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Can our Names
Be Blotted Out?
The belief
in eternal security is probably the most dangerous theory in the world. The
reason why I believe this is so is because people can be made to feel sure of
heaven even though they continue to live in sin and are really headed for hell.
First of
all, I want to state that I fully agree that Christ has accomplished 100% of our
salvation. I, in no way, believe in or teach a "works" doctrine for salvation.
There is absolutely NOTHING we can add to Christ's infinite atonement. There is
NOTHING we can DO to merit eternal life. We are saved by faith, and faith ALONE.
On the other hand, we cannot expect to live in sin and still make heaven our
home. We are to live a holy life. "Pure religion and undefiled before God and
the Father is this...TO KEEP HIMSELF UNSPOTTED FROM THE WORLD" (James 1:27).
"And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth...but they
which are written in the Lamb's book of life" (Revelation 21:27).
Names are
written into the Lamb's book of life when a person accepts Christ as his or her
personal Savior, but these names can also be blotted out. For example, Moses
prayed: Exodus 32:32-33: "Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin; and if not,
blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written. And the Lord said
unto Moses, WHOSOEVER HATH SINNED AGAINST ME, HIM WILL I BLOT OUT OF MY BOOK."
Jesus
said, Revelation 3:5: "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, but I will
confess his name before My Father, and before His angels."
Revelation
22:19: "And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this
prophecy, GOD SHALL TAKE AWAY HIS PART OUT OF THE BOOK OF LIFE, AND OUT OF THE
HOLY CITY, and from the things which are written in this book."
This last
verse is especially clear as it states that God will not only blot out one's
name but will also take away his part out of the holy city (heaven)! This
certainly is far more serious than just losing one's reward (as the eternal
security proponents teach). We also see that those who are judged out of this
book of life are judged "according to their works": "And I saw the dead, small
and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was
opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things
which were written in the books, according to their works....And whosoever was
not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire"
(Revelation 20:12, 15).
We cannot
commit sin and still have a claim to eternal life. Ephesians 5:3-6 reminds us:
"But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, LET IT NOT BE ONCE NAMED
AMONG YOU, as becometh saints; Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor
jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks. For this ye
know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an
idolater, hath ANY inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. LET NO MAN
DECEIVE YOU WITH VAIN WORDS: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God
upon the children of disobedience." (See also I Corinthians 6:9-11 and Galatians
5:19-21.)
The
Christian walk comes even closer for if we hate our brother, we are a murderer
according to 1 John 3:15: "Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye
know that NO MURDERER HATH ETERNAL LIFE ABIDING IN HIM."
Many
people who claim to be Christians would not think of committing murder or
adultery but many of them think nothing about telling a lie. The Bible, however,
tells us that lying is a sin and that those who do lie cannot enter heaven: "And
there shall IN NO WISE enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever
worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's
book of life" (Revelation 21:27). "For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and
whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a
lie" (Revelation 22:15). "Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth
with his neighbour: for we are members one of another" (Ephesians 4:25). "Lie
not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds"
(Colossians 3:9).
The
eternal security promoters will use John 10:28-29: "I give unto them eternal
life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My
hand. My Father, which gave them Me, is greater than all; and no man is able to
pluck them out of My Father's hand." It is true that we are secure within the
Father's hand--but only AS LONG AS we do not commit sin. These verses hinge on
the previous verse: "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they FOLLOW
Me." Those who FOLLOW Christ are the ONLY ones who are secure within the
Father's hand. Notice also verse 5: "And a stranger will they not follow, but
will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers." If you start to
follow a stranger (which you do when you commit sin), you are no longer secure
within the Father's hand. Look also at Isaiah 59:2: "YOUR INIQUITIES HAVE
SEPARATED BETWEEN YOU AND YOUR GOD, and your sins have hid His face from you,
that He will not hear."
