“And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the Seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead. Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God. Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee. Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy. 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. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.” (Revelation 3:1-6 KJV)
There are many clear verses that support OSAS. Passages such as John 3:5-6,14-1,36, John 6:37-49, John 10: 27-30, Romans 5 & 6, Romans 8:38-39, Ephesians 1:13-14, 2 Cor. 5:17-21, Colossians 2, Ephesians 2:8-9, are just some. The Bible does NOT contradict on this. First, Jesus tells about 👉NOT👈 blotting out a persons name as an encouraging promise to BE SAVED.
Second, who is the person that ‘overcometh’ in this passage? Remember John penned Revelation. John was told ,
“What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia;” ( Rev 1:11 KJV) In the book of 1 John he also wrote about how a person “overcometh” and it is not by our works, “For whatsoever is born of God OVERCOMETH the world: and this is the victory that OVERCOMETH the world, even 👉our faith👈. Who is he that OVERCOMETH the world, but he that 👉BELIEVETH that Jesus is the Son of God👈?” (1 John 5:4-5 KJV)
Earlier in 1 John he wrote that Jesus on the cross paid for all sins of the whole world,
“And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of 👉the whole world👈.” (1 John 2:2 KJV)
He that BELIEVETH ON CHRIST IS the person that overcometh the world in Rev. 3. In Rev. 3, we see “The Book Of Life” mentioned. However, this is a different book than “The Lamb’s Book of Life” that is mentioned much later in Rev. 13. This is the other big confusion many have; these are TWO DIFFERENT BOOKS and not the same book.
Book Of Life (Book Of The Living)
Psalm 139:16 shows that every person was written in the Book of Life.
“Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.” (Psalm 139:16 KJV)
The Book Of Life was translated from a more literal ‘Book Of The Living’. The names of everyone ever born are written in the Book Of Life. This Book of The Living is seen also in Exodus 32 when the Hebrew slaves made a golden calf idol to worship. Such a grave sin that the Lord threatened to put to death ALL the Israelites!
In Exodus 32:32, Moses intervened and offered his own life in exchange (a foreshadowing of what Christ did for us on the cross).
“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.👈” (Exodus 32:32-33 KJV)
So a person’s sin can mean being blotted out of this Book Of The Living. However it is important to understand that this was long before Christ came and paid for all sins of the world. The Israelites were given The Law and Ten Commandments. They sacrificed animals as a temporary covering for their sins as to not be blotted out of this book. When Christ came as foretold, He became the FINAL ONCE FOR ALL blood atoning sacrifice for ALL SIN (Hebrews 10:10, 1 John 2:2). Unbelievers today can also be blotted out of this book due to their sins, if they were not ATONED FOR.
The Lamb’s Book of Life
This different book is specifically a book with all members of CHURCH AGE BELIEVERS. That is all believers from the cross until the Tribulation Period begins. This is the Bride Of Christ. Any person that believes on Christ and His once for all atoning blood sacrifice (Hebrews 10:10) for the sin of the whole world (1 John 2:2) have eternal life from the moment of belief (Eph. 1:13-14) and are written in both The Book Of The Living AND The Lambs Book Of Life.
Those who deny belief in Christ for salvation are not found in this book (Rev. 13:8). Therefore all believers from the cross to present are IN this book. It is the registry of church age believers; the dispensation of the age of grace in which we now live.
The Bride Of Christ are in this book. Eternally saved by BELIEF ON CHRIST. Secure forever. In Rev. 3, Jesus is giving the unsaved people in the church in Sardis, who were relying on their works for salvation, the opportunity to be eternally saved and secure. For them to REPENT (change their mind) and believe the true Gospel of grace for salvation by belief and trust on Christ which is how a person is born again in the Spirit and saved eternally (John 3). And promises 👉as an encouragement👈 to stop relying on works for salvation but to believe the Gospel.
For those that do that Christ promises that He will NEVER BLOT OUT THEIR NAME from this book. Only a few members of the Church in Sardis will be saved and raptured. He was addressing the majority of unbelievers in this church who strayed from the simple Gospel of Grace and truth of salvation by belief alone in Christ’s finished work on the cross. To these unsaved, who think they are saved by works, He warned them to wake up and REPENT. Change their mind from believing on good works for salvation to BELIEF ON Christ and HIS finished work on the cross.
Just as Jesus warned in Matthew 7:21-23, ‘many wonderful works’ will save no one.
“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. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I NEVER KNEW YOU: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” (Matthew 7:21-23 KJV)
Believing that your works and good deeds will eradicate your sins is FALSE belief. It is actually the same sin as Lucifer committed when he became our adversary Satan; the sin of pride. The only way to have he punishment for our sins removed is by believing that Jesus is the only begotten Son of God, who is God, who came, never sinned and as the perfect Lamb without blemish, paid for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2) on the cross as the once for all final blood atoning sacrifice for all sins (Hebrews 9 and 10). And as Jesus stated very clearly in John 3,
“That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” (John 3:15-18 KJV)
