My brother, my sister, allow me to complete the topic on eternal security, because of the questions we received after our Wednesday’s post entitled “In Christ, we have security (Jeremiah 33:6 ).
First, the Bible never says that God erases the name of a believer from the Book of Life. We cannot even find a warning that He intends to do so ! The wonderful promise of Revelation 3:5 is clear: “he one who is victorious will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out the name of that person from the book of life, but will acknowledge that name before my Father and his angels” Yes, our Lord addresses “the overcomers” . Yes, to all those who have been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, Jesus gives His word that He will not remove their names. And how is this possible? Because His promise is based on the faithfulness of God.
Very often, many people use Revelation 22:19 to say that some names will be removed from the book of life. What does this verse say? “And if anyone takes words away from this scroll of prophecy, God will take away from that person any share in the tree of life and in the Holy City, which are described in this scroll.” But what should we understand here? That once a person’s name is written in the book of life, they may at some point in the future be erased ? In other words, a Christian can lose salvation ? Then salvation would depend on man. And this will be a denial of what Jesus already said throughout the Word, that a TRUE believer is assured by the power of God, of their redemption: “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption” (Ephesians 4:30). Furthermore, Jesus said “And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day” (John 6:39) and we see the evidence when He says to the Father “While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled” (John 17:12). Yes, Jesus proclaimed this for all of us who believe in Him: “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand” (John 10:28-29). Salvation is God’s work, not ours (Titus 3:5), and it is His power that keeps us until the day of our redemption.
Therefore, back to Apocalypse 22:19 which says: “if anyone”… Who is this ‘anyone’? Note also the condition and warning of this verse ! In other words , who is this ” someone” who might want to subtract something (add or remove the words) of the Bible? With great confidence, we can think that it is certainly not a TRUE believer. Any falsification of the Word of God can only come from those who claim to be Christians and who assume that their names are in the book of life. Let’s recall that Jesus separates sheep from goats (Matthew 25:31-46) and He also said this: “‘Not everyone who says to me, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?” Then I will tell them plainly, “I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!” (Matthew 7:21-23 ). In other words, those who are removed from the Book of Life are self-proclaimed Christians who want the name of Jesus but do not apply the Word ! They have never been regenerated. Yes, today many cults and man-centered religions claim the name of Jesus Christ, but they are not “born again.” The Bible even gives some examples of those who thought they were believers, but whose claim was proven to be false. Read John 15 where Jesus speaks of branches that have not remained in Him, the True Vine, and therefore does not produce fruit ! (This means they were in Him, but they did not remain… So, their names were in the Book of Life and it did not remain either). We also recognize them by their fruit (Matthew 7:16-20). However, a true disciple presents the fruit of the Holy Spirit who dwells in him (Galatians 5:22). Also, read 2 Peter 2:22 to see that those who falsely claim Jesus are called dogs returning to their own vomit and “a sow that is washed but returns to her wallowing in the mud”… (This means that their name was written by Jesus but by their choice not to submit to the Word, they did not remain in the True Vine). Indeed, the fruitless branch, the dog, and the sow are all symbols of those who claim to be saved, but who have nothing but their own righteousness, not the righteousness of Christ that saves for sure. Stay blessed in the name of Jesus.
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