Thoughts from daily Bible reading for today – February 22, 2016
The 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. Revelation 3:5
No, the redeemed of God cannot be blotted out of the Book of Life. Those who place their trust in Jesus for their salvation have their names permanently written in the Lord’s book of life—since the foundations of the world. In Christ alone, we are more than conquerors and victorious over sin, Satan and death. Because we have conquered we are guaranteed not to be erased from the book (see John Piper). Being erased is not an option for those eternally secured by faith in Jesus. And being in the book of life means you will not fall away—but remain faithful.
With the same logic and expression of love, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5, NKJV), so the Lord says, “I will never blot out the name of that person from the book of life.” God will never forsake or forget His faithful followers—it is impossible because of His faithful character. There are some who would say they were saved, but as life happened their disingenuous faith led them to stray from the flock of God. True followers return to the fold.
“They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us” (1 John 2:19, NKJV).
Has your name been written in the Lamb’s book of life? If so, you can rest secure: your heavenly Father’s ink is permanent marker. Yes, your Lord and Savior’s blood filled the ink well of God’s love so He could engrave your name on the pages of His profound grace and love. Pain will try to erase your name—it won’t. Doubt will try to remove your name—it can’t. Fear will seek to eliminate your eternal security—never, because your promise of everlasting life with the Lord is based on Jesus, not on your fleeting feelings. So, rejoice that your name is written in heaven!
Have you left your community of Christ followers—even abandoned your faith? If that’s the case then be concerned that you may have left the faith, since you were never truly one of the faithful. A wolf in sheep’s clothing will one day be exposed by the judgment of God. The Lord’s love is compelling when it is contrasted to His punishment of sin—the worst of which is the sin of unbelief. In the name of Jesus: embrace Christ by faith, as the son of the living God—who died on the cross for your sins and rose from death to give you life—forever with Him, amen!
“All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world” (Revelation 13:8, NKJV).
Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for Your eternal security and teach me what it means to work out my salvation for Your purposes.
Application: How can I express my gratitude to God for His assurance of salvation in Christ?
Related Readings: John 10:27-30; 1 Corinthians 12:6; Philippians 2:12-13; 1 John 5:13
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Seemingly in an effort to reassure us that our salvation is forever secure, this devotion is (conveniently?) not including the verses immediately preceding the noted quote. Additionally, there is scripture elsewhere that also exhorts us to remain faithful lest we -not lose, but choose to discard-our gift from God. Hebrews 10:26 is very clear about what happens if we turn from God.
Dear Boyd,
Just a note to say that the version choice used in this day’s reflections creates confusion! The NKJV of Rev 13:8 uses the word “him” instead of the word, “beast”. Difficult subject to work through but knowing the context hear would have been a great help for me. Blessings and Thanks for your efforts to advance the kingdom!
John Batjes
Dear John,
Thank you for letting us know about that. I will pass it along to Boyd. I can see where, perhaps, it could cause a little confusion. I see your point.
We are thankful for our Wisdom Hunter’s family and appreciate you taking the time to let us know about statements that may be confusing. We hope you will continue to be blessed by the devotionals and all the Glory goes to God!
Thank you again, John. We look forward to hearing from you again.
Believing and trusting~
Gwynne
“Keep me safe, O God, for in you I take refuge.” Psalm 16:1
Dear Pam,
Thank you for your thought provoking comments regarding “Can Those Redeemed by God be Blotted out of the Book of Life?” We appreciate hearing from our Wisdom Hunter’s family when they have some concerns about the true direction of a devotional. I believe your point echoes the point Boyd is making when he states “A wolf in sheep’s clothing will one day be exposed by the judgement of God. The Lord’s love is compelling when it is contrasted to His punishment of sin- the worst of which is the sin of unbelief”.
As I read Hebrews 10:26, I am reminded of just what “His punishment of sin” is! Thank you for bringing up that verse.
We are thankful for you, Pam, and appreciate your conviction in making sure our Wisdom Hunter’s readers are clear on the consequences of turning from our Father.
May you continue to shine God’s Light on those around you.
Blessings,
Gwynne
“Your love, O Lord, reaches to the heavens,
your faithfulness to the skies.
Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains,
your justice like the great deep.”
Psalm 36: 5-6