- Published on
by George Sidney Hurd
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Throughout the Scriptures we see that we are saved by faith alone. In Ephesians 2:8-9 it most emphatically says:
“For by grace you have been saved (perfect passive) through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” (Eph 2:8–9)
Paul could say to the believers at Ephesus that they had been saved exclusively by God’s grace the moment they believed. The phrase “have been saved” is the perfect participle of σώζω (σεσῳσμένοι). The perfect tense in Greek expresses an action completed in the past with results continuing into the present. No one can be saved by works since all have sinned and come short of the glory of God (Rom 3:20,23). Yet, from the moment that we simply believe, we can confidently say that we have been saved by faith alone apart from works. Some think it is presumptuous for anyone to say, “I am saved.” However, far from being presumptuous, it is simply a matter of believing the clear declarations of God’s word.
The question that I will be considering in this article is, what is true saving faith? Is the object of our faith important? It is becoming more and more common to hear people say that it doesn’t matter what you believe as long as you have faith. Inclusivists say that it is not necessary for one to hear and believe the gospel in order to be saved – that one can be saved by simply believing in some general revelation of God’s existence without ever having actually heard of Christ and what He accomplished for us on the cross. I examine the modern doctrine of Inclusivism in my article: What Must I do to be Saved?
Is saving faith merely mental assent, as many within the Free Grace Movement claim, or does saving faith of necessity also consist of one putting their trust in Christ as their Savior? The first of the Fathers to do a comprehensive inductive study of the Scriptures concerning the subject of saving faith was Saint Augustine in the late 4th century. He distinguished between three distinct ways in which one can believe: 1) Credere Deum: to believe that God exists, 2) Credere Deo: to believe in God, and 3) Credere in Deum: to believe into God or entrust oneself to God. He emphasized that only those who have believed into God have believed unto salvation.
In a similar manner, the Reformers pointed out three essential elements to true saving faith: 1) notitia: “information or knowledge,” involving our intellect; 2) assensus: “assent or agreement,” involving our emotion and 3) fiducia: “trust or confidence,” involving our will. The following is a consideration of these three elements of saving faith with particular emphasis upon Augustine’s third level of faith, considering what it means to believe into Christ.
1) Notitia
The Latin word notitia means knowledge or information. In order for one to have saving faith, they must first hear and have at least a rudimentary understanding of the gospel that Jesus died for our sins, was buried and rose again for our justification (1Cor 15:1-4). Faith is not some ethereal mystical essence. Our faith is only as efficacious as the objective truth upon which it is built. We must first hear the gospel in order to have saving faith. As Paul said:
“How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?” (Rom 10:14)
While knowing the truth alone does not save, notitia is foundational to saving faith. Contrary to the claims of Inclusivists, saving faith isn’t possible without the notitia of the gospel message. As Paul said: “Faith then cometh by hearing; and hearing by the word of Christ” (Rom 10:17 DRB).
This first element of saving faith, notitia, is at times referred to in Scripture as “the faith,” (i.e. that body of objective truth upon which our faith is based). These foundational truths are essential to saving faith. For this reason, Satan, the deceiver, has always sought to undermine the notitia or the faith. That is why Jude, the half-brother of Jesus, enjoins us to “contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3). Much of what is today referred to as “deconstruction” is actually a departure from the faith, the notitia. I believe that what we are witnessing is that which Paul prophesied would occur in the last days. He said:
“Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons.” (1Tim 4:1)
More than ever, in our present Postmodern relativistic culture in which the objective truths of God’s Word – the foundational notitia of our faith, is being undermined, we need to do what Paul enjoined Timothy to do: Hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have received (2Tim 1:13). However, as important as notitia is, it is only the first element of saving faith.
2) Assensus
The second element of saving faith is assensus which means assent or agreement with the notitia or information. It is not enough to know the truth-claims of the gospel, we must also agree that they are true.
Yet, contrary to what many “Free Grace” teachers claim, mere mental affirmation does not save anyone. One could be a theologian able to articulate every major doctrine of Scripture with precision – he could even agree with the Scriptures, affirming them as being entirely true, and yet not have saving faith.
James wrote his epistle to the Jews of the dispersion. No doubt, in their daily prayers they still repeated the Shema: “The LORD our God, the LORD is One..” He made what to them would have been a shocking statement. He said: “You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!” (Jas 2:19).
He did this to emphasize that a mere affirmation of truth never saved anyone. In fact, the demons have never doubted who Jesus is. On more than one occasion demons addressed Jesus saying things like, “I know who You are—the Holy One of God!” or “You are the Christ, the Son of God!” (Matt 8:29; Lk 4:41; Mk 1:24). So, while both the knowledge (notitia) and assent (assensus) of the gospel are essential to saving faith, it is not effectual to the saving of the soul without the third element of saving faith.
3) Fiducia
While notitia and assensus involve one’s intellect and emotions, fiducia or trust primarily involves the will. It is when one goes beyond knowing about Christ and agreeing that He is who He says He is, and believing that He can do what He says He can do, to actually putting their trust in Christ for their salvation. Paul makes mention of all three elements of saving faith, knowing, becoming convinced, and entrusting oneself to Christ in one sentence. He says:
“I know in whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted until that day.” (2Tim 1:12).
I think that the best illustration that shows the difference between mere belief and actually placing our trust in Christ to save us, is the Charles Blondin Story, which I cite here:
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Throughout the Scriptures we see that we are saved by faith alone. In Ephesians 2:8-9 it most emphatically says:
“For by grace you have been saved (perfect passive) through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” (Eph 2:8–9)
Paul could say to the believers at Ephesus that they had been saved exclusively by God’s grace the moment they believed. The phrase “have been saved” is the perfect participle of σώζω (σεσῳσμένοι). The perfect tense in Greek expresses an action completed in the past with results continuing into the present. No one can be saved by works since all have sinned and come short of the glory of God (Rom 3:20,23). Yet, from the moment that we simply believe, we can confidently say that we have been saved by faith alone apart from works. Some think it is presumptuous for anyone to say, “I am saved.” However, far from being presumptuous, it is simply a matter of believing the clear declarations of God’s word.
The question that I will be considering in this article is, what is true saving faith? Is the object of our faith important? It is becoming more and more common to hear people say that it doesn’t matter what you believe as long as you have faith. Inclusivists say that it is not necessary for one to hear and believe the gospel in order to be saved – that one can be saved by simply believing in some general revelation of God’s existence without ever having actually heard of Christ and what He accomplished for us on the cross. I examine the modern doctrine of Inclusivism in my article: What Must I do to be Saved?
Is saving faith merely mental assent, as many within the Free Grace Movement claim, or does saving faith of necessity also consist of one putting their trust in Christ as their Savior? The first of the Fathers to do a comprehensive inductive study of the Scriptures concerning the subject of saving faith was Saint Augustine in the late 4th century. He distinguished between three distinct ways in which one can believe: 1) Credere Deum: to believe that God exists, 2) Credere Deo: to believe in God, and 3) Credere in Deum: to believe into God or entrust oneself to God. He emphasized that only those who have believed into God have believed unto salvation.
In a similar manner, the Reformers pointed out three essential elements to true saving faith: 1) notitia: “information or knowledge,” involving our intellect; 2) assensus: “assent or agreement,” involving our emotion and 3) fiducia: “trust or confidence,” involving our will. The following is a consideration of these three elements of saving faith with particular emphasis upon Augustine’s third level of faith, considering what it means to believe into Christ.
1) Notitia
The Latin word notitia means knowledge or information. In order for one to have saving faith, they must first hear and have at least a rudimentary understanding of the gospel that Jesus died for our sins, was buried and rose again for our justification (1Cor 15:1-4). Faith is not some ethereal mystical essence. Our faith is only as efficacious as the objective truth upon which it is built. We must first hear the gospel in order to have saving faith. As Paul said:
“How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?” (Rom 10:14)
While knowing the truth alone does not save, notitia is foundational to saving faith. Contrary to the claims of Inclusivists, saving faith isn’t possible without the notitia of the gospel message. As Paul said: “Faith then cometh by hearing; and hearing by the word of Christ” (Rom 10:17 DRB).
This first element of saving faith, notitia, is at times referred to in Scripture as “the faith,” (i.e. that body of objective truth upon which our faith is based). These foundational truths are essential to saving faith. For this reason, Satan, the deceiver, has always sought to undermine the notitia or the faith. That is why Jude, the half-brother of Jesus, enjoins us to “contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3). Much of what is today referred to as “deconstruction” is actually a departure from the faith, the notitia. I believe that what we are witnessing is that which Paul prophesied would occur in the last days. He said:
“Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons.” (1Tim 4:1)
More than ever, in our present Postmodern relativistic culture in which the objective truths of God’s Word – the foundational notitia of our faith, is being undermined, we need to do what Paul enjoined Timothy to do: Hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have received (2Tim 1:13). However, as important as notitia is, it is only the first element of saving faith.
2) Assensus
The second element of saving faith is assensus which means assent or agreement with the notitia or information. It is not enough to know the truth-claims of the gospel, we must also agree that they are true.
Yet, contrary to what many “Free Grace” teachers claim, mere mental affirmation does not save anyone. One could be a theologian able to articulate every major doctrine of Scripture with precision – he could even agree with the Scriptures, affirming them as being entirely true, and yet not have saving faith.
James wrote his epistle to the Jews of the dispersion. No doubt, in their daily prayers they still repeated the Shema: “The LORD our God, the LORD is One..” He made what to them would have been a shocking statement. He said: “You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!” (Jas 2:19).
He did this to emphasize that a mere affirmation of truth never saved anyone. In fact, the demons have never doubted who Jesus is. On more than one occasion demons addressed Jesus saying things like, “I know who You are—the Holy One of God!” or “You are the Christ, the Son of God!” (Matt 8:29; Lk 4:41; Mk 1:24). So, while both the knowledge (notitia) and assent (assensus) of the gospel are essential to saving faith, it is not effectual to the saving of the soul without the third element of saving faith.
3) Fiducia
While notitia and assensus involve one’s intellect and emotions, fiducia or trust primarily involves the will. It is when one goes beyond knowing about Christ and agreeing that He is who He says He is, and believing that He can do what He says He can do, to actually putting their trust in Christ for their salvation. Paul makes mention of all three elements of saving faith, knowing, becoming convinced, and entrusting oneself to Christ in one sentence. He says:
“I know in whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted until that day.” (2Tim 1:12).
I think that the best illustration that shows the difference between mere belief and actually placing our trust in Christ to save us, is the Charles Blondin Story, which I cite here:
An Acrobat, A Wheelbarrow, and a Challenge of Faith
“Can you imagine a tightrope stretched over a quarter of a mile and spanning the breadth of Niagara Falls? The thundering sound of the pounding water drowning out all other sounds as you watch a man step onto the rope and walk across!
This stunning feat made Charles Blondin famous in the summer of 1859. He walked 160 feet above the falls several times back and forth between Canada and the United States as huge crowds on both sides looked on with shock and awe. Once he crossed in a sack, once on stilts, another time on a bicycle, and once he even carried a stove and cooked an omelet!
On July 15, Blondin walked backward across the tightrope to Canada and returned pushing a wheelbarrow.”
The Blondin story is told that it was after pushing a wheelbarrow across while blindfolded that Blondin asked for some audience participation. The crowds had watched and ‘Ooooohed’ and ‘Aaaaahed!’ He had proven that he could do it; of that, there was no doubt. But now he was asking for a volunteer to get into the wheelbarrow and take a ride across the Falls with him!
It is said that he asked his audience, ‘Do you believe I can carry a person across in this wheelbarrow?’ Of course the crowd shouted that yes, they believed!
It was then that Blondin posed the question – ‘Who will get in the wheelbarrow?'
Of course...none did.
(Later in August of 1859, his manager, Harry Colcord, did ride on Blondin's back across the Falls.)” [i]
True saving faith is comparable to getting into the wheelbarrow. It is trusting Jesus to carry you safely to the other side. Any faith that stops short of actually entrusting the salvation of our soul to Christ is not saving faith. According to James, the faith of mere mental assent is demonic faith (Jas 2:19). The author of Hebrews contrasts the faith that draws back, with those who have faith unto the saving of the soul, (i.e., saving faith) (Heb 10:39).
Believing into Jesus
This brings us to an important distinction between believing in Jesus and believing into Jesus, pointed out by St. Augustine of Hippo and others after him, such as St. Bede of England in the 7th century and Peter Lombard in the 12th century. It wasn’t until the 13th century under the influence of Thomas Aquinas that saving faith came to be seen as more of a mental exercise, believing in a proposition, rather than relational, believing into Jesus or receiving Him as one’s personal Savior, becoming one with Him. Augustine emphasized the crucial difference between believing in Jesus and believing into Jesus. Alluding to James 2:19, he said:
“But it makes plenty of difference, whether someone believes in Christ, or whether they believe into Christ. For even the demons believed him to be actually Christ, nevertheless the demons did not believe into Christ.” [ii]
Are there any Scriptures which actually present saving faith as believing into Christ? There are many passages which speak of our union with Christ, which is the result of believing into Christ, becoming one spirit with Him through regeneration. But, additionally, there are numerous passages which, literally translated, speak of believing into Him (πιστεύων εἰς αὐτὸν). The following are some examples: (Matt 18:6; John 1:12; John 3:16; John 3:18; John 3:36; John 6:29; John 7:5; John 9:35; John 9:36; John 11:26; John 11:48; John 12:36; Php 1:29).
However, most modern translations do not properly translate the numerous verses which speak of believing into Christ. They render the preposition εἰς (eis) as “in” or “on” instead of “into.” The only Bible translations I could find which rendered πιστεύων εἰς αὐτὸν literally as “believing into Him” were the Literal Translation of the Holy Bible (LITV), and the Holy Bible Recovery Version.
Greek scholars agree that the preposition εἰς most commonly means “into” and εἰς is always used with the accusative which normally suggests motion. [iii] The most common argument for rendering it “believe in or on Him” rather than “into Him” is that it doesn’t make sense to speak of someone believing into another person. It is true that it would be impossible for one to believe into any person outside of God Himself and Christ His Son. However, as Augustine points out, believing into Christ is unique in that it results in our justification and organically unites us with Christ:
“Again also, of his own apostles we are able to say, ‘We believe Paul’ but not ‘We believe into Paul;’ ‘We believe Peter’ but not ‘We believe into Peter.’ For whoever believes into him who justifies the wicked, their faith is reckoned as justice.” [iv]
“When you believe into Christ, therefore, by your believing into Christ, Christ comes into you, and you are in some way made one with him (literally “united into him”) and made a member in his body.” [v]
In John 1:12 we see that believing into Christ is equivalent to receiving Him:
“But as many as received Him, to them He gave authority to become children of God, to the ones believing into His name.” (Jn 1:12 LITV)
It is upon receiving Christ, believing into His name, that we become united to Christ, being baptized into His body by the Holy Spirit (Rom 6:3-4; 1Cor 6:17; Eph 1:13). Augustine said that believing into God is believing to go into God, being incorporated into Him:
“To believe into God, is by believing to love, by believing to go into God, by believing to cling to God and to be incorporated in God’s members.” [vi]
This believing into Christ, thereby becoming one with Him is what the Fathers referred to as the theosis or the divinization of man. I discuss this subject further in The Theosis or the Divinization of Man.
