STUDY NOTES ON REVELATION 3:5
In order to interpret any Scripture correctly, certain rules must be followed. When you are dealing with a promise in a book of prophecy that is Apocalyptic, even more care is required. Some of the letters to the editor of the News Reporter over the “Judgment House” Pelagianism controversy seven years ago have disregarded these vital rules. The following is a compilation from many resources to show how unsound it is to turn a promise into a warning or a blessing into a curse.
How to Study the BibleThe following rules are adapted from
How to Understand Your Bible, T. Norton Sterrett, IVP.
RULE #1: Interpret each passage based on its context. The context is King for most interpretation problems. Context is the verses before and after the verse you are studying. Read them and think.
RULE #2: Interpret each passage according to the correct meaning of words. Use a dictionary and a concordance to be sure of what the key words mean. Each context will limit the possible meanings for each word.
RULE #3: Interpret each passage based on the grammar used in each sentence. Pay attention to the subjects, verbs (tenses also), pronouns, adjectives, etc. Use a dictionary and an English grammar book for help. If the passage is difficult to understand, label the key words grammatically and note their relationships to each other.
RULE #4: Interpret each passage according to the author's purpose and plan. The "purpose" is the object, goal, and/or reason for the writing of this book, chapter, passage, and verse. The plan is the author's method or structure for communicating his purpose. The purpose of the gospel of John is "that you might believe." The plan of the book of Acts is 1)Jerusalem & Judea; 2)Samaria; 3)Gentile world.
RULE #5: Interpret each passage according to the historical, geographical, and cultural background available. You may use Atlas'(maps), Marginal references, Bible dictionaries, or other books on the Bible's culture, geography and history to aid your study. Don't back read American culture into the text.
RULE #6: Interpret each passage according to the Bible's teaching as a whole. In other words, interpret Scripture by Scripture. Regular reading of the Bible and the use of cross references is the best way to apply this rule. Regular studies of Bible books will also help. You may check Commentaries for related passages and cross references as well as a Concordance.
RULE #7: Interpret each passage according to the literary style chosen by the author. Observe what type of literature the book, paragraph, and sentence are before seeking to discovering the meaning of words. Look for:
a) figures of speech b) proverbs c) parables
d) narratives e) teaching f) poetry
g) prophecy h) allegories
RULE #8: Learn to identify some of the different types of figures of speech used in the Bible.
I. Figures of speech that show comparison.
A. Metaphor (implied comparison - 2 unlike things)
B. Simile (comparison using - words "like" / as")
II. Figures of speech that show relationships or associations.
A. Metonymy (an object named to represent another)
B. Synecdoche (part of a thing - represent - whole or the whole thing for a part [flesh])
III. Figures of speech that show humanization.
A. Personification (non-living things - as alive)
B. Anthropomorphism (human traits given to God)
C. Irony (saying - opposite of what is meant)
D. Hyperbole (deliberate exaggeration - emphasis)
E. Interrogation (a one-answer-only question)
F. Idiomatic expressions (riddles, fables, euphemism, understatements, litotes, etc.)
RULE #9: When considering sections that were originally Hebrew poetry, look for two lines that are parallel, contrasting, repeating, adding, or expanding the thoughts of each other.
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Rev. 3:4-5 “Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy. He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never ever erase his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and His angels.”
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When one considers the background of the city of Sardis, and pays attention to the double negative in Jesus’ three fold promise, the interpretations of Rev. 3:5 by Pelagius-Arminius-Wesley and their followers are seen to be just the opposite of Jesus’ meaning. The people in the church at Sardis were afraid of losing their citizenship in the city and even their lives if they did not compromise and worship the emperor. The persecution had stared. Jesus gives them a three fold promise (not a warning) for those who were afraid. It was true if they were charged with treason to Caesar by claiming Jesus as Lord, they would loose their right to vote, be required to pay taxes, and loose all the rights and privileges as Roman citizens. After the trial, there names would be literally marked out of the citizenship book in the town, just like the names of the deceased. Slavery, nakedness, family rejection, homelessness and poverty or death, lay before them. To give clarity and courage in the face of this Jesus says, “He who overcomes [takes his/her stand for Jesus as a martyr] shall be (promise # 1) clothed in white garments, and (promise # 2) I will not ever under any circumstances at any time or any place (double negative in the Greek) mark out his name from the Book of Life; but (promise # 3) I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.” The first promise to a town with its own wool industry is very clear. Being run out of Sardis may cut you off from earthly garments. But Jesus will replace their missing clothes with beautiful white garments. They will have His perfect righteousness of their heavenly account and they will be dressed accordingly. He is asking the wool workers to be willing to give up earthly garments for beautiful heavenly ones. The second promise deals with citizenship being revoked in Sardis, but never ever being revoked by Jesus in heaven. The third promise, to those about to lose their families and homes, they will have a new family in heaven and a new home near God the Father’s throne and His angels. Jesus is saying take the risk on earth because heaven is so secure for you that you can not lose. How do you think Christ responds when men take His threefold promise and make it into a warning to those who do not perform good enough on earth, teaching them that they will loose out in heaven too? Jesus gives us this same promise with a double negative in Hebrews 13:5, Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” I will never at any time at any place under any circumstances leave you. This includes a true believer backsliding. There is never a time when Jesus will abandon one of His chosen ones. That is what He said and what He meant. Ted Manby, TH.M.
Study Tools The Treasury of Scripture KnowledgeRevelation 3:5
that: Rev. 2:7; 1 Sam. 17:25
the same: Rev. 3:4, 19:8
erase or blot: Exod. 32:32, 33; Deut. 9:14; Psa. 69:28, 109:13
the book: Rev. 13:8, 17:8, 20:12, 15, 21:27, 22:19; Phil. 4:3
acknowledge or confess: Mal. 3:17; Matt. 10:32; Luke 12:8; Jude 1:24
Matt. 10:32 “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. 33 But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.
2 Tim. 2:10-11 10 Therefore I endure all things for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. 11 This is a faithful saying: For if we died with Him, We shall also live with Him. 12 If we endure, We shall also reign with Him. If we deny Him, He also will deny us. 13 If we are faithless, He remains faithful, He cannot deny
Himself.
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The Believer’s Study Bible3:1 Sardis (modern Sart), an almost impregnable city on the slope of Mount Tmolus, possessed an interesting history of over 2,000 years. Sardis was the wealthy seat of Lydian government, where the fabled Croesus reigned as monarch, and Thales, the first great Greek philosopher, was a citizen. Twice in its noble history this citadel fell to invading armies because the precipitous walls were left unguarded by overconfident defenders. No doubt, those tragedies are recalled in the warnings of v. 3.
3:5 This verse is often construed as a threat that improper behavior is likely to result in the removal of one’s name from the Lamb’s Book of Life. Actually, the very opposite is the case, as the emphatic double negative in Greek affirms (lit. “I will no not blot out”). The verse is a promise, guaranteeing that once a man is in the category of those who have overcome (i.e., a true believer, cf. 2:7, [note below]), under no circumstances can his name be erased from the Lamb’s Book.
2:7 John defines an “overcomer” in 1 John 5:4, 5 as “one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.” Thus every Christian is an “overcomer” as the apostle uses the word, though the particular promises to the seven churches are appropriate for their unique circumstances and situations.
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Books the Bible Mentions are in HeavenBook of deeds done in the body Rev. 20:12
Book of Truth. Dan. 10:21
Book of the Citizenship of the nation Israel. Exodus 32:32-33
Book of the Living on Earth Psa. 69:28, 139:16
Book of God’s true Remnant in Israel Dan. 12:1
Book of Remembrance for the Remnant Mal. 3:16
Book of Life Phil. 4:3
Lamb’s Book of Life Rev. 17:18
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Book of the Living(Psalms 69:25-28 NKJV) “ Let their dwelling place be desolate; Let no one live in their tents. {26} For they persecute the ones You have struck, And talk of the grief of those You have wounded. {27} Add iniquity to their iniquity, And let them not come into Your righteousness. {28} Let them be blotted out of the book of the living, And not be written with the righteous.”
When someone dies on earth, their name is blotted out of the book of the living people on earth. There names are not to be written with the righteous, ever, and that would be in the Lambs books of Life. This Psalm focusing on God’s justice for the wicked, asks for God to take their lives, thus, God would have to take their name out of the book of the living on the earth.