Let's
observe another passage of Scripture. II Chronicles 15:1-2 tells us that "the
Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded: And he went out to meet Asa,
and said unto him, Hear ye me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin; THE LORD IS WITH
YOU, WHILE YE BE WITH HIM; and if ye seek Him, He will be found of you; but IF
YE FORSAKE HIM, HE WILL FORSAKE YOU." It is quite obvious that NO MAN is
plucking anyone from God's hand, but we cannot be kept safe and secure if we are
committing sin. In fact, the reason Jesus came was that "He shall save His
people FROM their sins" (Matthew 1:21) We are also to produce good works ("bear
fruit").
To
reiterate: there is NOTHING we can add to Christ's atonement nor is there
ANYTHING we can DO to MERIT this FREE gift. Ephesians 2:8-9 says: "For by grace
are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
NOT OF WORKS, lest any man should boast." The very next verse, however, is quite
interesting: "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus UNTO GOOD
WORKS, WHICH GOD HATH BEFORE ORDAINED THAT WE SHOULD WALK IN THEM." James
plainly adds: "Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me
thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my FAITH BY MY WORKS....But
wilt thou know, O vain man, that FAITH WITHOUT WORKS IS DEAD?...For as the body
without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also" (James 2:18,
20, 26).
I Timothy
6:18-19: "That they DO GOOD, that they be rich in GOOD WORKS....Laying up in
store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they MAY
LAY HOLD on eternal life." Titus 3:8 clearly admonishes that "This is a FAITHFUL
SAYING, and these things I will that thou AFFIRM CONSTANTLY, that they which
have believed [past tense] in God might BE CAREFUL TO MAINTAIN GOOD WORKS."
Titus 1:16 They profess that they know God; but IN WORKS they deny Him." "If we
deny Him, He also will deny us" (II Timothy 2:12). Peter tells us that AFTER we
believe we should ADD to our faith virtue, and to virtue knowledge, and to
knowledge temperance, etc. "For IF ye DO these things, ye SHALL NEVER FALL."
Remember,
Matthew 7:21-23 warns: "Not every one that saith unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall
enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that DOETH the will of My Father which
is in heaven." What is the will of God? See 1 Thessalonians 4:3; 5:18; I Peter
2:15; etc. Also notice: Hebrews 10:36: "For ye have need of patience, that,
AFTER ye have DONE the will of God, ye might receive the promise."
The
Christian walk consists of more than not PRACTICING sin. It also requires living
a HOLY life. "Whosoever abideth in Him SINNETH NOT: whosoever sinneth hath not
seen Him, neither known Him. Little children, let no man deceive you: he that
DOETH righteousness is righteous, even as He is righteous. He that committeth
sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this
purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of
the devil. WHOSOEVER IS BORN OF GOD DOTH NOT COMMIT SIN....In this the
children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not
righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother" (I John
3:6-10). "That ye may be sincere and WITHOUT OFFENCE TILL the day of Christ"
(Philippians 1:10). "That He might present it to Himself a glorious church, NOT
HAVING SPOT, OR WRINKLE, OR ANY SUCH THING; but that it should be HOLY
AND WITHOUT BLEMISH" (Ephesians 5:27). Titus 2:14: "Who gave Himself for us,
that He might REDEEM US FROM ALL INIQUITY, and PURIFY unto Himself a peculiar
people, zealous of good works."
AS LONG AS
we are doing the will of God we have NO WORRY about losing our salvation for we
are secure in Christ. He that DOETH the will of God ABIDETH FOREVER" (I John
2:17), and Christ is "the author of ETERNAL SALVATION unto all that OBEY
Him" (Hebrews 5:9). We obey Him by keeping His commandments--"He that hath My
commandments, and KEEPETH them, he it is that loveth Me" (John 14:21) and "He
that loveth Me not keepeth not My sayings" (v.24). "His commandment IS life
everlasting" (John 12:50). "He that KEEPETH His commandments DWELLETH in Him and
He in him" (I John 3:24).
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