From what I have been able to gather, the Church during its first centuries didn’t see saving faith as merely believing in Jesus, embracing a proposition as true, but as embracing the person of Christ, believing into Him, and being united to Him in a vital union, just as Jesus prayed for in the upper room during the last supper with His disciples:
“I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe into Me (εἰς ἐμέ) through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.” (Jn 17:20–23)
If you have believed in your heart, receiving Christ, or believing into Him, then you have been united to Christ, becoming one spirit with Him (1Cor 6:17)
For a more thorough and scholarly treatment of this subject, I recommend Believing into Christ, by Natalya Cherry. While she is not a Conservative author, she is a Latin scholar and quotes extensively from the Church Fathers.
[i] https://www.creativebiblestudy.com/Blondin-story.html
[ii] Augustine, sermon. CXLIV
[iii] Robertson, A. T.. A Grammar of the Greek New Testament in the Light of Historical Research:
“The accusative indeed normally suggests motion (extension), and that did come to be the common usage of εἰς plus the accusative. The resultant idea would often be ‘into,’ but this was by no means always true.”
[iv] Augustine, Tractatus XXV (Homily 25)
.
[v] Augustine, sermon. CXLIV,
.
[vi] Peter Lombard, Sententiae, p. 143 quoting Augustine in Tract. Ev. Jo. XXIX
“Can you imagine a tightrope stretched over a quarter of a mile and spanning the breadth of Niagara Falls? The thundering sound of the pounding water drowning out all other sounds as you watch a man step onto the rope and walk across!
This stunning feat made Charles Blondin famous in the summer of 1859. He walked 160 feet above the falls several times back and forth between Canada and the United States as huge crowds on both sides looked on with shock and awe. Once he crossed in a sack, once on stilts, another time on a bicycle, and once he even carried a stove and cooked an omelet!
On July 15, Blondin walked backward across the tightrope to Canada and returned pushing a wheelbarrow.”
The Blondin story is told that it was after pushing a wheelbarrow across while blindfolded that Blondin asked for some audience participation. The crowds had watched and ‘Ooooohed’ and ‘Aaaaahed!’ He had proven that he could do it; of that, there was no doubt. But now he was asking for a volunteer to get into the wheelbarrow and take a ride across the Falls with him!
It is said that he asked his audience, ‘Do you believe I can carry a person across in this wheelbarrow?’ Of course the crowd shouted that yes, they believed!
It was then that Blondin posed the question – ‘Who will get in the wheelbarrow?'
Of course...none did.
(Later in August of 1859, his manager, Harry Colcord, did ride on Blondin's back across the Falls.)” [i]
True saving faith is comparable to getting into the wheelbarrow. It is trusting Jesus to carry you safely to the other side. Any faith that stops short of actually entrusting the salvation of our soul to Christ is not saving faith. According to James, the faith of mere mental assent is demonic faith (Jas 2:19). The author of Hebrews contrasts the faith that draws back, with those who have faith unto the saving of the soul, (i.e., saving faith) (Heb 10:39).
Believing into Jesus
This brings us to an important distinction between believing in Jesus and believing into Jesus, pointed out by St. Augustine of Hippo and others after him, such as St. Bede of England in the 7th century and Peter Lombard in the 12th century. It wasn’t until the 13th century under the influence of Thomas Aquinas that saving faith came to be seen as more of a mental exercise, believing in a proposition, rather than relational, believing into Jesus or receiving Him as one’s personal Savior, becoming one with Him. Augustine emphasized the crucial difference between believing in Jesus and believing into Jesus. Alluding to James 2:19, he said:
“But it makes plenty of difference, whether someone believes in Christ, or whether they believe into Christ. For even the demons believed him to be actually Christ, nevertheless the demons did not believe into Christ.” [ii]
Are there any Scriptures which actually present saving faith as believing into Christ? There are many passages which speak of our union with Christ, which is the result of believing into Christ, becoming one spirit with Him through regeneration. But, additionally, there are numerous passages which, literally translated, speak of believing into Him (πιστεύων εἰς αὐτὸν). The following are some examples: (Matt 18:6; John 1:12; John 3:16; John 3:18; John 3:36; John 6:29; John 7:5; John 9:35; John 9:36; John 11:26; John 11:48; John 12:36; Php 1:29).
However, most modern translations do not properly translate the numerous verses which speak of believing into Christ. They render the preposition εἰς (eis) as “in” or “on” instead of “into.” The only Bible translations I could find which rendered πιστεύων εἰς αὐτὸν literally as “believing into Him” were the Literal Translation of the Holy Bible (LITV), and the Holy Bible Recovery Version.
Greek scholars agree that the preposition εἰς most commonly means “into” and εἰς is always used with the accusative which normally suggests motion. [iii] The most common argument for rendering it “believe in or on Him” rather than “into Him” is that it doesn’t make sense to speak of someone believing into another person. It is true that it would be impossible for one to believe into any person outside of God Himself and Christ His Son. However, as Augustine points out, believing into Christ is unique in that it results in our justification and organically unites us with Christ:
“Again also, of his own apostles we are able to say, ‘We believe Paul’ but not ‘We believe into Paul;’ ‘We believe Peter’ but not ‘We believe into Peter.’ For whoever believes into him who justifies the wicked, their faith is reckoned as justice.” [iv]
“When you believe into Christ, therefore, by your believing into Christ, Christ comes into you, and you are in some way made one with him (literally “united into him”) and made a member in his body.” [v]
In John 1:12 we see that believing into Christ is equivalent to receiving Him:
“But as many as received Him, to them He gave authority to become children of God, to the ones believing into His name.” (Jn 1:12 LITV)
It is upon receiving Christ, believing into His name, that we become united to Christ, being baptized into His body by the Holy Spirit (Rom 6:3-4; 1Cor 6:17; Eph 1:13). Augustine said that believing into God is believing to go into God, being incorporated into Him:
“To believe into God, is by believing to love, by believing to go into God, by believing to cling to God and to be incorporated in God’s members.” [vi]
This believing into Christ, thereby becoming one with Him is what the Fathers referred to as the theosis or the divinization of man. I discuss this subject further in The Theosis or the Divinization of Man.
From what I have been able to gather, the Church during its first centuries didn’t see saving faith as merely believing in Jesus, embracing a proposition as true, but as embracing the person of Christ, believing into Him, and being united to Him in a vital union, just as Jesus prayed for in the upper room during the last supper with His disciples:
“I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe into Me (εἰς ἐμέ) through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.” (Jn 17:20–23)
If you have believed in your heart, receiving Christ, or believing into Him, then you have been united to Christ, becoming one spirit with Him (1Cor 6:17)
For a more thorough and scholarly treatment of this subject, I recommend Believing into Christ, by Natalya Cherry. While she is not a Conservative author, she is a Latin scholar and quotes extensively from the Church Fathers.
[i] https://www.creativebiblestudy.com/Blondin-story.html
[ii] Augustine, sermon. CXLIV
[iii] Robertson, A. T.. A Grammar of the Greek New Testament in the Light of Historical Research:
“The accusative indeed normally suggests motion (extension), and that did come to be the common usage of εἰς plus the accusative. The resultant idea would often be ‘into,’ but this was by no means always true.”
[iv] Augustine, Tractatus XXV (Homily 25)
.
[v] Augustine, sermon. CXLIV,
.
[vi] Peter Lombard, Sententiae, p. 143 quoting Augustine in Tract. Ev. Jo. XXIX
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The Overcomers
by George Sidney Hurd
Who are the overcomers of Revelation 2 through 3? What does Jesus say to them, and how should we understand Him? Are His words promises intended to reassure the hearts of believers, or should we be troubled by them? Are all believers overcomers, or is it possible to be a saved born-again believer and yet not overcome in this life? These are some of the questions I will be addressing in this article.
We don’t have to speculate concerning the identity of the overcomers, since the Apostle John, who wrote the book of Revelation, tells us who the overcomers are in his first epistle.
Everyone who has been Born of God is an Overcomer
“Because everyone having been born of God overcomes (nika) the world. And this is the victory (nike) that overcomes (nikesasa) the world – our faith.” (1Jn 5:4)
Who are the overcomers? John says that everyone (without exception) who has been born of God is an overcomer. What is it about the regenerate child of God that makes him an overcomer? That which makes us an overcomer is a fruit of regeneration, a gift that was given to us upon being born again. You may have noticed that the Nike brand is taken from the Greek word nike, which means “conquest or victory.” But the gift we received at regeneration that makes us an overcomer is not a pair of Nike tennis shoes. Rather, John says that the nike that overcomes the world is our faith.
Overcoming Faith is a Result of Regeneration
I agree with the Calvinists when they say that regeneration of necessity must logically precede saving and overcoming faith, since, prior to having been made alive in Christ, we were dead in relation to God (Eph 2:4-6). For a more detailed treatment of this subject see my article: Total Depravity and Universal Reconciliation).
Here in 1John 5 the Apostle makes it clear that regeneration precedes true faith, rather than us being regenerated by God in response to our own independent faith. John begins by saying:
“Whoever is believing (present active) that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God (perfect passive), and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him.” (1 Jn 5:1)
Here John is saying that those who presently believe that Jesus is the Christ are believing as a result of having first been born of God. Just as a newborn baby spontaneously breathes at birth, even so, one spontaneously believes upon being made alive spiritually. John says essentially the same thing in John 1:12 where he makes it clear that those who are believing are those who had previously been born again, not according to human volition, but according to the will of God:
“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe (present active “are believing”) in His name: who were born (aorist passive), not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” (Jn 1:12–13)
Those who have saving faith in Christ are believing because they were first born by the will of God. This is in agreement with Paul when he said, “no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit” (1 Co 12:3). This of course is not merely a “repeat after me” confession, but a confession being made by one who has believed in their heart that Jesus Christ is Lord (Rom 10:9-10). Paul says that, when we initially believed unto justification, we “believed through grace” (Acts 18:27). In other words, our faith was graciously granted to us, it is not of ourselves (Eph 2:8-9).
The faith that is granted to us by grace is not only the initial faith for our justification: it is a living faith that gives us the victory to overcome and persevere until the end. The faith granted to us at regeneration is just as sure to continue throughout one’s lifetime as a newborn is sure to continue breathing for the rest of their life after taking their first breath. A faith that doesn’t continue is what James called a dead faith (James 2:26). In 1John 5:5, just after saying that everyone who has been born of God overcomes and that the victory by which we overcome is our faith, emphasizes that it is a living faith which abides with us until the end. He said:
“Who is he who overcomes (present active “is overcoming”) the world, but he who believes (present active, “is believing”) that Jesus is the Son of God?” (1 Jn 5:5)
Paul makes it clear that the same faith that was graciously granted to us in order to believe unto justification when we were regenerated continues with us. He said:
“For to you it has been granted (χαρίζομαι, “graced”) on behalf of Christ, not only to believe (present active “to be believing”) in Him, but also to suffer for His sake.” (Php 1:29)
Some who would agree with Paul that we initially believed through grace, nevertheless deny that that same faith abides with those who have been born of God, enabling them to persevere in the faith until the end. Here Paul says that the gift of grace that we have received at regeneration also enables us to continue believing in the midst of the suffering we undergo for His sake.
God is not simply the one who begins the good work in us: what He begins He perfects until we finish the course (Php 1:6). As the writer of Hebrews says, Jesus is not only the author of our faith, He is also the finisher of it (Heb 12:2). We believed and continue believing with the faith of Jesus which was granted to us at regeneration and continues with us until we cross the finish line (I further consider the source of our faith in my article The Faith of Jesus).
If you have been born according to the will of God, you can rest assured that you will also be granted the faith to overcome whatever the world may throw at you. Jesus said: “In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (Jn 16:33). In what sense does Christ’s victory over the world give us reason to be cheerful? Because we have been born again with Christ’s own overcoming resurrection life, and it is His life in us that keeps us. John says:
“We know that no one who is born of God sins (present tense, “practices sin”); but He who was born of God keeps him and the evil one does not touch him.” (1 John 5:18 NASB)
The reason why those who are born of God overcome is because Christ, the incarnate Son of God, who is Himself the Overcomer, keeps us. As an aside, John is not saying here that we do not sin. That would be in contradiction to what he previously said in the first chapter (1Jn 1:8,10). The present tense of the word rendered “sin” (ἁμαρτάνω), speaks of a continual practice of sin. Although rather wordy, I like the Greek scholar Kenneth Wuest’s translation of 1John 5:18. It reads:
“We know absolutely that everyone who has been born of God and as a result is a regenerated individual does not keep on habitually sinning. But He who was born of God maintains a watchful guardianship over him, and the Pernicious One does not lay hold of him.”
As Peter also says, our God who caused us to be born again through His mercy unto an incorruptible inheritance, will also keep us by His power until the end:
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” (1 Pe 1:3–5).
As Peter would certainly testify, being kept by the power of God does not mean that we will never stumble, considering that he denied his Lord three times in the worst imaginable way. As James said: “we all stumble in many ways” (James 3:2). In what sense then did Jesus keep Peter? He interceded for him in order that his faith would not fail in spite of his bitter failure (Lu 22:32). The author and finisher of our faith is with us until the end: all those whom He makes alive He keeps by His power. Jesus said of His sheep:
“I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand.” (Jn 10:28–29)
As His sheep we overcome, not because of our own ability to care for ourselves, but because we are under the watchful care of the Good Shepherd. Those who have been born of God overcome because they are kept by Christ, the Shepherd of our souls.
We are living under the New Covenant of promise in which God has given us a new heart and put a new spirit within us through regeneration, causing us to walk in His ways, something no one, except for Christ Himself, was ever able to do under the Old Covenant Law (Ezek 36:26-27).
Understanding the Exhortations to Overcome in Revelation
I believe that, armed with the knowledge that everyone who has been born of God will overcome, it becomes possible for us to correctly apply the exhortations to overcome which were given by Jesus in Revelation chapters 2 through 3. Seven times Jesus held out promises to those who overcome. They are as follows:
1) “To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God” (Rev 2:7).
2) “He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death.” (Rev 2:11)
3) “To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it” (Rev 2:17).
4) “He who overcomes and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations— ‘He shall rule them with a rod of iron” (Rev 2:26-27).
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” (Rev 3:5).
6) “He who overcomes I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name” (Rev 3:12).
7) “To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne” (Rev 3:21).
We know from 1John 5 that if we are born again believers, we are overcomers, and therefore each of these promises are sure to be fulfilled for us. So, the question to be answered is, why does Jesus precede each promise saying: “To him who overcomes?”
I believe that the answer to this question lies in the fact that, just as in the churches today, not all of those who were being addressed in the letters to the seven churches were born again believers. Jesus said that His sheep hear His voice (Jn 10:27). Yet Jesus had to say to each one of the seven churches, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” This presupposes that some within each of the seven churches were not yet of His sheep and therefore couldn’t hear His voice. Before being made alive in Christ we did not have ears to hear God: we were dead in our trespasses and sins (Eph 2:1-2). Jesus said: “unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (Jn 3:3). Being spiritually dead, we had neither eyes to see, nor ears to hear, the spiritual realities of the kingdom of God.
Jesus even said to the church at Sardis that, as a whole, they had a name that they were alive, but they were dead. He said that there were only a few in the church of Sardis who would walk with Him in white (Rev 3:4).
Can One’s Name be blotted out of the Book of Life?
Jesus also promised in Revelation 3:5 that He would never blot their names from the Book of Life. This has led some to conclude that one’s name could be written in the Book of Life, only to be blotted out later. However, as I point out in my article, The Book of Life, once one has been made alive and believed on Christ, they are sealed by the Holy Spirit until the day of redemption (Eph 1:13-14). As those born of God, they already possess His imperishable life (John 5:24). Jesus said of those who believe:
“I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand.” (Jn 10:28–29)
This being true, the regenerate overcomers could never have their names blotted out of the Book of Life. But why would Jesus say this if it weren’t a possibility? For me, the key to understanding this promise is found in the cultural context of that time. The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE) says the following about the secular and cultural significance of the term, book of life:
“Book of Life: The phrase is derived from the custom of the ancients of keeping genealogical records (Neh 7:5,64; 12:22-23) and of enrolling citizens for various purposes (Jer 22:30; Ezek 13:9).” [1]
Merrill Unger’s Complete Expository Dictionary says the same concerning the use of this term. Under the heading, The Book of Life, it says that it was: “a figurative expression taken from the custom of registering citizens in a society or maintaining genealogical records.”
Just as Adolf Hitler often expunged all public records which showed that his enemies had ever existed, believers in the time of persecution under the Roman Empire were in danger of having their names blotted out of the government’s public records, or their book of life. I believe that Jesus was reassuring those undergoing persecution that He would never do what their own governing authorities threatened to do to them if they didn’t renounce their faith in Christ.
In Revelation 3:5 Jesus uses the double emphatic negative οὐ μὴ. He literally said: “I will most certainly not (οὐ μὴ) blot out his name from the Book of Life.”
Conclusion
In conclusion, we have seen that everyone who has been born of God has been granted a living faith in Christ which makes us overcomers. Upon believing, we were sealed with the Holy Spirit until the day of redemption (Eph 1:13-14). God who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ (Php 1:6).
[1] International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia, Book of Life
Who are the overcomers of Revelation 2 through 3? What does Jesus say to them, and how should we understand Him? Are His words promises intended to reassure the hearts of believers, or should we be troubled by them? Are all believers overcomers, or is it possible to be a saved born-again believer and yet not overcome in this life? These are some of the questions I will be addressing in this article.
We don’t have to speculate concerning the identity of the overcomers, since the Apostle John, who wrote the book of Revelation, tells us who the overcomers are in his first epistle.
Everyone who has been Born of God is an Overcomer
“Because everyone having been born of God overcomes (nika) the world. And this is the victory (nike) that overcomes (nikesasa) the world – our faith.” (1Jn 5:4)
Who are the overcomers? John says that everyone (without exception) who has been born of God is an overcomer. What is it about the regenerate child of God that makes him an overcomer? That which makes us an overcomer is a fruit of regeneration, a gift that was given to us upon being born again. You may have noticed that the Nike brand is taken from the Greek word nike, which means “conquest or victory.” But the gift we received at regeneration that makes us an overcomer is not a pair of Nike tennis shoes. Rather, John says that the nike that overcomes the world is our faith.
Overcoming Faith is a Result of Regeneration
I agree with the Calvinists when they say that regeneration of necessity must logically precede saving and overcoming faith, since, prior to having been made alive in Christ, we were dead in relation to God (Eph 2:4-6). For a more detailed treatment of this subject see my article: Total Depravity and Universal Reconciliation).
Here in 1John 5 the Apostle makes it clear that regeneration precedes true faith, rather than us being regenerated by God in response to our own independent faith. John begins by saying:
“Whoever is believing (present active) that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God (perfect passive), and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him.” (1 Jn 5:1)
Here John is saying that those who presently believe that Jesus is the Christ are believing as a result of having first been born of God. Just as a newborn baby spontaneously breathes at birth, even so, one spontaneously believes upon being made alive spiritually. John says essentially the same thing in John 1:12 where he makes it clear that those who are believing are those who had previously been born again, not according to human volition, but according to the will of God:
“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe (present active “are believing”) in His name: who were born (aorist passive), not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” (Jn 1:12–13)
Those who have saving faith in Christ are believing because they were first born by the will of God. This is in agreement with Paul when he said, “no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit” (1 Co 12:3). This of course is not merely a “repeat after me” confession, but a confession being made by one who has believed in their heart that Jesus Christ is Lord (Rom 10:9-10). Paul says that, when we initially believed unto justification, we “believed through grace” (Acts 18:27). In other words, our faith was graciously granted to us, it is not of ourselves (Eph 2:8-9).
The faith that is granted to us by grace is not only the initial faith for our justification: it is a living faith that gives us the victory to overcome and persevere until the end. The faith granted to us at regeneration is just as sure to continue throughout one’s lifetime as a newborn is sure to continue breathing for the rest of their life after taking their first breath. A faith that doesn’t continue is what James called a dead faith (James 2:26). In 1John 5:5, just after saying that everyone who has been born of God overcomes and that the victory by which we overcome is our faith, emphasizes that it is a living faith which abides with us until the end. He said:
“Who is he who overcomes (present active “is overcoming”) the world, but he who believes (present active, “is believing”) that Jesus is the Son of God?” (1 Jn 5:5)
Paul makes it clear that the same faith that was graciously granted to us in order to believe unto justification when we were regenerated continues with us. He said:
“For to you it has been granted (χαρίζομαι, “graced”) on behalf of Christ, not only to believe (present active “to be believing”) in Him, but also to suffer for His sake.” (Php 1:29)
Some who would agree with Paul that we initially believed through grace, nevertheless deny that that same faith abides with those who have been born of God, enabling them to persevere in the faith until the end. Here Paul says that the gift of grace that we have received at regeneration also enables us to continue believing in the midst of the suffering we undergo for His sake.
God is not simply the one who begins the good work in us: what He begins He perfects until we finish the course (Php 1:6). As the writer of Hebrews says, Jesus is not only the author of our faith, He is also the finisher of it (Heb 12:2). We believed and continue believing with the faith of Jesus which was granted to us at regeneration and continues with us until we cross the finish line (I further consider the source of our faith in my article The Faith of Jesus).
If you have been born according to the will of God, you can rest assured that you will also be granted the faith to overcome whatever the world may throw at you. Jesus said: “In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (Jn 16:33). In what sense does Christ’s victory over the world give us reason to be cheerful? Because we have been born again with Christ’s own overcoming resurrection life, and it is His life in us that keeps us. John says:
“We know that no one who is born of God sins (present tense, “practices sin”); but He who was born of God keeps him and the evil one does not touch him.” (1 John 5:18 NASB)
The reason why those who are born of God overcome is because Christ, the incarnate Son of God, who is Himself the Overcomer, keeps us. As an aside, John is not saying here that we do not sin. That would be in contradiction to what he previously said in the first chapter (1Jn 1:8,10). The present tense of the word rendered “sin” (ἁμαρτάνω), speaks of a continual practice of sin. Although rather wordy, I like the Greek scholar Kenneth Wuest’s translation of 1John 5:18. It reads:
“We know absolutely that everyone who has been born of God and as a result is a regenerated individual does not keep on habitually sinning. But He who was born of God maintains a watchful guardianship over him, and the Pernicious One does not lay hold of him.”
As Peter also says, our God who caused us to be born again through His mercy unto an incorruptible inheritance, will also keep us by His power until the end:
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” (1 Pe 1:3–5).
As Peter would certainly testify, being kept by the power of God does not mean that we will never stumble, considering that he denied his Lord three times in the worst imaginable way. As James said: “we all stumble in many ways” (James 3:2). In what sense then did Jesus keep Peter? He interceded for him in order that his faith would not fail in spite of his bitter failure (Lu 22:32). The author and finisher of our faith is with us until the end: all those whom He makes alive He keeps by His power. Jesus said of His sheep:
“I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand.” (Jn 10:28–29)
As His sheep we overcome, not because of our own ability to care for ourselves, but because we are under the watchful care of the Good Shepherd. Those who have been born of God overcome because they are kept by Christ, the Shepherd of our souls.