THE LAMB’S BOOK OF LIFE
The Lamb’s book of life is the heavenly record (Luke 10:20; Heb. 12:23) written by God before the foundation of the world (Rev. 13:8; 17:8) containing the names of those who are destined and chosen to salvation solely because of God’s grace (John 15:16, Rom. 8: 28-32, Rom. 9:1-22, Eph. 1:4-11, 2 Thess. 2:13). This book is sealed, permanent, and will not be open until Judgement day ( John 5:24-29, Rev.13:8, 20:12). Those whose names are in the book have been born from above into God’s family through the cross-work of Jesus Christ (Heb. 12:23; Rev. 13:8); remain faithful in worship of God (Rev. 13:8; 17:8, Eph. 1:5, 2:10); do not practice abominations or falsehood (Rev. 21:27); are protected by Christ’s promise through tribulation (Rev. 3:5, John 18:9); and are fellow workers in the work of Jesus Christ (Phil. 4:3). The book of life will be used along with the books of works at the final judgment to separate the righteous and the wicked for their respective eternal destinies ( John 17:1-2, 9-10, 12, Rom 9:22, Jude 4, Rev. 20:12, 15; 21:27 ). The names of the lost have never been “written” in this book: Rev. 13:8, 17:8, 21:27 {written in the original Greek is in the perfect tense in these three verses. The perfect tense shows an action that was completed in the past, but has results that carry over to today.} [Rev. 20:15 teaches heaven is not the dwelling place of the names that remain, nor the names not blotted out, erased or marked through. If the name was ever written in the book, put in the book before the foundation of the earth, that person will be in heaven. (John 6:43-51, 54, 65, 70-71, 10:25-30, Romans 8:28-37, Rom. 9:10-21)]. The Lamb’s book may be the same book as the Book of the Remnant in Dan. 12:1 and other books listed in Scripture. But, we can not know for sure until we get to heaven, because the Bible does not tell us. Ted Manby
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Holman Bible DictionarySARDIS (sahr'dihs) City of one of the seven churches addressed in the Revelation (3:1-6). The church was condemned as being “dead,” perhaps a reference to its ineffectiveness in the world. However, some of its members were commended (v. 4). The city of the same name was the capital of the province of Lydia and was located in the Hermus River valley northeast of Ephesus. An impressive acropolis overlooks the site. One of the major features there in New Testament times was a temple to Artemis, the goddess of love and fertility. See Asia Minor.
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Holman Bible HandbookSardis, Asia Minor. The letter to the church at Sardis (Rev 3:1-6) refers to the church in this famous Lydian city located about fifty miles northeast of Ephesus. The history of Sardis goes back to at least 3000 B.C. It became prominent as a Lydian city under Kings Gyges (680-665 B.C.) and Croesus (560-547 B.C.) about the time when coinage was invented. Important archaeological remains include the ruins of the Temple and Altar of Artemis, a Jewish synagogue (largely restored), a large gymnasium complex with palaestra (exercise room), and large baths. Excavations at Sardis began early in the twentieth century and have continued, particularly since 1958.
Rev. 2-3
These warnings and encouragements were sent to seven real churches. No doubt the fact that “seven” are referred to has some symbolic significance and may well mean that the seven churches represented many Christian communities in Asia Minor. However representative the seven churches may have been, they were nonetheless seven very real churches to whom John was known and for whom he was instructed by the Risen Lord to write these words of warning and hope.
Some commentators refer to the seven churches as seven epochs of world history, but there is not the slightest hint in the text that the seven churches are to be understood in such a way. In fact, it is only a very forced and erroneous reading of church history that can make the letters to the seven churches appear as prophecies regarding seven epochs of world history.
Again, there is absolutely no hint in the text that John intended for us to understand these seven letters in that way. Instead, it is abundantly clear that the letters were written to real congregations, engaged in the very real struggles of faith and perseverance in the midst of impending, and sometimes actual, persecution. God’s word to one situation clearly had relevance for other situations in the first century. It is therefore not surprising that we, too, may read these letters, and indeed the entirety of the Revelation, and hear the voice of God in them. Thus, we read Revelation in the same general way that we would read Paul’s Letters to the Corinthians. That is, after doing our best to understand the historical situation of and the inspired message to the intended, first-century audience, we then seek, as a people who continue to stand under the authority of God’s Word, to apply the ancient message to our lives and situations today.
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Matthew Henry Commentary, Rev. 3:5Christ enforces his counsel with a dreadful threatening if it should be despised. Yet our blessed Lord does not leave this sinful people without some encouragement. He makes honorable mention of the faithful remnant in Sardis, he makes a gracious promise to them. He that overcometh shall be clothed in white raiment; the purity of grace shall be rewarded with the perfect purity of glory. Christ has his book of life, a register of all who shall inherit eternal life; the book of remembrance of all who live to God, and keep up the life and power of godliness in evil times. Christ will bring forward this book of life, and show the names of the faithful, before God, and all the angels, at the great day.
Disciple’s Study BibleThe glories of heaven are beyond human imagination. God’s presence permeates all of heaven (21:22). Absolutely no evil will be there (21:27; 22:3). Believers can be certain of entering heaven, for our names are written in the book of life (3:5). The Lamb marks His own (22:4). The certainty of heaven does not eliminate the need to urge faithfulness, for a call to faithfulness permeates Revelation.
Those not in the book of life face eternal punishment or hell. This is described as the bottomless pit or Abyss (9:2; 11:7; 17:8; 20:3), the home of demons, evil spirits, and the eternally dead. It is where the satanic beast comes from (13:11). It is a place of eternal torment (14:10-11; 19:3, 20; 20:10, 15; 21:8). Hell is the result of judgment on evil and evil ones, a necessary partner to Christ’s victory over evil and revenge for His saints (16:5-7). Christ will defeat the satanic beast and his supporters (17:13-14). Judgment shows that God is just and true to Himself or trustworthy (15:3; 16:4-7). Judgment through historical punishment calls for repentance (16:8-11; 9:20-21). Judgment completed leaves no hope.
Concise Theology, ed. J.I. Packer
PERSEVERANCE GOD KEEPS HIS PEOPLE SAFEAnd those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. ROMANS 8:30
Let it first be said that in declaring the eternal security of God’s people it is clearer to speak of their preservation than, as is commonly done, of their perseverance. Perseverance means persistence under discouragement and contrary pressure. The assertion that believers persevere in faith and obedience despite everything is true, but the reason is that Jesus Christ through the Spirit persists in preserving them.
Scripture emphasizes this. John tells us that Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd, is under promise to his Father (John 6:37-40) and to his sheep directly (John 10:28-29) to keep them so that they never perish. In his high-priestly prayer before his passion Jesus asked that those whom the Father had given him (John 17:2, 6, 9, 24) would be preserved to glory, and it is inconceivable that his prayer, which still continues (Rom. 8:34; Heb. 7:25), will go unanswered.
Paul sees the sovereign plan of God for the salvation of his elect as a unitary whole, of which the glorifying of the justified is part (Rom. 8:29-30). On this basis he builds the triumphant peroration of Romans 8:31-39, in which he celebrates the present and future security of the saints in the almighty love of God. Elsewhere he rejoices in the certainty that God will complete the “good work” that he began in the lives of those Paul addresses (Phil. 1:6; cf. 1 Cor. 1:8-9; 1 Thess. 5:23-24; 2 Thess. 3:3; 2 Tim. 1:12; 4:18).
Reformed theology echoes this emphasis. The
Westminster Confession declares,
They, whom God hath accepted in his Beloved, effectually called, and sanctified by his Spirit, can neither totally nor finally fall from the state of grace, but shall certainly persevere therein to the end, and be eternally saved. (XVII.1)
The doctrine declares that the regenerate are saved through persevering in faith and Christian living to the end (Heb. 3:6; 6:11; 10:35-39), and that it is God who keeps them persevering. That does not mean that all who ever professed conversion will be saved. False professions are made; short-term enthusiasts fall away (Matt. 13:20-22); many who say to Jesus, “Lord, Lord,” will not be acknowledged (Matt. 7:21-23). Only those who show themselves to be regenerate by pursuing heart-holiness and true neighbor-love as they pass through this world are entitled to believe themselves secure in Christ. Persevering in faith and penitence, not just in Christian formalism, is the path to glory. To suppose that believing in perseverance leads to careless living and arrogant presumption is a total misconception.
Sometimes the regenerate backslide and fall into gross sin. But in this they act out of character, do violence to their own new nature, and make themselves deeply miserable, so that eventually they seek and find restoration to righteousness. In retrospect, their lapse seems to them to have been madness. When regenerate believers act in character, they manifest a humble, grateful desire to please the God who saved them; and the knowledge that he is pledged to keep them safe forever simply increases this desire.
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BACKSLIDING CHANGES THE FELLOWSHIP, NOT THE RELATIONSHIPJust like a child on earth does not loose his last name every time he rebels against his father, the child of God does not get unborn by rebellion. Fellowship is broken by sin, relationship is not. However, because their are many make-believers amidst the true believers, the Bible often warns them of their state of lostness and dangerous situation. The book of 1 John deals with the issue head on and teaches us fellowship is restored when the believer confesses his sin (1 John 1:9). Backsliding can only be done by one in a covenant relationship with God and it does not sever that relationship, it postpones the fellowship. Those that follow the teaching of Pelagius and Arminius deny these truths. The early church declared Pelagius a heretic and in the 15th century Arminius’ views were declared unbiblical by the church of Holland. Ted Manby, TH.M.
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Institutes of the Christian Religion by John Calvin
25. But I am unwilling to begin an enumeration which never could be finished. The prophetical books are filled with similar promises, offering mercy to a people covered with innumerable transgressions. What crime is more heinous than rebellion? It is styled divorce between God and the Church, and yet, by his goodness, it is surmounted. They say, “If a man put away his wife, and she go from him, and become another man’s, shall he return unto her again? shall not that land be greatly polluted? But thou hast played the harlot with many lovers; yet return again unto me, saith the Lord.” “Return, thou backsliding Israel, saith the Lord; and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you; for I am merciful, saith the Lord, and I will not keep anger for ever” (Jer. 3:1, 12). And surely he could not have a different feeling who declares, “Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign LORD. Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live? For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign LORD. Repent and live!” (Ezek. 18:23, 32). Accordingly, when Solomon dedicated the temple, one of the uses for which it was destined was, that prayers offered up for the pardon of sin, might there be heard. “If they sin against thee (for there is no man that sinneth not), and thou be angry with them, and deliver them to the enemy, so that they carry them away captive unto the land of the enemy, far or near; yet if they shall rethink themselves in the land whither they were carried captives, and repent, and make supplication unto thee in the land of them that carried them captives, saying, We have sinned, and have done perversely, we have committed wickedness; and so return unto thee with all their heart, and with all their soul, in the land of their enemies which led them away captive, and pray unto thee towards their land, which thou gavest unto their fathers, the city which thou hast chosen, and the house which I have built for thy name: then hear thou their prayer and their supplication in heaven thy dwelling place, and maintain their cause, and forgive thy people that have sinned against thee, and all their transgressions wherein they have transgressed against thee” (1 Kings 8:46-50). Nor in vain in the Law did God ordain a daily sacrifice for sins. Had he not foreseen that his people were constantly to labor under the disease of sin, he never would have appointed these remedies.
The Baptist Confession of Faith, 1689, London, Philadelphia, Charleston
Chapter 17 Of The Perseverance of the Saints1. Those whom God hath accepted in the beloved, effectually called and sanctified by His Spirit, and given the precious faith of His elect unto, can neither totally nor finally fall from the state of grace, but shall certainly persevere therein to the end, and be eternally saved, seeing the gifts and callings of God are without repentance. Consequently, He continues to beget and nourish in them faith, repentance, love, joy, hope, and all the graces of the Spirit unto immortality; (1) and tough many storms and floods arise and beat against them, yet they shall never be able to take them off that foundation and rock which by faith they are fastened upon; notwithstanding, through unbelief and the temptations of Satan, the sensible sight of the light and love of God may for a time be clouded and obscured from them,(2) yet He is still the same, and they shall be sure to be kept by the power of God unto salvation, where they shall enjoy their purchased possession, they being engraved upon the palm of His hands, and their names having been written in the book of life from all eternity.(3)
1. Jn 10:28-29; Phil. 1:6; 2 Tim 2:19; 1 Jn 2:19.
2. Ps 89:31-32; 1 Cor 11:32.
3. Mal 3:6.
2. This perseverance of the saints depends not upon their own free will, but upon the immutability of the decree of election, (4) flowing from the free and unchangeable love of God the Father, upon the efficacy of the merit and intercession of Jesus Christ and union with Him, (5) the oath of God, (6) the abiding of His Spirit, and the seed of God within them, (7) and the nature of the covenant of grace. (8) All these factors guarantee the certainty and infallibility of the saints perseverance.
4. Ro 8:30; 9:11,16.
5. Ro 5:9-10; Jn 14:19.
6. Heb 6:17-18.
7. 1 Jn 3:9.
8. Jer 32:40.
3. And though they may, through the temptation of Satan and of the world, the prevalency of corruption remaining in them, and the neglect of means of their preservation, fall into grievous sins, and for a time continue therein,(9) whereby they incur God's displeasure and grieve His Holy Spirit, (10) come to have their graces and comforts impaired, (11) have their hearts hardened, and their consciences wounded, (12) hurt and scandalize others, and bring temporal judgements upon themselves, (13) yet shall they renew their repentance and be preserved through faith in Christ Jesus to the end.(14)
9. Mat 26:70,72,74.
10. Isa 64:5,9; Eph 4:30.
11. Psa 51:10,12.
12. Psa 32:3-4.
13. 2 Sam 12:14.
14. Lk 22:32,61-62.
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Dr. Robert H. Mounce,
NICNT CommentaryRev. 3:5 To the overcomer a threefold promise is given: (1) he will be arrayed in white garments, (2) his name will not be blotted out of the book of life, and (3) Christ will confess his name before God and the angels. The white garments, according to Charles, are “the spiritual bodies in which the faithful are to be clothed in the resurrection life” (I , p. 82). White garments (or robes) are mentioned seven times in Revelation, but no distinctive pattern is established. The Laodiceans are counseled to buy them to hide the shame of their nakedness (3:18). The martyrs awaiting vindication are given white robes (6:11). In the heavenly throne room the twenty-four elders are clad in white garments (4:4), and before the Lamb stands a great multitude clothed in white robes who have washed them in his blood (7:9, 13). The armies of heaven who appear with the warrior Messiah are “arrayed in fine linen, white and pure” (19:14). It would seem, therefore, that the white garments promised to the overcomer in 3:5 represent an attire appropriate to the heavenly state. Since they are made white by washing in the blood of the Lamb (7:13), the figure is highly appropriate to portray justification.
The second promise is that the overcomer s name will not be blotted out of the book of life. The idea of a divine ledger is first mentioned in the OT in Exodus 32:32-33 where Moses prays that if God will not forgive the sin of his people, he wishes to be blotted out “of the book which thou hast written” (cf. Ps 69:28; Dan 12:1). Thus, in the OT, the book of life was a register of all those who held citizenship in the theocratic community of Israel. The idea was common in the secular world as well. Kiddle writes that “when a criminal’s name was removed from the civic register of an Asiatic town, he lost his citizenship” (p. 47; cf. Hemer, 7CA, pp. 338-39). Walvoord is troubled lest someone interpret the concept of being blotted out of the book of life as indicating the possibility of a person losing his salvation. Consequently, he suggests that (1) there is no explicit statement that anybody will, in fact, have his name blotted out, or (2) the book of life lists all mankind and those who do not accept Christ are blotted out (p. 82). . . It is hermeneutically unsound to base theological doctrine solely on either parables or apocalyptic imagery. Better to allow the text, even when difficult, to present its own picture.
Finally, to the overcomer Christ promises that he will confess his name before his Father and the angels. This is a clear reminiscence of Matthew 10:32 (cf. Lk 12:8; Mk 8:38/Lk 9:26), “Everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven.” Faithfulness in trial now is to be rewarded beyond measure in the life to come.
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Dr. Alan F. Johnson,
EBC Commentary
5. To Sardis
3:1-6
1 To the angel of the church in Sardis write: These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead.
2 Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete In the sight of my God.
3 Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.
4 Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed In white, for they are worthy.
5 He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed In white. I will never erase his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels.
6 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
Sardis was about thirty miles south of Thyatira. Its location commanded the trade of the Aegean Islands and the military road through the important Hermus River valley. Sardis enjoyed prominence as a commercially prosperous and militarily strategic city throughout its history. The city̓s topography was notable for the acropolis, the temple of Artemis, and the necropolis. The acropolis rose about eight hundred feet above the north section of Sardis and was virtually impregnable because of its rock walls, which were nearly vertical, except on the south side. Formerly the site of the original city, the acropolis became a refuge for the inhabitants in time of siege.
