Some infer works are part of acquiring our own salvation. But a definition of grace by human’s and what the Bible consistently declares, are not always the same thing. Don’t believe what I say. Just believe what the Bible says. It can’t be wrong, I, and others can be! The fact is that the believer's right standing with God is "without works" (Rom 4:6), "without the deeds of the Law" (Rom 3:28), "not of works" (Eph. 2:9) "It is the gift of God,” (Eph. 2:8). If you have to earn your salvation by human effort, then yes…it could be lost. Humans are frail and make mistakes. For many Christians, their feelings about the state of their salvation, or being saved, can waver from day to day. There are days when they even can doubt their own salvation or if they‘re really saved at all.

Here’s why’s it’s called the Good News (Gospel). Our assurance of eternal salvation and security is not based upon what we believe, or what we feel or what we think, but on what God has done (Heb. 9:26)! Can we not believe what Jesus has told us about Him and the Father, that not even one would ever be lost (John 10:28-29)? There seems to have always been attempts to make the believer's response part of their own salvation. It is completely, humanly natural. But clearly, that is to look upon grace as "a help" which flatly denies Biblical truth, "…if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace…" (Rom 11:6). The simple Biblical message is that "the gift of righteousness" in Christ Jesus is a gift, resting on His all-sufficient sacrifice on the cross, "For if by one man's offense death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ“ (Rom 5:17).

So it is as Christ Jesus Himself said, He died in place of the believer, the One for many (Mark 10:45), His life a ransom for many. As He declared, …this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins“ (Math 26:28). This is also what Peter proclaimed, "For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God…" (I Pet. 3:18). Paul's preaching is summarized at the end of 2 Cor. 5:21), "For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.." (2 Cor 5:21). God doesn’t call the qualified…He qualifies the called.

It seems overwhelming when we take on all the responsibility of working out our own salvation. Literally, I thank God that it is not all our responsibility. I feel it is more, our response to His ability. Many have never felt absolved (Mark 1:15). Originally for me, repentance and feeling saved was very difficult. I had thought that salvation was "meriting," "earning," or "being good enough," instead of simply accepting with empty hands, the gift of righteousness in Christ Jesus. To refuse to accept what God commands is the same sin as that of the religious Jews of Paul's time, "For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God" (Rom 10:3). I finally understood that Jesus has done it all, once and for all! Holiness is not the way to Jesus, Jesus is the way to holiness. As has been said before, God doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the called. What works can save us? Here are the only “works” we can do to receive salvation, from Jesus own lips: “…This is the work of God, that you believe on Him Whom He has sent” (John 6:29). Now isn’t that ‘s a big relief?

CAN YOUR NAME BE ERASED FROM THE BOOK OF LIFE?　

Some speak a troubling message that you can lose your salvation, but God wrote our names in His Book of Life (Rev. 3:5 & elsewhere) before time, earth or even we existed. He filled out the Book of Life in anticipation of how we would respond to Him and His effectual calling (John 6:44). His calling, being effectual, means that He has the ability to completed in us a work that He began in the first place. If it were up to us and our feeble, human efforts, then yes, we ought worry about or salvation for in frail human hands, nothing is certain. But in Jesus hands and The Father’s hands, who could wrest us from them (John 10:28-29)! No one, no death, no sin, no thing on earth, under the earth, or in heaven can.
 

God has complete knowledge of all eternity, the Alpha and Omega. He knows the beginning and the ending, in advance, about us and in fact everything! Ours is an awesome God. Therefore, He did not write in response to what we actually did; rather, He wrote in response to what He knew we would actually do…but, more importantly, what He can accomplish in us. He knows our day of death and day of birth, before we even existed. As parents-to-be, my wife and I also knew, in advance, what our baby would be like, what he or she might look like, what toys they would prefer, what music, what soft, soothing voices and love that they needed. This we knew before we even conceived our precious children. We also knew well in advance that someday they would leave home…that they would eventually drive a car, find a job, move out of the home….again, all well in advance, even before they were ever born. Now this distinction is very important because we, if we as finite humans could know these predispositions before their birth, God is more than able to also know well in advance what we would be like, what we would like and dislike, what we would be gifted at…and even the very day of our death He knew (Heb 9:27, etc.).