We are living under the New Covenant of promise in which God has given us a new heart and put a new spirit within us through regeneration, causing us to walk in His ways, something no one, except for Christ Himself, was ever able to do under the Old Covenant Law (Ezek 36:26-27).
Understanding the Exhortations to Overcome in Revelation
I believe that, armed with the knowledge that everyone who has been born of God will overcome, it becomes possible for us to correctly apply the exhortations to overcome which were given by Jesus in Revelation chapters 2 through 3. Seven times Jesus held out promises to those who overcome. They are as follows:
1) “To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God” (Rev 2:7).
2) “He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death.” (Rev 2:11)
3) “To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it” (Rev 2:17).
4) “He who overcomes and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations— ‘He shall rule them with a rod of iron” (Rev 2:26-27).
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” (Rev 3:5).
6) “He who overcomes I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name” (Rev 3:12).
7) “To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne” (Rev 3:21).
We know from 1John 5 that if we are born again believers, we are overcomers, and therefore each of these promises are sure to be fulfilled for us. So, the question to be answered is, why does Jesus precede each promise saying: “To him who overcomes?”
I believe that the answer to this question lies in the fact that, just as in the churches today, not all of those who were being addressed in the letters to the seven churches were born again believers. Jesus said that His sheep hear His voice (Jn 10:27). Yet Jesus had to say to each one of the seven churches, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” This presupposes that some within each of the seven churches were not yet of His sheep and therefore couldn’t hear His voice. Before being made alive in Christ we did not have ears to hear God: we were dead in our trespasses and sins (Eph 2:1-2). Jesus said: “unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (Jn 3:3). Being spiritually dead, we had neither eyes to see, nor ears to hear, the spiritual realities of the kingdom of God.
Jesus even said to the church at Sardis that, as a whole, they had a name that they were alive, but they were dead. He said that there were only a few in the church of Sardis who would walk with Him in white (Rev 3:4).
Can One’s Name be blotted out of the Book of Life?
Jesus also promised in Revelation 3:5 that He would never blot their names from the Book of Life. This has led some to conclude that one’s name could be written in the Book of Life, only to be blotted out later. However, as I point out in my article, The Book of Life, once one has been made alive and believed on Christ, they are sealed by the Holy Spirit until the day of redemption (Eph 1:13-14). As those born of God, they already possess His imperishable life (John 5:24). Jesus said of those who believe:
“I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand.” (Jn 10:28–29)
This being true, the regenerate overcomers could never have their names blotted out of the Book of Life. But why would Jesus say this if it weren’t a possibility? For me, the key to understanding this promise is found in the cultural context of that time. The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE) says the following about the secular and cultural significance of the term, book of life:
“Book of Life: The phrase is derived from the custom of the ancients of keeping genealogical records (Neh 7:5,64; 12:22-23) and of enrolling citizens for various purposes (Jer 22:30; Ezek 13:9).” [1]
Merrill Unger’s Complete Expository Dictionary says the same concerning the use of this term. Under the heading, The Book of Life, it says that it was: “a figurative expression taken from the custom of registering citizens in a society or maintaining genealogical records.”
Just as Adolf Hitler often expunged all public records which showed that his enemies had ever existed, believers in the time of persecution under the Roman Empire were in danger of having their names blotted out of the government’s public records, or their book of life. I believe that Jesus was reassuring those undergoing persecution that He would never do what their own governing authorities threatened to do to them if they didn’t renounce their faith in Christ.
In Revelation 3:5 Jesus uses the double emphatic negative οὐ μὴ. He literally said: “I will most certainly not (οὐ μὴ) blot out his name from the Book of Life.”
Conclusion
In conclusion, we have seen that everyone who has been born of God has been granted a living faith in Christ which makes us overcomers. Upon believing, we were sealed with the Holy Spirit until the day of redemption (Eph 1:13-14). God who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ (Php 1:6).
[1] International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia, Book of Life
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Chapter 0
by George Sidney Hurd
What is the Book of Life? While little is said in the Bible about the Book of Life, it is of utmost importance that our names appear in it, since only those who are written in the Book of Life are granted entrance into the New Jerusalem (Rev 21:27).
Another important question to answer from Scripture is, when is one’s name written in the Book of Life? Is it written the moment one believes and is regenerated, or were all the names already written down from eternity before the foundation of the world, as Calvinists affirm? If in fact all the names were already written before creation, that would present an insurmountable problem for those like myself who believe in the final restoration of all, since not everyone’s name is presently in the Book of Life.
Still another important question to answer is, when is the point after which no more names will be added to the Book of Life? Is the cutoff point when one’s heart stops beating? Is it at the Great White Throne Judgment, or will names continue being added until everyone has finally been made alive and written in the book? These are some of the questions that I hope to provide answers to from Scripture in this article.
The Book of Life is Not the Book of the Living
The book of the living contains all those alive upon the earth at any given time. When one is conceived, their names are written in the book of the living. When they die, they are said to be erased from the book of the living. David said of his enemies who sought to kill him:
“Let them be blotted out of the book of the living, And not be written with the righteous.” (Ps 69:28).
Here David was asking that those who sought his life be removed from the land of the living. Note that even the unjust are in the book of the living until they are blotted out upon dying. Furthermore, as I hope to demonstrate, when he asked that they not be “written with the righteous” he was referring to nothing other than that which the New Testament calls the Book of Life. While everyone on earth is in the book of the living, only those who are justified by faith are said to have their names written in heaven (Lu 10:20).
I believe that the book of the living is what Moses was referring to when he interceded on behalf of the children of Israel after they had worshipped the golden calf. He said:
“Yet now, if You will forgive their sin—but if not, I pray, blot me out of Your book which You have written” (Ex 32:32).
Clearly, Moses was not asking God to eternally exclude him from the righteous and his heavenly inheritance, as some have supposed. Rather, He was saying: “If you will not forgive their transgression, then take my life instead of them.” He was offering his life for their lives. God responded by saying: “Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot him out of My book” (v.33).
God had just told Moses before coming down from Sinai that anyone who sacrificed to any other god was to be put to death, so Moses knew that idolatry carried the death penalty under the Law that he had just received (Ex 22:20). Moses was asking that the children of Israel be pardoned from the death penalty as prescribed by the Law.
Only Believers are written in Heaven
While everyone is written in the book of the living (ζωντων) from conception to the grave, not everyone is written in the Book of Life (ζωῆ). Paul makes this clear when addressing the believers in Philippi:
“And I urge you also, true companion, help these women who labored with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the Book of Life (ἐν βίβλῳ ζωῆς).” (Php 4:3)
In referring to some whose names were in the Book of Life, it becomes clear that others are not in the Book of Life. Likewise, Jesus said to the seventy disciples whom He sent to proclaim the gospel after they returned in amazement because the demons were subject to them:
“Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.” (Lk 10:20)
Knowing that our names are written in heaven is cause for rejoicing because we are “written with the righteous” in the Book of Life and not merely in the book of the living (cf. Ps 69:28).
When were our Names Written in the Book of Life?
Calvinists would say that no one’s name has actually ever been written in the Book of Life – that the names contained in the Book of Life have been there from eternity, before the foundation of the world. As one can see in my book, The Universal Solution, I am in agreement with Calvinists on many points. I can understand how they might come to this conclusion based upon the fact that the elect are said to have been chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world.
“just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world (πρὸ καταβολῆς κόσμου), that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love.” (Eph 1:4)
“who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began (πρὸ χρόνων αἰωνίων).” (2 Ti 1:9)
The preposition πρὸ (pro), when used in a temporal sense, always means “before or prior to.” So clearly, the elect firstfruits of this age were chosen in eternity before time, before the foundation of the world (for a consideration of how God chooses the elect and His purpose for the elect see my article: Who are the Elect of God?).