Only twice in the history of Sardis was its fortress ever captured, though attacks on it were frequent. When Cyrus attacked it in the sixth century B.C., a shrewd Persian soldier observed a Sardian descending the southern winding path to retrieve his fallen helmet. Unknown to the soldier, the Persians followed his path back up to the summit and captured the whole city, taking them quite by surprise. There was a similar occurrence when Antiochus attacked Sardis about two hundred years later.
The temple to Artemis (possibly Cybele) equaled in size the famous temple of Artemis in Ephesus. however, the temple at Sardis was never finished.
A third feature of Sardis was the impressive necropolis, or cemetery, of”a thousand hills” (modern Bin Tepe), so named because of the hundreds of burial mounds visible on the skyline some seven miles from Sardis.
Sardis retained its wealth into the first two centuries of the Christian Era. But its political brilliance as the capital city of Asia for Persia lay in the past. Ramsay aptly remarks, “No city of Asia at that time showed such a melancholy contrast between past splendor and present decay as Sardis” (William M. Ramsay, Time Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia [London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1904], p. 375). In A.D. 26, Sardis begged the Roman Senate to grant it the coveted honor of building a temple to Caesar. The distinction, however, went to Smyrna. The luxurious living of the Sardians led to moral decadence. Herodotus (fifth century B.C.) wrote despairingly of Sardis and its people as “the tender-footed Lydians, who can only play on the cithara, strike the guitar, and sell by retail” (William Barclay, Letters to the Seven Churches [New York: Abingdon, 1957], p. 71). Sardis was a city of peace, not the peace won through battle, but “the peace of the man whose dreams are dead and whose mind is asleep, the peace of lethargy and evasion” (ibid., p. 72). A great wool industry flourished at Sardis, and this may account for Christ̓s reference to clothing (v.4).
1. The speaker identifies himself as “him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars” (cf. comments on 1:4 and 1:16, 20; 2:1). To the Sardians, Christ reveals himself as the one who controls the seven spirits of God. If the Sardian church is strong, it is because Christ has sent his Spirit to encourage and quicken the Sardian believers; if they are dead like Sardis, it is because in judgment he has withdrawn his Spirit from them. Yet the faithful minority at Sardis (v.4) can count on that divine power of Christ to sustain, give life, and mobilize them to do his will even though the majority are dead. (On the “seven stars,” cf. comments at 2:1.)
The speaker̓s knowledge of the church in Sardis reveals their true condition. He knows their “deeds.” It is not clear whether this alludes to their past accomplishments, which gave them their reputation of being alive, or whether the reference is to their present deeds, which were not those Christ sought from them. This latter view is supported by v.2, where He mentions their deeds again and says they are incomplete. He also knows that though they claim to be a healthy Christian church, in reality they are “dead.”
How does a church die? Why does Christ use this expression for Sardis even though the churches in Thyatira and Laodicea also had serious problems? Sardis had had significant fame as a royal city, but now it was nothing. The citizens were living off past fame. Apparently the same spirit had affected the church. Their loyalty and service to Christ was in the past. Now they were nothing. It may be that they had so made peace with the surrounding society that the offense of the Cross had ceased, and they were no longer in jeopardy of life or vulnerable to suffering. Further facts̓ emerge when we consider the series of commands in vv.2-3. Death was a special preoccupation of the Sardians, as witnessed by the impressive necropolis seven miles from the city. What had been a part of the pagan rites had also crept into the church. But again this work of the enemy came through deception. The Sardian church was for the most part a duped church.
2. The command “Wake up!” or “Be watchful” (present tense, “Be constantly alert”) is a call to reverse their attitudes radically. The congregation must be alerted to the seriousness of the situation. Their complacency led them to give up their identification with Christ and their mission for him. The situation was dire but not totally hopeless. Immediate steps were to be taken to “strengthen what remains.” Some persons and things were salvageable if quick and decisive action were taken. Otherwise, death would follow.
The Sardians̓ deeds are in danger of judgment because Christ has not found them “complete [pephleromena, ‘full,’ ‘fulfilled,’ ‘filled up to measure’ ] in the sight of my God.” Though this could refer to incompleteness in the number of their deeds, more likely it describes the quality of their deeds -- they do not measure up to the standard Christ sets. In the other letters, works acceptable to Christ are love, faithfulness, perseverance, keeping Christ̓s words, and not denying his name.
3 Like those in Ephesus, the Sardians must remember what they “have received and heard.” What they “received” was the apostolic tradition of the gospel; what they “heard” probably were the teachings of the apostles and prophets who brought the gospel to them. Unlike the church at Philadelphia (v.8), the Sardians were not holding to the word of Christ. For them repentance was the only way out of certain and final death. So they were to repent by restoring the gospel and the apostolic doctrine to its authority over their lives. This would mean they would once more start obeying (tereo, “keep,” “watch”) the truth of Christ̓s word. Today̓s church needs to hear this challenge to take the word of Christ seriously. Unless the church at Sardis repents, Christ says that he will come to them in judgment “as a thief “-- i.e., by surprise -- just as Sardis had been attacked and defeated by Cyrus long before. “As a thief” should probably not be taken as referring to the Second Coming but to Christ̓s coming against them (opposing them) in judgment (cf. his threat to the church in Ephesus in 2:5).
4 While the majority had departed from faithful obedience to Christ, a few at Sardis remained true. Here an allusion to the wool industry at Sardis intensifies the image of soiled and defiled garments. Those with soiled garments were removed from the public lists of citizens in Sardis. In the pagan religions it was forbidden to approach the gods in garments that were soiled or stained (Barclay, Seven Churches, p. 77). Soiling seems to be a symbol for mingling with pagan life and thus defiling the purity of one̓s relation to Christ (14:4; 1 Cor 8:7; 2 Cor 7:1; 11:2; Jude 23). To “walk with Christ” symbolizes salvation and fellowship with him. “White” garments are symbolic of the righteousness, victory, and glory of God (3:18; 6:11; 7:9, 13f.; 19:14). As Caird (p. 49) observes, this passage shows that not all faithful Christians were martyrs, nor can we make emperor worship the sole source of the problems of the early Christians. Ironically, the Sardians were occupied with their outward appearance, but they were not concerned with inner purity toward Christ and their outward moral life in a pagan society.
5 The overcomers promise is threefold and grows out of the reference to white clothing.
1). “Like” the faithful Sardian Christians who would receive white clothes from Christ, the others there who overcame the stains of pagan society would similarly be dressed in white.
2). Furthermore, their relationship to Christ is permanently guaranteed: “I will never erase his name from the book of life.” In ancient cities the names of citizens were recorded in a register till their death; then their names were erased or marked out of the book of the living. This same idea appears in the OT (Exod 32:32—33; Ps 69:28; Isa 4:3). From the idea of being recorded in God̓s book of the living (or the righteous) comes the sense of belonging to God̓s eternal kingdom or possessing eternal life (Dan 12:1; Luke 10:20; Phil 4:3; Heb 12:23; Rev 13:8; 17:8; 20:15; 21:27). For Christ to say that he will never blot out or erase the overcomers name from the book of life is the strongest affirmation that death can never separate us from Christ and his life (Rom 8:38-39).
There is some evidence that a person’s name could be removed from the city register before death if he were convicted of a crime. In the first century, Christians who were loyal to Christ were under constant threat of being branded political and social rebels and then stripped of their citizenship. But Christ offers them an eternal, safe citizenship in his everlasting kingdom if they only remain loyal to Him.
3). Finally, to the overcomer Christ promised to “acknowledge his name before [the] Father and his angels.” “Acknowledge” (homologeo) is a strong word for confession before the courts. It is Christ̓s confession of our name before the Father and his angels (implying our fellowship with him) that assures our heavenly citizenship (Matt 10:32; Luke 12:8).
What ultimately counts, then, is not our acceptance by this world̓s societies but that our relationship to Christ is genuine and hence will merit his approbation in the coming kingdom.
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Dr. David Chilton,
Days of Vengeance They will walk with Me in white; for they are worthy. He who overcomes shall thus be clothed in white garments. The saints are seen in white garments seven times in the book of Revelation (3:5, 18; 4:4; 6:11; 7:9, 13; 19:14), and it is obviously a symbol in Scripture for cleanliness and righteousness, with its ultimate origins in the sun like brightness of the Glory-Cloud: In Christ, the saints are re-created in the image of God, and are clothed with the New Man, Jesus Christ (Gal. 3:27; Eph. 4:24; Col. 3:10). Our being clothed in the white robes of righteousness, therefore, takes place definitively at our conversion (Rom. 5:1,9-11), progressively as we work out our salvation in daily obedience to God̓s commandments, “putting on” the Christian graces and virtues (Col. 3:5-17), and finally at the Last Day (Col. 3:4; Jude 24). As with all the promises to the overcomers in Revelation, this too is simply a description of an aspect of salvation, in which all of God̓s elect have a share.
In this letter̓s second promise regarding the overcomer, Christ says: I will not erase his name from the Book of Life. This statement has been the source of controversy for generations. Can a true Christian fall away? Can you lose your salvation? At least three erroneous answers have been offered:
1. Those who have been truly saved by Christ̓s redemption can fall away and be lost forever. This is the classical Arminian position, and it is absolutely and categorically denied by Scripture. The nature of the salvation provided by Christ is eternal, and our justification in God̓s sight is not based on our works but on the perfect, finished righteousness and substitutionary atonement of Jesus Christ. (See John 3:16; 5:24; 6:35-40; 10:27-30; Rom. 5:8-10; 8:28-39; Eph. 1:4-14; 1 Thess. 5:23-24; 1 John 2:19).
2. All those who have “accepted Christ” will be saved; no matter what they do afterwards, they cannot be damned. This is the classic “chicken Evangelical” position, and it too is opposed by Scripture. Those who take this view are attempting to have it both ways: They don̓t want the predestinating God preached by the Calvinist, but they don̓t have the courage to affirm full Arminianism, either. They want man to be sovereign in choosing his salvation, without interference from God̓s decree; yet they want the door of salvation to slam shut as soon as man gets inside, so that he can̓t get out. But the Bible teaches that God has absolutely predestined all things and rules sovereignly over all. He has infallibly chosen all those who will be saved, extending His irresistible grace toward them; and He has determined who will be damned, withholding His grace from them (see Matt. 11:25-27; 20:16; 22:14; Mark 4:11-12; Luke 4:25-27; 17:1; 22:22; John 6:37-39, 44; 12:39-40; Acts 4:27-28; 13:48; Rom. 9:10-26; 11:2, 5-10; 1 Cor. 1:27-31; Eph. 1:4-5, 11; 1 Thess. 5:9; 2 Thess. 2:13; 2 Tim. 1:9; 2 Tim. 2:10; 1 Pet. 1:1-2; 2:8-9; Jude 4).
The Bible also teaches, however, that there are those who profess Christ, and by all accounts appear to be among the elect, who will finally apostatize from the faith and inherit damnation rather than salvation. Judas is the obvious example, but he is by no means the only one. The Old Testament provides countless examples of members of the Covenant who departed from the faith, and the New Testament warns us again and again of the wrath of God against those who break His covenant (see Matt. 7:15-23; 13:20-21; 24:10-12; Mark 4:5-17; Luke 8:13; John 15:1-10; 1 Cor. 9:27; 10:1-12; 2 Thess. 2:3, 11-12; 1 Tim. 4:1-3; 2 Tim. 3:1-9; 4:3-4; Heb. 2:1-3; 3:12-14; 6:4-6; 10:26-31, 35-39; 2 Pet. 2:1-3, 20-22; 3:17). As John Murray wrote: “It is utterly wrong to say that a believer is secure quite irrespective of his subsequent life of sin and unfaithfulness. The truth is that the faith of Jesus Christ is always respective of the life of holiness and fidelity. And so it is never proper to think of a believer irrespective of the fruits in faith and holiness. To say that a believer is secure whatever may be the extent of his addiction to sin in his subsequent life is to abstract faith in Christ from its very definition and it ministers to that abuse which turns the grace of God into lasciviousness. The doctrine of perseverance is the doctrine that believers persevere; it cannot be too strongly stressed that it is the perseverance of the saints. And that means that the saints, those united to Christ by the effectual call of the Father and in-dwelt by the Holy Spirit, will persevere unto the end. If they persevere, they endure, they continue. It is not at all that they will be saved irrespective of their perseverance or their continuance, but that they will assuredly persevere. Consequently the security that is theirs is inseparable from their perseverance. Is this not what Jesus said? ‘He that endures to the end, the same shall be saved.’ ”
3. Everyone in the world is written in the Book of Life, but unbelievers are erased from it after they have passed the age of accountability. This idea is so ridiculous that the Bible does not even take the time to refute it directly (although the passages already listed demonstrate that it is pure poppycock, to put it nicely). Where in Scripture is there a shred of evidence for an “age of accountability”? Where does the Bible give any support whatsoever to the following little gem from a well-known Christian scholar?
Since Christ died for the sin inherent in every person conceived, a child who dies before becoming a deliberate and conscious sinner does not need to be “saved” from sin, since he has never sinned, and since Christ has made propitiation for his innate sin.
There are at least five theological errors in that one sentence, but let̓s zero in on the main point: the notion that children are basically sinless, or without “deliberate” sin, when they are born, and remain in that condition until they reach the mystical “age of accountability.” In the first place, the true age of accountability is reached at the moment of conception: All men, at all times, are accountable to God (see Ps. 51:5; Rom. 3:23). Second, all men are under the sentence of condemnation already; apart from the saving grace of God, they are condemned from the moment they exist (see John 3:18, 36; Rom. 5:12-19). Why else do babies die (Rom. 6:23)? Third, infants are deliberate sinners: “Even from birth the wicked go astray; from the womb they are wayward and speak lies” (Ps. 58:3; cf. Ps. 53:2-3; Rom. 3:10-12, 23; Eph. 2:1-3). Now, either the “age of accountability” doctrine is in error, or the Bible is wrong. Which are we to believe? The fact is that the idea of the essential sinlessness of infants is a pagan notion, unsupported by the Bible. It is merely anti-Christian sentimentalism, which refuses to hear the Word of God and attempts to replace it with the word of man — or, more likely, with the word of effeminate poets scribbling mushy greeting cards. It is right on the same level with the sentiment that every time a fairy blows its wee nose a baby is born.
The final promise to the overcomer reinforces the idea: I will confess his name before My Father, and before His angels. This echoes Jesus̓ statements in the Gospels: “Everyone therefore who shall confess Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever shall deny Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven” (Matt. 10:32-33; cf. Mark 8:38; Luke 12:8-9). Many of the Christians in Sardis were denying Christ before their community, as they endeavored to be praised of men rather than of God. At the Last Judgment they would hear these words from the Son of God: I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness (Matt. 7:23). But those who overcame these temptations would be joyfully acknowledged by Christ as His own. This message is as important and needed today as it was 2000 years ago. Do we have ears to hear what the Spirit says to the churches?
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Dr. Warren Weirsbe,
Be Series CommentarySardis, the Feeble Church (Rev. 3:1-6)
Ancient Sardis, the capital of Lydia, was a most important city. It lay about fifty miles east of Ephesus at the junction of five main roads; so it was a center for trade. it was also a military center, for it was located on an almost inaccessible plateau. The acropolis of Sardis was about 1,500 feet above the main roads, and it formed an impregnable fortress. The main religion in the city was the worship of Artemis, one of the “nature cults” that built on the idea of death and rebirth.
Sardis was also known for its manufacture of woolen garments, a fact that has bearing on Christ̓s message to the church. Sad to say, the city at that time was but a shadow of its former splendor; and the church, unfortunately, had become like the city—it was alive in name only.
The message to Sardis is a warning to all “great churches” that are living on past glory. Dr. Vance Havner has frequently reminded us that spiritual ministries often go through four stages: a man, a movement, a machine, and then a monument. Sardis was at the “monument” stage, but there was still hope!
There was hope because Christ was the Head of the church and He was able to bring new life. lie described Himself as the one possessing the seven Spirits and the seven stars. There is only one Holy Spirit (Eph. 4:4), but the number seven demonstrates fullness and completeness. The Holy Spirit gives life to the church, and life is exactly what the people at Sardis needed. The seven-fold Spirit of God is pictured as seven burning lamps (Rev. 4:5) and as seven all-seeing eyes (Rev. 5:6).
All of the church's man-made programs can never bring life, any more than a circus can resurrect a corpse. The church was born when the Spirit of God descended on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2), and its life comes from the Spirit. When the Spirit is grieved, the church begins to lose life and power. When sin is confessed and church members get right with God and with each other, then the Spirit infuses new life—revival!
Christ also controls the seven stars, the messengers of the churches (Rev. 1:20), referring most likely to the pastors. Sometimes it is a pastor̓s fault that a church is dying, and the Lord of the church must remove the star and put another in his place.
There are no words of commendation to the believers at Sardis. Nor did the Lord point out any doctrinal problems that required correction. Neither is there any mention of opposition or persecution. The church would have been better off had there been some suffering, for it had grown comfortable and content and was living on its past reputation. There was reputation without reality, form without force. Like the city itself, the church at Sardis gloried in past splendor, but ignored present decay.
In fact, even what they did have was about to die! Why? Because the believers had gone to sleep. Twice in its long history, the citadel at Sardis had been captured, each time because sentries had failed to do their jobs faithfully. It is when the church̓s leaders and members get accustomed to their blessings and complacent about their ministry that the enemy finds his way in.
The impression is that the assembly in Sardis was not aggressive in its witness to the city. There was no persecution because there was no invasion of the enemy̓s territory. No friction usually means no motion! The unsaved in Sardis saw the church as a respectable group of people who were neither dangerous nor desirable. They were decent people with a dying witness and a decaying ministry.
Our Lord's counsel to the church began with, “Be watchful! Wake up!” (see Rom. 13:11ff) The “sentries” were asleep! The first step toward renewal in a dying church is honest awareness that something is wrong. When an organism is alive, there is growth, repair, reproduction, and power; if these elements are lacking in a church, then that church is either dying or already dead.
The Lord warned the Ephesian saints that lie would come and remove their lamp-stand if they did not repent (Rev. 2:5). He warned the church at Pergamos that lie would come and make war with the sword of the Spirit (Rev. 2:16). If the believers at Sardis did not follow Ills orders, lie would come as a thief, when they least expected Him; and this would mean judgment.
However, a remnant of dedicated people often exists in even a dying church. The Christians at Sardis had life, even though it was feeble. They were working, even though their works were not all that they could have been. The Lord admonished them to strengthen what remained and not to give up because the church was weak. Where there is life, there is hope!
What was different about this dedicated remnant? They had not defiled their garments (Rev. 3:4). There is some evidence from antiquity that temple worshipers were not permitted to approach their gods and goddesses wearing dirty garments. The remnant in the church at Sardis had not compromised with the pagan society around them, nor had they grown comfortable and complacent. It was this devoted spiritual remnant that held the future of the church̓s ministry.
“Wake up! Be watchful! Repent! Remember the Word you have received and obey it!” This is the formula for revival. It is good to guard our spiritual heritage, but we must not embalm it. It is not enough to be true to the faith and have a great history. That faith must produce life and works.
The promise in Revelation 3:5 (“clothed in white raiment”) would have been especially meaningful to people who lived in a city where woolen garments were manufactured. And the statement about the names being blotted out would also be significant to people in the Roman Empire, where citizenship was vitally important (see Acts 22: 24-30).
Is there a warning here that a true believer might lose his salvation? I don̓t think so. It would appear that God̓s “Book of Life” contains the names of all the living, the wicked as well as the righteous (Ps. 69:28). Revelation 13:8 and 17:8 suggest that the names of the saved are written in the book from the foundation of the world—that is, before they had done anything good or bad. By God s grace, they have been chosen in Christ before the beginning of time (Eph. 1:4; see also Matt. 25:34).
Jesus told His disciples to rejoice because their names were “written in heaven” (Luke 10:20). The Greek verb is in the perfect tense, which means it can be translated (as Kenneth Wuest does in his Expanded Translation), “your names have been written in heaven and are on permanent record up there.” It is not likely that Jesus would contradict Himself in this important matter!
If the names of believers (the elect) are written from the foundation of the world, and if God knows all things, why would He enter the name of somebody who would one day fall and have to be removed from the book? We are enrolled in heaven because we have been born again (Heb. 12:23), and no matter how disobedient a child may be, he or she cannot be “unborn.”
Another possibility, as unbelievers die, their names are removed from the book; thus, at the final judgment, the book contains only the names of believers (Rev. 20:12-15). It then becomes “the Lamb̓s Book of Life” (Rev. 21:27), because only those saved by the Lord Jesus Christ have their names in it. All the others have been blotted out, something God would never do for any true child of God (see Ex. 32:32; Rom. 9:3). It is a book of life, and lost sinners are dead (Eph. 2:1).
The warning here is that we not grow comfortable in our churches, lest we find ourselves slowly dying. The encouragement is that no church is beyond hope as long as there is a remnant in it, willing to strengthen the things that remain.
Journey in Grace by Dr. Richard P. Belcher, SR.
CHAPTER 40 WHAT IS THE PERSEVERANCE OF THE SAINTS? I didn't hear from Todd again concerning his meeting with Jim Mitchell until the next Monday when I ran into him at school. As he told me about their confrontation, I felt like I was almost present. Good old spineless Todd had finally stood for the truth with backbone and conviction.
He said he had called Jim into his office on Sunday, and had suggested that he and his family move on to another church. Evidently this caught Jim by complete surprise, since he had hoped to be the pastor of the church again soon. When Jim asked Todd why he thought he should leave, Todd replied that their theologies were too different, and that Jim̓s ambition to lead the church again was not in God̓s will. Todd told him he would welcome him to stay if he could submit to the church̓s leadership,
but Jim had not evidenced that ability in the past.
Jim̓s response ran the gamut from doctrinal argumentation to lambasting Todd's abilities as pastor to castigating me as “having gotten to Todd,” and to threatening to take some people with him when he left. But Todd played it cool by refusing to argue theology with him, by refusing to be intimidated by his threats, by informing him the deacons and church stood with their pastor, and by telling him the only ones who would leave with him were the ones who had left before.
I was impressed with the attitude Todd showed as he told me about this instance. It wasn't the proud spirit of one who had bested another in battle (as the old Todd would have shown), but it was a humble attitude of one who had sought to follow his Lord in doing His will in a very tough situation. I saw that not only had a very serious issue been settled at Lime Creek, but also that a man of God had emerged through the battle.
Our conversation closed with Todd asking if I would help him settle the theological questions Jim had raised. I replied that I would, but we must do it in one meeting, and he must do the homework and share his findings with me. I would not disciple him any longer. Besides, I had a church to pastor, and a wedding coming up soon. We set a date in early December when we would meet for discussion.
The next Friday evening Terry and I met for our consideration of the fifth and final point of Calvinism. I began by the usual review of the doctrine.
1. The doctrine of perseverance is the logical conclusion of the other previous four points of the Calvinist acrostic.
If man is totally depraved and cannot do anything to help himself spiritually, and, if God is absolutely sovereign in the matter of election, choosing the elect on the basis of His will and His will alone, and if Christ̓s death was for the elect, guaranteeing their salvation, and if God calls the elect irresistibly, then it follows that God will assure the final salvation of these elect--that is, they will persevere to the final end.
If the elect do not persevere, then the eternal election of God would fail, and this the Calvinist could not admit. If God decreed it, it will come to pass, including the final salvation of the elect.
If the elect do not persevere, then the death of Christ would be a failure, because its design was to guarantee the salvation of the elect.
If the elect do not persevere, then the grace of God would be resistible by the saved (they could reject it in a final manner after they are saved), even though grace was irresistible before they were saved.
2. The doctrine of perseverance is to be defined as follows: Perseverance is the doctrine which says that those who are the elect because they have been the object of God̓s eternal decree of election, and because they have been the object of Christ̓s atonement, shall continue in the way of salvation as the same power of God that saved them will also keep and sanctify them unto their final salvation.
3. The doctrine of perseverance does not rule out backsliding by a believer. The doctrine rules out the possibility that one can profess to be a Christian and yet live in a supposed backslidden state for a number of years without facing the chastening hand of God but it does not rule out back-sliding.
Backsliding will occur among Christians, but the doctrine of perseverance says the true believer will not remain there endlessly. If he does, he had better put a big question mark beside his profession of faith.
4. The doctrine of perseverance according to Calvinism does NOT include the concept of a carnal Christian.
A carnal Christian, as defined by some, is one who has been truly saved, yet lives like he is lost. He has made a profession of faith, and may have lived like a Christian for awhile. But now he has gone back to the world, and both those around him in the world, and those of the church wouldn't know he was a Christian. Only God knows his heart. He may spend the rest of his life in this condition, but because of his salvation experience, he will be in eternity with Christ. He is carnal, but he is a Christian. Or he is a Christian, but he is carnal. The Calvinist would say, if there is no perseverance, there is no salvation, and if there is salvation, there will be perseverance.
5. The doctrine of perseverance includes the security of the believer, but security by itself is only half the doctrine and leaves false thinking and living in its wake.The Baptist concept of “once saved, always saved” is only half the coin, and with only half of the coin it can become a dangerous doctrine.
