5 He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels.
There is a place where our names get recorded when we enter into life. This is more important than our birth certificate or our Selective Service registration. These earthly documents have significance in a limited, earthly realm. They can grant certain rights and impose certain responsibilities on those who have them. They can also be forged. But there is a privilege granted by God that is never taken away. John uses earthly language to describe this privilege. He says that we get our name written in a book, the book of life. Just like a birth certificate, there are some stipulations surrounding the issuance of a certificate. For the book of life, we must overcome. We must not stop our faith walk. We can’t turn back to our old ways of living. We must not abandon our trust in Jesus’ life, death and resurrection. If we overcome, then our name does not get erased from that book. And that is not all. Can you imagine having our names announced in heaven? I picture the reception at a royal palace where the master of arms loudly announces each person by name as they enter the main entryway. All eyes turn in acknowledgement of your entry. Jesus is doing the announcing. I also picture cheers and our humble bowing at Jesus’ feet in thanksgiving. Because we overcome, we have learned to experience the grace of God as a continual reminder of our sin and of God’s great love for us. These two exist side by side: the grace of God and knowledge our sin. The more we recognize our sin, the more we can appreciate the grace of God. If our sin is not before us, as the Psalmist wrote, we can start to think that we earned or deserve heaven. But if we overcome the sin, then we must be recognizing the grace that enabled us to overcome. Are you in the process of overcoming or of giving up?
The Arnold Journey 