However, it doesn’t logically follow that those whom God chose from eternity were literally eternally written in the Book of Life. No matter how metaphorically one might understand the Book of Life, to be “eternally written” is an oxymoron. Writing is a verb of sequential action, and a book is a created thing. Just as we wouldn’t say that God created before time, the act of writing something must take place in time.
In Revelation 17:8, while not indicating the precise point in time when one’s name is written in the Book of Life, we nevertheless see they are written after the foundation of the world, not before. It reads:
“And those who dwell on the earth will marvel, whose names are not written in the Book of Life from (ἀπό) the foundation of the world, when they see the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.” (Rev 17:8)
While the elect are chosen in Christ before (πρὸ) the foundation of the world, the elect are not written in the Book of Life until some point in time between Genesis and the present - from (ἀπό, apó) the foundation of the world. While the temporal use of the preposition πρὸ always means “prior to or before,” the preposition ἀπό always means “subsequent to” as expressed by words like “from” or “since.”
In spite of this, apparently influenced by Calvinistic presuppositions, a few authors of modern paraphrased versions of the Bible took the liberty to render Revelation 17:8 according to their own preconceived beliefs. The Contemporary English Version renders it, “before the time of creation”; The Living Bible, “before the world began”; New Living Translation, “before the world was made” and Today’s English Version, “before the creation of the world.”
However, these same paraphrases render all other similar prepositional phrases with ἀπό properly as “from or since” for obvious reasons. Here are a couple of examples of other verses which use the same phrase:
“whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since (ἀπό) the world began.” (Acts 3:21)
Obviously, it would have been impossible for the prophets to have spoken of the universal restoration before the world began since they weren’t even in existence. Luke 11:49 is another instance where the same phrase must be understood as “from or since” for obvious reasons:
“I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they will kill and persecute,’ 50 that the blood of all the prophets which was shed from (ἀπό) the foundation of the world may be required of this generation, 51 from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah who perished between the altar and the temple. Yes, I say to you, it shall be required of this generation.” (Lk 11:49–51)
Here, “from the foundation of the world” is clearly referring to the blood of the prophets shed after the foundation of the world from the first martyr, Abel, to Zechariah, who was the last martyr recorded in the Hebrew Scriptures. Indeed, in all of the nearly 650 times ἀπό appears in the New Testament, not once could it be rendered “before,” as many Calvinists and these paraphrases render Revelation 17:8.
Therefore, we must conclude that all the names which are written in the Book of Life were written subsequent to the foundation of the world. Although the Scriptures do not specifically indicate at what point one’s name is actually written in the Book of Life, I believe that we can deduce from Scriptures that one’s name is written in the Book of Life the moment they are regenerated and justified by faith.
Written with the Righteous
As I stated earlier, I believe that when David asked that his enemies not be “written with the righteous” (Psa 69:28), it is the first allusion we see to the Book of Life. When Abraham believed God and it was reckoned or imputed to him (λογίζομαι, logizomai) for righteousness, I believe that was the moment when his name was written in the Book of Life. In the context of justification, as with Abraham’s faith being imputed to him for righteousness, λογίζομαι is a forensic accounting term in which one is put on the divine record as being righteous.
Sealed with the Holy Spirit upon Believing
In addition to having Christ’s righteousness imputed to us upon believing, we see that we are also sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise:
“In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.” (Eph 1:13–14)
The moment we heard the gospel and trusted in Christ we were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise until the day of our redemption, as His purchased possession, (i.e. until the day Christ comes for us). It is reasonable to conclude that our names were written in the Book of Life the moment we were sealed with the Holy Spirit. Prior to that, we were still dead in our sins and were not among the redeemed.
Written in the Book of Life upon being Regenerated
It is logical to assume that we are written in the Book of Life the moment we were made alive spiritually and believed. Jesus said:
“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.” (Jn 5:24)
In Ephesians 2:4 Paul said that, when we were dead in trespasses, God made us alive together with Christ. I believe that we were written in the Book of Life the moment we passed from death into life, not before.
We were written in the Book of Life when We became Citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven
While we, as the elect firstfruits of this age, were chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world, we did not become citizens of the kingdom of heaven until we believed and were born again (Jn 3:5). Now being the regenerate sons of God, we are heavenly citizens and our names have been written in heaven. As Paul said:
“He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love.” (Col 1:13)
“For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Php 3:20)
It is only reasonable to conclude that our names were not written in the Lamb’s Book of Life in heaven prior to actually becoming citizens of heaven. In order to be written in the Book of Life we must first be made alive, justified by faith, having been written with the righteous, thereby becoming citizens of heaven.
However, God’s redemption story does not end with us. The time is coming when every knee will have bowed, and every tongue confessed Jesus Christ as Lord.
In the Consummation of the Ages All will have had their Names written in the Book of Life
At the Great White Throne Judgment all whose names do not appear in the Book of Life will be cast into the purifying Lake of Fire to undergo the second death (Rev 20:12-15). While the gates of the New Jerusalem will always be open, nothing unclean will enter. Only those whose names are written in the Book of Life will be able to enter (Rev 21:25-27).
However, the elect of this age are only the firstfruits of God’s new creation in which all will be made new (James 1:18; Rev 21:5). As the author of Hebrews says, we who are presently heavenly citizens are only the firstborn:
“But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, 23 to the general assembly and church of the firstborn (firstborn ones) who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect.” (Heb 12:22–23)
The residue of men (the rest of mankind) are yet to enter into the kingdom, resulting in all being subject to Christ and God becoming all in all (Acts 15:16-17; Heb 2:8-9; 1Cor 15:28). In the consummation of the ages all will have been made alive, having their names written in the Lamb’s Book of life. What a glorious consummation!
“For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. But each one in his own order.” (1 Cor 15:22–23a)
What is the Book of Life? While little is said in the Bible about the Book of Life, it is of utmost importance that our names appear in it, since only those who are written in the Book of Life are granted entrance into the New Jerusalem (Rev 21:27).
Another important question to answer from Scripture is, when is one’s name written in the Book of Life? Is it written the moment one believes and is regenerated, or were all the names already written down from eternity before the foundation of the world, as Calvinists affirm? If in fact all the names were already written before creation, that would present an insurmountable problem for those like myself who believe in the final restoration of all, since not everyone’s name is presently in the Book of Life.
Still another important question to answer is, when is the point after which no more names will be added to the Book of Life? Is the cutoff point when one’s heart stops beating? Is it at the Great White Throne Judgment, or will names continue being added until everyone has finally been made alive and written in the book? These are some of the questions that I hope to provide answers to from Scripture in this article.
The Book of Life is Not the Book of the Living
The book of the living contains all those alive upon the earth at any given time. When one is conceived, their names are written in the book of the living. When they die, they are said to be erased from the book of the living. David said of his enemies who sought to kill him:
“Let them be blotted out of the book of the living, And not be written with the righteous.” (Ps 69:28).
Here David was asking that those who sought his life be removed from the land of the living. Note that even the unjust are in the book of the living until they are blotted out upon dying. Furthermore, as I hope to demonstrate, when he asked that they not be “written with the righteous” he was referring to nothing other than that which the New Testament calls the Book of Life. While everyone on earth is in the book of the living, only those who are justified by faith are said to have their names written in heaven (Lu 10:20).
I believe that the book of the living is what Moses was referring to when he interceded on behalf of the children of Israel after they had worshipped the golden calf. He said:
“Yet now, if You will forgive their sin—but if not, I pray, blot me out of Your book which You have written” (Ex 32:32).