The doctrine of perseverance, according to the Calvinist, has two sides--security and perseverance. Yet one cannot exist without the other. The Baptist doctrine of eternal security (once saved, always saved), overlooks or neglects the necessity of perseverance as the proof of true salvation. Thus by telling a person of eternal security without telling him of the reality of perseverance as the proof of salvation, one could produce the same results as the “carnal Christian” doctrine--people who think they are saved but who are not. The doctrine of eternal security without the other side of the coin becomes a license to sin for those who have merely professed faith In Christ, but who̓ have never truly been saved. The Calvinist doctrine of perseverance gives both comfort to the believer (he is eternally secure) and reality to his profession (he realizes the proof of his salvation is a perseverance in the Christian life).
I really didn't realize this summary would take us so long to formulate and discuss. We would have to wait till another hour to test its Scripturalness. The next hour or so went much more slowly as we discussed matters pertaining to the wedding I was discovering early in the ministry that weddings would not be my Joy and heartbeat. I was eager enough about getting married, but I had never realized that there were so many details. We had finished the planning of the service long ago. Now it was the other things of discussion which women seem to enjoy more than men.
I tried to look as interested and as happy as possible as we discussed these matters which Terry brought up, but at times she realized my heart was elsewhere. But she didn't seem to mind nor scold me about it, which I appreciated. Maybe if we had been studying the theology of marriage, I would have been more excited. Like the Christian life requires sometimes, I was persevering in an unpleasant situation.
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CHAPTER 41 IS THE DOCTRINE OF PERSEVERANCE SCRIPTURAL?Several weeks passed by before Terry and I were able to get together to discuss further the matter of the perseverance of the saints. In light of church responsibilities, including
several funerals, and in light of school work coming to the close of a quarter, it was not
until the Thanksgiving break, even Thanksgiving Day, that we finally sat down in the
afternoon for discussion.
After reviewing the doctrine as we had discussed it previously, we plunged into the question of its scripturalness. We noted several classes of Scripture passages helpful
to our thinking.
The Security of the BelieverFirst, there were many passages which clearly taught that the believer could not lose
his salvation, including the following:
Romans 8:35,39
35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
John 6:37
All that the Father gives me shall come to me; and him that comes to me I will in no wise cast out.
John 10:27-29
27 My sheep continually hear My voice, and I am knowing them, and they continually follow Me: 28 And I give unto them everlasting life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand. 29 My Father, which gave them Me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of My Father̓s hand.
Philippians 1:6
Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you all will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.
Romans 11:29
For the gifts and calling of God are irrevocable.
II Timothy 1:12
For I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day.
Hebrews 10:14
For by one offering He hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.
Even the phrase eternal or everlasting life surely spoke of a salvation which possessed
a nature of an existence which would or could never end.
John 6:47
Verily, verily I say unto you, He that believes on Me hath everlasting life (does that not mean life that will never end?).
John 5:24
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that hears My Word, and believes on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life (life that will not end), and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.
The Perseverance of the Believer On the other side of the coin of the truth of the believer̓s eternal security, we noted passages which spoke of perseverance--that Is, that the true believer will continue in the faith, and not turn from it back into a life of sin.
Matthew 7:14-14
Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leads to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leads unto life, and few there be that find it.
From this passage we noted that the wide gate leads to the broad way and the narrow gate leads to the narrow way. There is no such possibility as walking through the narrow gate and ending up on the broad road, nor can one pass through the broad gate and end up on the narrow way. If one is walking on the broad road, he has not passed through the narrow gate, and if one is walking on the narrow road, he did not reach it by the broad gate. And surely our Lord̓s words “. . . few there be that find it” should be a warning and admonition to us that few are truly saved. Does this not indicate that there are many walking the broad road who think they have passed through the narrow gate, but are actually mistaken?
Matthew 7:16-18
Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree brings forth good fruit, but a corrupt tree brings forth bad fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth bad fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
I asked Terry what the context was here. After browsing quickly the surrounding text she noted that these words are spoken primarily with reference to false prophets.
I asked, “Yet are there not principles laid down here which apply to every professing
believer?”
Without waiting for an answer I noted the following principles. First, the fruit (conduct of one̓s life) tells you something about a person. Second, a saved person will bring forth good fruit (good conduct of life). Third, a saved person̓s conduct of life will not consistently be evil. Fourth, a lost person will bring forth bad fruit (an Improper conduct of life). Fifth, a lost person will not bring forth good fruit (the proper conduct of life).
In simple words, we can know one has the new birth by the character and trend of his or her life. The saved person will have the character of a holy life, and it cannot be constantly and consistently toward a life of evil. The lost person will also have a character and trend of life that is telling, and it cannot be truly a consistent holy and godly life.
Therefore, for one to claim to be saved and then to live a constant and continual unholy life is impossible. The truly saved person will persevere in holiness and godliness over a period of time.
Matthew 7:21-23
Not everyone that says unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that does the will of my Father, who is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? And in the name have cast out devils? And in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you; depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
As we discussed this verse we concluded that Christ states that the real test of salvation is not simply a profession of faith in Christ (these people called him Lord), nor is it the presence of certain works (preaching and even miracles). Rather, the real test of salvation is doing the will of the Father. It is not that doing the will of the Father saves a person, but it is stating that the saved person will do the will of the Father. He shall persevere!
Matthew 13:5-6
Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth; and forthwith they sprang up, because they had no deepness of earth. And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away.
In handling this passage we recalled its context - the parable of the sower. As the sower did his work, the seed fell on different kinds of soil. Some fell on stony ground, and soon the sprouts began to spring up with every evidence they were real and lasting. But when the sun came out, these on the stony ground soon withered and died, because they had not a deepness of roots.
We concluded that this passage indicated that persons may respond with a gladness and apparent correctness to the gospel message. Yes, they may even appear to give evidence of a true conversion experience. But when the trials and persecution of the Christian life come, they fall by the wayside because they were not truly saved. They do not persevere, and that is a sign they were not saved.
At this point, Terry remarked, “Boy, that is scary!” I thought I knew what she meant, but asked nonetheless, “What do you mean?”
“Well,” she began, “that means that many of those on our church rolls which we normally call Christians, because they at one point of their lives made a profession of faith, may not really be saved!”
I smiled, and she must have taken it as a jibe of some sort, because she continued. “Seriously, how many of those making professions of faith today in our churches really persevere? How many make a profession of faith, and take off like a house afire in the supposed living of the Christian life, only to fall by the way side within a matter of a few weeks or months? And yet we still carry them on the church rolls, and even consider them to be Christians, and even tell them they are eternally secure and
will never lose their salvation, when Jesus, according to this parable, said they never
were saved at all!”
I rejoiced in my heart to see how she had grasped the real meaning and application of the passage for our day. She had expressed my convictions exactly! Perseverance is the proof of salvation.
Matthew 24:13
And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that endureth to the end, the same shall be saved.
Having done a little study on this passage, I noted for Terry the background of these verses. It is in that context having to do with the end times. Some seem to want to confine the principle it contains (endurance to the end as the sign of true salvation) to the final days of the age, and not to our day and times.
We agreed the principle stated here is clear--that the evidence of true salvation is continuance to the end. It does not teach that one is saved by enduring to the end, but that if one is saved, he will endure to the end. On the other hand, failure to persevere or endure to the end is a sign one does not possess true salvation.
We also agreed that this principle was not just for one age--the last days. Could it possibly be that during the end time when persecution was heavy that the Lord would demand perseverance as the evidence of salvation, while in days prior to that hour He would be lenient and lax allowing His own to walk loosely in sin? Even more serious, could It be that salvation in the final days would be more powerful and life-changing than in the days prior to it? Would not salvation be the same in both periods of the history of the church?
About this time a knock came at the front door of Terry̓s house where we were meeting. At the sound of the knock I uttered my usual pastoral query when facing an unexpected and undesired interruption, as I said out loud, “Who can that possibly be?” ‘I was rather startled when Todd and a young lady walked into the room as Terry opened the door. I was even more startled when he introduced her as his fiancé! Evidently, he had just proposed marriage to her, and they were so overjoyed that they had to tell someone--and they chose us! I guess I should have been flattered to be
chosen to share their joy, but I couldn't help but be a little skeptical In asking myself if this wasn't a little premature for Todd in light of his past history of a long string of broken romantic relationships.
We sought to rejoice with them, but I knew sometime in the near future I had to ask Todd some serious questions about his most recent engagement. Perhaps I could do it when we talked about his questions on theology.
