel is emphatically not a well-meant offer to all who hear; it is not an invitation to all to come to Jesus; it is not a begging and pleading with men to accept what is freely offered. It is a command which comes to all with the forceful words: “Thus saith the Lord!” And that means that men must obey.

To that command is the promise of salvation and eternal blessedness to all who do obey. And to that command is also added the warning of eternal death to those who refuse to obey.

And so the gospel proclaims to all that faith in Jesus Christ brings joy and peace and eternal bliss. And the same gospel proclaims to all that unbelief brings misery and trouble and eternal death.

Now we know that all men are totally depraved and none is able to believe the gospel of himself. All men would reject it—and can only reject it.

But the Holy Spirit works in connection with the preaching of the gospel and through the preaching to accomplish the eternal purpose of God. And the Holy Spirit uses the preaching of the gospel to work faith in the hearts of the elect; and uses the same gospel to harden the wicked in their sin and unbelief.

And so the wicked hear the promises and the warnings and despise both. And the elect people of God hear both the promises and the warnings and are humbled and moved to flee for a refuge to the cross of Christ. They are frightened by the threats so that they repent of sin, and they are comforted by the promises and flee to Christ.

The wicked are thus without excuse, for their hardness of heart and unbelief show the horror of their sin. The elect are saved in such a way that the salvation of God is their possession consciously and fully.

God always deals with us as people who receive His salvation in the full consciousness of it. We are to receive it through the way of prayer, struggle, fleeing from sin, being frightened by the threats that come on the disobedient, being comforted by the glorious promises of the gospel.

And through it all, God works sovereignly so that our salvation, so freely given, is His work alone.

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(II)

More to come! (DV)