So, it should not surprise us that God then knew in advance those whom He would call, and justify, and redeem…those who would respond to His sovereign and effectual calling and those who would not. The point is that if God put our names in the Book of Life as history unfolded (as I used too think), it could be argued that He erases them as history unfolds as well, since not all will be saved. But if God entered names according to perfect and complete His foreknowledge, it follows that He would erase them according to His foreknowledge, which makes no sense at all. If God wrote and erased according to foreknowledge, both His writing and His erasing would be complete before the world began. The point is that no one needs to live with the fear that his or her name will be erased from the Book of Life today or sometime in the future. Once you are saved, you can never be lost again (John 10:28-29).

It is too easy to take text out of context, but this makes is a pretext. People who misread Revelation 3:5 and don’t read all the dozens of other scriptures that promise eternal security/salvation, miss out on the peace that Jesus spoke of; His peace. One should no longer have to worry or live in fear of losing their salvation (i.e. "I wonder if I am still saved?!"). It is impossible. There is no blotting out your name from the Book of Life, once you accept Jesus.

Another worry that is often expressed in Revelation 3:5 about their eternal security of salvation is that only those that “overcome” can wear the “white raiment”. So there may be doubt if one is really an over-comer (Rev. 3:5). Have they really overcame? But what is the Bible talking about when it mentions “for those who overcome”? Who exactly are those that are saved and have overcome the world? Am I an over-comer? How do I know if I have overcome already? Here’s how. It’s in another of John’s books. I John 5:5 says, “Who is he that overcomes the world, but he that believes that Jesus is the Son of God.” So over-comers are believers in Christ. If you have believed on Jesus, then you have overcome the world (Rev. 3:5) the day you accepted Jesus Christ as Savior (I John 5:4-5). The word “blot” actually means blemish or stain or soiled. Maybe a better way of looking at it is that our blemishes, stains and sins will not be used to blot out our names because of Christ‘s own (not ours) righteousness. So your name’s there; it’s not blotted out and that is why you’ll wear the “white raiment”…worn only by those that have “overcome”. Next, in the final and last part (3) of Eternal Security, an examination of the question of whose names are put in the Book of Life and when they were recorded in it.
 

Are There Names Missing From the Book of Life?

No one needs to live with the fear that his or her name will be erased from the Book of Life today or sometime in the future. Once you are saved, you can never be lost again (John 10:28-29). There is a second reason this passage eliminates the possibility of names being erased ["blotted out"]. Both passages indicate that the lost people in these verses had never had their names written in the Book of Life. John does not say these names were simply not in the book at that time. He says, "Everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world." That’s not talking about us, for God “has chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love (Eph. 1:4) “. If we are saved, then we have overcome the world (I John 5:4-5) and we who have overcome the world through Jesus Christ’s Lordship over us…those who are saved, are destined to be pillars in the temple of God (Rev. 3:12).

The meaning of predestination means that we were adopted as children of God, chosen before the earth even existed, and like a couple who plans to have children, they fully intend not to leave their children as orphans or give up on them.

Then who are these who are “not found written in the Book of Life?” It is, "All who dwell on the earth." In other words, those whom God knew would not accept His free gift of eternal life, had never had their names in the Book of Life in the first place. Of course, they had never had their names erased from the book, either. The only way around this problem for those who hold to the erasable name view is to maintain that all the unsaved people who had their names erased were already dead by this time in history. That is certainly possible, but it is highly unlikely. It is especially unlikely in light of the intense persecution of those who name the name of Christ will be facing during this time (Rev. 13:7). And once again, why would God write down a name only to have to erase it again if He has perfect foreknowledge? This doesn't mean He might not add names to this Book. He is God and He is sovereign. I have often wondered if this was the reason the Ark was so much bigger and provisions were so much more than they actually needed for the number of animals and Noah's family. He left room enough on it, in my personal opinion, to accommodate any who decided to repent before the Great Flood. God doesn't want anyone to perish.

A LETTER FROM GOD

God has written humans a love letter. It is the Bible. If He could send a personal letter to each of His children, including you, it might read like this: