Pastors and Bible scholars recently produced a documentary film titled Once Saved, Always Saved (see here). They argue that once saved does not guarantee always saved.

One of the passages they use to prove that salvation can be lost is Rev 3:5: “He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.”

Their discussion of Rev 3:5 runs from minute 34:35 to 35:56 in the film. Here are some highlights:

Pastor Zac Poonen: “Your name can be erased from the Book of Life.”

Dr. Michael Brown: Why give a promise not to do something that is impossible anyway?

Dr. Ben Witherington: “You can be erased from the Lamb’s Book of Eternal Life.”

Pastor Poonen: “Is Jesus telling a lie here? Is He making an empty threat?”

Pastor Joe Schimmel: This isn’t the book of everyone who has ever lived.

Pastor Poonen: Let us hear what the Lord says here.

We can group their interpretation around six main elements:

1. Jesus said your name can be erased from the Book of Life.
2. This must be possible since there would otherwise be no reason to say this.
3. If your name is erased from the Book of Life, you have lost everlasting life.
4. Jesus is threatening believers with hell if they fail to persevere.
5. The Book of Life is the book that records all who have everlasting life.
6. If we don’t apply what Jesus says, we will lose our salvation.

I will respond to each of these six points, then give my interpretation:

1. No. Jesus did not say that anyone’s name can be erased. He promised not to erase the names of overcomers, which may imply that the non-overcomer’s name is erased. But that is neither stated nor clear.
2. No. If this is an understatement, called litotes, there would be a reason to say it. An online article gives fifty examples of understatement. Many of them use impossible illustrations. Number 22 says, “You could try to swim across the Pacific Ocean, but it’d be a little tiring and there might not be enough time to do it this afternoon.” Number 23 says, “Max looked at the mountain jutting into the sky and said, “Yeah, it’s probably a little too big to jump over it.” Number 25: “Pluto can get as cold as -400F at night, so if you’re going there, you might want to bring a jacket.”
3. No. If this isn’t an understatement, then it can’t refer to losing everlasting life because many other verses show that this is impossible. John 3:16 and many other verses show that everlasting life cannot be lost.
4. No. Jesus does not threaten believers with eternal condemnation in Rev 3:5. All seven letters to the churches present the prospect of ruling with Christ and other eternal rewards for those who overcome, but of no rulership for those who do not. Missing out on ruling with Christ is not the same as being eternally condemned.
5. Yes. The Book of Life contains the names of all who have everlasting life. It may also indicate those believers who are overcomers. More on that in a moment.
6. Yes and no. We should carefully apply what Jesus says. All seven of the letters call for us to hear and apply. But the issue in careful application is God’s blessings, not our eternal destinies.

Here is my interpretation: There are two key phrases in Rev 3:5: “I will not blot out his name,” and “I will confess his name.”

In a 1983 JETS article, William Fuller argued that the Greek word onoma, translated name, refers to one’s reputation here. He cites Prov 22:1: “A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, Loving favor rather than silver and gold.”

The faithful believer will not have his good reputation ruined; instead, the Lord Jesus will confess his reputation. “Well done, good servant” (Luke 19:17) is that sort of confession. Good servant is the reputation of the overcomer. That is not his first and last name.

The believer who does not overcome will not hear, “Well done, good servant.” He will not have his name confessed. But he will get into the kingdom because he believed in Jesus for everlasting life.

For example, believing in Jesus’ name in John’s Gospel does not mean believing in the word Jesus. It means believing in His faithful character and reputation. I believe in Jesus’ name when I believe in His promise of everlasting life to the believer. In John’s Gospel, to believe in Him is equal to believing in His name.

I think that both understatement and reputation are in view in Rev 3:5. Jesus won’t blot out the overcomer’s good reputation; instead, He will confess that name and exalt his reputation.

The Bema, the Judgment Seat of Christ, is in view here. Compare Matt 10:32-33; 2 Tim 4:6-8; 1 John 2:28.

Do you remember the old white pages phone books? They listed everyone’s name along with their phone number. But if you paid a little extra, your name would be in bold print. The Book of Life might be like that. All the overcomers will have their names set apart in some way. And the Lord Jesus will acknowledge their good reputation at the Bema.

For more details, see my 1995 article, “I will not blot out his name.”

Keep grace in focus.