=====================================================================
How to Read the Bible For All It’s Worth: A Guide to Understanding the Bible, 2nd ed., by Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart, (IVP, 1993) p. 231-235.
When turning to the book of Revelation from the rest of the New Testament, one feels as if he or she were entering a foreign country. Instead of narratives and letters containing plain
statements of fact and imperatives, one comes to a book full of angels, trumpets, earthquakes,
beasts, dragons, and bottomless pits.
The hermeneutical problems are intrinsic. The book is in the canon; thus for us it is God̓s
Word, inspired of the Holy Spirit. Yet when we come to it to hear that Word, most of us in the
church today hardly know what to make of it. The author sometimes speaks forthrightly: “I, John,
your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in
Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus” (1:9).
He writes to seven known churches in known cities with recognizable first-century conditions.
At the same time, however, there is a rich, diverse symbolism, some of which is
manageable (judgment in the form of an earthquake; 6:12-17), while some is obscure (the two
witnesses; 11:1-10). Most of the problems stem from the symbols, plus the fact that the book
deals with future events, but at the same time is set in a recognizable first-century context.
We do not pretend to be able to resolve all the difficulties, nor do we imagine that all of
our readers will be happy with everything we say. It seems necessary to say at the outset that no
one should approach the Revelation without a proper degree of humility! There are already too
many books on ‘The Revelation Made Easy.” But it is not easy. As with the difficult passages in
the Epistles (see pp. 58-59), one should be less than dogmatic here, especially since there are at
least five major schools of interpretation, not to mention significant variations within each of the
schools.
But we are also bold enough to think we have more than an inkling as to what John was
up to. So we will lead you into some hermeneutical suggestions that make sense to us. But
exegesis comes first, and in this case exegesis is especially crucial. For this is a book on which a
lot of popular books and pamphlets have been written. In almost every case, these popular books
do no exegesis at all. They jump immediately to hermeneutics, which usually takes the form of
fanciful speculations that John himself could never possibly have intended or understood.
The Nature of the Revelation As with most of the other biblical genres, the first key to the exegesis of the Revelation is to examine the kind of literature it is. In this case, however, we face a different kind of problem,
for the Revelation is a unique, finely blended combination of three distinct literary types:
apocalypse, prophecy, and letter. Furthermore, the basic type, apocalypse, is a literary form
that does not exist in our own day. In previous cases, even if our own examples differ somewhat
from the biblical ones, we nonetheless have a basic understanding of what an epistle or a
narrative, a psalm or a proverb is. But we simply have nothing quite like this. Thus it is
especially important in this case to have a clear picture of the literary type we are dealing with . . .
The Revelation As Epistle Finally, it must be noted that this combination of apocalyptic and prophetic elements has been cast into the form of a letter. For example, read 1:4-7 and 22:21; you will note that all the characteristics of the letter form are present. Furthermore, John speaks to his readers in the first
person/second person formula (I. . .you). Thus in its final form the Revelation is sent by John as a
letter to the seven churches of Asia Minor.
The significance of this is that, as with all epistles, there is an occasional (see p. 48)
aspect to the Revelation. It was occasioned at least in part by the needs of the specific churches to
which it is addressed. Therefore, to interpret, we must try to understand its original historical
context.
The Necessity of Exegesis It may seem strange that after twelve chapters in this book, we should still feel constrained to contend for the necessity of exegesis. But it is precisely the lack of sound exegetical principles that has caused so much bad, speculative interpretation of the Revelation to take place. What we want to do here, then, is simply to repeat, with the Revelation in mind, some of the basic exegetical principles we have already delineated in this book, beginning with chapter 3.
1. The first task of the exegesis of the Revelation is to seek the author̓s, and therewith the Holy Spirit̓s, original intent. As with the Epistles, the primary meaning of the Revelation is what John intended it to mean, which in turn must also have been something his readers could have understood it to mean. Indeed, the great advantage they would have had over us is their familiarity with their own historical context (that caused the book to be written in the first place) and their greater familiarity with apocalyptic forms and images.
When one considers the background of the city of Sardis, and pays attention to the double negative in Jesus’ three fold promise, the interpretations of Rev. 3:5 by Pelagius-Arminius-Wesley and their followers are seen to be just the opposite of Jesus’ meaning. The people in the church at Sardis were afraid of losing their citizenship in the city and even their lives if they did not compromise and worship the emperor. The persecution had stared. Jesus gives them a three fold promise (not a warning) for those who were afraid. It was true if they were charged with treason to Caesar by claiming Jesus as Lord, they would loose their right to vote, be required to pay taxes, and loose all the rights and privileges as Roman citizens. After the trial, there names would be literally marked out of the citizenship book in the town, just like the names of the deceased. Slavery, nakedness, family rejection, homelessness and poverty or death, lay before them. To give clarity and courage in the face of this Jesus says, “He who overcomes [takes his/her stand for Jesus as a martyr] shall be (promise # 1) clothed in white garments, and (promise # 2) I will not ever under any circumstances at any time or any place (double negative in the Greek) mark out his name from the Book of Life; but (promise # 3) I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.” The first promise to a town with its own wool industry is very clear. Being run out of Sardis may cut you off from earthly garments. But Jesus will replace their missing clothes with beautiful white garments. They will have His perfect righteousness of their heavenly account and they will be dressed accordingly. He is asking the wool workers to be willing to give up earthly garments for beautiful heavenly ones. The second promise deals with citizenship being revoked in Sardis, but never ever being revoked by Jesus in heaven. The third promise, to those about to lose their families and homes, they will have a new family in heaven and a new home near God the Father’s throne and His angels. Jesus is saying take the risk on earth because heaven is so secure for you that you can not lose. How do you think Christ responds when men take His threefold promise and make it into a warning to those who do not perform good enough on earth, teaching them that they will loose out in heaven too? Jesus gives us this same promise with a double negative in Hebrews 13:5, Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” I will never at any time at any place under any circumstances leave you. This includes a true believer backsliding. There is never a time when Jesus will abandon one of His chosen ones. That is what He said and what He meant. Ted D. Manby, TH.M.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The letter by Jonathan Hester, “In Response to Factual errors in Religious Play” (11-15-99)
makes the following statements:
The problem with Christians today is our lack of knowledge, yet quick to speak attitude about God and His Word. The book of Revelation in the Bible gives
warning of names being “marked” or “blotted” out of the book of life. Rev. 3:5 states: “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,...”
Clearly any person who experiences salvation, but later refuses to persevere in faith and to overcome, will have his name taken out of the book of life.” [emphasis added]
If this method of interpretation is adequate for Rev. 3:5, let’s apply it to some other Bible verses and see what doctrines will arise from these single verses taken out of context.
Jeremiah 25:27) 'Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: "Drink, be drunk, and vomit! Fall and rise no more, because of the sword which I will send among you."'
Clearly God wants us to get drunk, vomit and then be killed.
(Jeremiah 23:33) "I will even forsake you," says the LORD.
Clearly, even if we persevere in the faith, God will forsake us.
Joshua 24:19) But Joshua said to the people, "You cannot serve the LORD, for He is a holy God. He is a jealous God; He will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins.”
Clearly our sins will not be forgiven and we cannot serve God.
Hebrews 13:5 Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you."
Clearly this is a warning that Jesus may forsake some individuals.
Numbers 23:19 "God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?
Clearly this is not a promise but a warning that God may not always be honest.
Do these examples upset you? May I ask then why you were not equally upset when one of the three promises to the church at Sardis around 65 A.D. is turned around to mean just the opposite of what Jesus intended? Loyalty is normally good. But when loyalty to a system of thought causes one to twist Scripture, it has went too far. There are texts taken all by themselves that could be interpreted legitimately in favor of the Pelagian-Arminian-Wesleyan interpretation. Hebrews 6:1-12 is one such passage. There are about five possible interpretations of this text. I personally hold to one of the less popular positions [strong warnings view], but one that does not contradict the clear teaching of John 6 and 10, and Romans 8-10. These verses teach that true believers persevere to the end because God keeps them. No one is strong enough to take a sheep out of the Father’s hand, not even that sheep himself. Much different than Hebrew 6, Revelation 3:5 cannot be accurately interpreted to support this system of thought. This system of thought was condemned as heresy by the early church and does not accurately reflect the nature of God nor the teachings of the Bible as a whole. Review again the verses Dr. Belcher lists in his chapters above on “the perseverance of the saints.” The Bible’s testimony as a whole unit of truth from God makes clear that the “performance to stay saved”view a serious deviation from the teaching of Scripture.
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