Lie #3 God May Blot You Out of the Book of Life  

He who overcomes will thus be clothed in white garments; and I will not erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels. (Revelation 3:5)

Is God going to remove some believers’ names from the Book of Life? 

No, Revelation 3 actually says the opposite. It’s a passage intended to comfort those who are in Christ: “He who overcomes will thus be clothed in white garments; and I will not erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches” (Revelation 3:5–6).

Those who overcome are clothed in white garments, and their name is not erased from the Book of Life. In addition, Jesus confesses their name before the Father. But how do we overcome? After all, everything about the comfort of this passage hinges on the condition that we “overcome.” So how is that done? We are given the answer by the same author and the same book of the Bible:

And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. (Revelation 12:10–11)

How did they overcome? They overcame not by human effort or by their religious works, but by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony. In short, they believed in the person and work of Jesus Christ.

It goes on to say that they did not love their old life (spiritual death in Adam). They exchanged it for new life in Christ. If you’re a new creation, this is true of you as well. You will always overcome because of the blood of Jesus Christ. And you will always overcome because your testimony includes saving faith in Christ that resulted in the death of your old life and a brand-new life in Jesus.

Because you’re an overcomer through Jesus, your name will never be erased from the Book of Life. Eternal life is truly eternal, and Jesus will confess your name before His Father. This passage is not a threatening one: it is full of comfort and reassurance. The entire point of the passage is to say that we believers will never be deleted from the Book of Life—our Father would not do that to His own children. This is the truth that sets us free!

Reflector: Have you ever thought about your name being in the Book of Life? Have you ever thought it might be erased at some point? How does the truth set you free?