REVELATION 3:5 – BLOTTING OUT A NAME FROM THE BOOK
Feb 19, 2019
Good afternoon. Somebody asked me a question about the meaning of Rev 3:5. See below.
Revelation 3:5 – Blotting Out a Name from the Book of Life
The allusion in Revelation 3: 5 to blotting out a name from the book of life has three possible explanations. First, the statement that Christ would not blot out the name of the overcomer could be a figure of speech called “litotes,” an understatement designed to emphasize what God will do; that is, confess his name before God and His angels (like saying “not bad” to mean “very good”). In this case, it would not admit the possibility of “blotting out” in the first place. Secondly, every man’s name may be in the book of life until he rejects Christ as Savior. At that time his name is blotted out. Only the names of believers are left. Thirdly, only half the residents of Rome were citizens. When a citizen committed an unusually barbarous crime, the city officials ceremoniously erased his name from the book of citizens. He remained as a resident, but he lost the rights and privileges of a citizen. Hence, the possibility of having one’s name taken from the book of life would not threaten one’s residence in the kingdom; it would threaten his rewards in the kingdom.
Source Used
Anderson, David R. Free Grace Soteriology: 3rd Edition. Grace Theology Press 204-205.