Clearly, Moses was not asking God to eternally exclude him from the righteous and his heavenly inheritance, as some have supposed. Rather, He was saying: “If you will not forgive their transgression, then take my life instead of them.” He was offering his life for their lives. God responded by saying: “Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot him out of My book” (v.33).
God had just told Moses before coming down from Sinai that anyone who sacrificed to any other god was to be put to death, so Moses knew that idolatry carried the death penalty under the Law that he had just received (Ex 22:20). Moses was asking that the children of Israel be pardoned from the death penalty as prescribed by the Law.
Only Believers are written in Heaven
While everyone is written in the book of the living (ζωντων) from conception to the grave, not everyone is written in the Book of Life (ζωῆ). Paul makes this clear when addressing the believers in Philippi:
“And I urge you also, true companion, help these women who labored with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the Book of Life (ἐν βίβλῳ ζωῆς).” (Php 4:3)
In referring to some whose names were in the Book of Life, it becomes clear that others are not in the Book of Life. Likewise, Jesus said to the seventy disciples whom He sent to proclaim the gospel after they returned in amazement because the demons were subject to them:
“Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.” (Lk 10:20)
Knowing that our names are written in heaven is cause for rejoicing because we are “written with the righteous” in the Book of Life and not merely in the book of the living (cf. Ps 69:28).
When were our Names Written in the Book of Life?
Calvinists would say that no one’s name has actually ever been written in the Book of Life – that the names contained in the Book of Life have been there from eternity, before the foundation of the world. As one can see in my book, The Universal Solution, I am in agreement with Calvinists on many points. I can understand how they might come to this conclusion based upon the fact that the elect are said to have been chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world.
“just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world (πρὸ καταβολῆς κόσμου), that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love.” (Eph 1:4)
“who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began (πρὸ χρόνων αἰωνίων).” (2 Ti 1:9)
The preposition πρὸ (pro), when used in a temporal sense, always means “before or prior to.” So clearly, the elect firstfruits of this age were chosen in eternity before time, before the foundation of the world (for a consideration of how God chooses the elect and His purpose for the elect see my article: Who are the Elect of God?).
However, it doesn’t logically follow that those whom God chose from eternity were literally eternally written in the Book of Life. No matter how metaphorically one might understand the Book of Life, to be “eternally written” is an oxymoron. Writing is a verb of sequential action, and a book is a created thing. Just as we wouldn’t say that God created before time, the act of writing something must take place in time.
In Revelation 17:8, while not indicating the precise point in time when one’s name is written in the Book of Life, we nevertheless see they are written after the foundation of the world, not before. It reads:
“And those who dwell on the earth will marvel, whose names are not written in the Book of Life from (ἀπό) the foundation of the world, when they see the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.” (Rev 17:8)
While the elect are chosen in Christ before (πρὸ) the foundation of the world, the elect are not written in the Book of Life until some point in time between Genesis and the present - from (ἀπό, apó) the foundation of the world. While the temporal use of the preposition πρὸ always means “prior to or before,” the preposition ἀπό always means “subsequent to” as expressed by words like “from” or “since.”
In spite of this, apparently influenced by Calvinistic presuppositions, a few authors of modern paraphrased versions of the Bible took the liberty to render Revelation 17:8 according to their own preconceived beliefs. The Contemporary English Version renders it, “before the time of creation”; The Living Bible, “before the world began”; New Living Translation, “before the world was made” and Today’s English Version, “before the creation of the world.”
However, these same paraphrases render all other similar prepositional phrases with ἀπό properly as “from or since” for obvious reasons. Here are a couple of examples of other verses which use the same phrase:
“whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since (ἀπό) the world began.” (Acts 3:21)
Obviously, it would have been impossible for the prophets to have spoken of the universal restoration before the world began since they weren’t even in existence. Luke 11:49 is another instance where the same phrase must be understood as “from or since” for obvious reasons:
“I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they will kill and persecute,’ 50 that the blood of all the prophets which was shed from (ἀπό) the foundation of the world may be required of this generation, 51 from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah who perished between the altar and the temple. Yes, I say to you, it shall be required of this generation.” (Lk 11:49–51)
Here, “from the foundation of the world” is clearly referring to the blood of the prophets shed after the foundation of the world from the first martyr, Abel, to Zechariah, who was the last martyr recorded in the Hebrew Scriptures. Indeed, in all of the nearly 650 times ἀπό appears in the New Testament, not once could it be rendered “before,” as many Calvinists and these paraphrases render Revelation 17:8.
Therefore, we must conclude that all the names which are written in the Book of Life were written subsequent to the foundation of the world. Although the Scriptures do not specifically indicate at what point one’s name is actually written in the Book of Life, I believe that we can deduce from Scriptures that one’s name is written in the Book of Life the moment they are regenerated and justified by faith.
Written with the Righteous
As I stated earlier, I believe that when David asked that his enemies not be “written with the righteous” (Psa 69:28), it is the first allusion we see to the Book of Life. When Abraham believed God and it was reckoned or imputed to him (λογίζομαι, logizomai) for righteousness, I believe that was the moment when his name was written in the Book of Life. In the context of justification, as with Abraham’s faith being imputed to him for righteousness, λογίζομαι is a forensic accounting term in which one is put on the divine record as being righteous.
Sealed with the Holy Spirit upon Believing
In addition to having Christ’s righteousness imputed to us upon believing, we see that we are also sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise:
“In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.” (Eph 1:13–14)
The moment we heard the gospel and trusted in Christ we were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise until the day of our redemption, as His purchased possession, (i.e. until the day Christ comes for us). It is reasonable to conclude that our names were written in the Book of Life the moment we were sealed with the Holy Spirit. Prior to that, we were still dead in our sins and were not among the redeemed.
Written in the Book of Life upon being Regenerated
It is logical to assume that we are written in the Book of Life the moment we were made alive spiritually and believed. Jesus said:
“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.” (Jn 5:24)
In Ephesians 2:4 Paul said that, when we were dead in trespasses, God made us alive together with Christ. I believe that we were written in the Book of Life the moment we passed from death into life, not before.
We were written in the Book of Life when We became Citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven
While we, as the elect firstfruits of this age, were chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world, we did not become citizens of the kingdom of heaven until we believed and were born again (Jn 3:5). Now being the regenerate sons of God, we are heavenly citizens and our names have been written in heaven. As Paul said:
“He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love.” (Col 1:13)
“For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Php 3:20)
It is only reasonable to conclude that our names were not written in the Lamb’s Book of Life in heaven prior to actually becoming citizens of heaven. In order to be written in the Book of Life we must first be made alive, justified by faith, having been written with the righteous, thereby becoming citizens of heaven.
However, God’s redemption story does not end with us. The time is coming when every knee will have bowed, and every tongue confessed Jesus Christ as Lord.
In the Consummation of the Ages All will have had their Names written in the Book of Life
At the Great White Throne Judgment all whose names do not appear in the Book of Life will be cast into the purifying Lake of Fire to undergo the second death (Rev 20:12-15). While the gates of the New Jerusalem will always be open, nothing unclean will enter. Only those whose names are written in the Book of Life will be able to enter (Rev 21:25-27).
However, the elect of this age are only the firstfruits of God’s new creation in which all will be made new (James 1:18; Rev 21:5). As the author of Hebrews says, we who are presently heavenly citizens are only the firstborn:
“But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, 23 to the general assembly and church of the firstborn (firstborn ones) who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect.” (Heb 12:22–23)
The residue of men (the rest of mankind) are yet to enter into the kingdom, resulting in all being subject to Christ and God becoming all in all (Acts 15:16-17; Heb 2:8-9; 1Cor 15:28). In the consummation of the ages all will have been made alive, having their names written in the Lamb’s Book of life. What a glorious consummation!
“For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. But each one in his own order.” (1 Cor 15:22–23a)