Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Revelation 3:5

"He that overcometh shall thus be arrayed in white garments; and I will in no wise blot his name out of the book of life, and I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels." — Revelation 3:5 (ASV)

The overcomer’s promise is threefold and grows out of the reference to white clothing. (1) “Like” the faithful Sardian Christians who will receive white clothes from Christ, the others who overcome the stains of pagan society will similarly be dressed in white. (2) The pure relationship to Christ is permanently guaranteed: “I will never erase his name from the book of life.” In ancient cities the names of citizens were recorded in a register till their death; then their names were marked out of that book. This same idea appears in the OT (Exodus 32:32–33; Psalms 69:28; Isaiah 4:3). From the idea of being recorded in God’s book of the living (or the righteous) comes the sense of belonging to God’s eternal kingdom or possessing eternal life (Daniel 12:1; Hebrews 12:23; Revelation 13:8; Revelation 20:15; et al.). For Christ to say that he will never “blot out [the overcomer’s] name from the book of life” is the strongest affirmation that death can never separate us from Christ and the life he offers (Romans 8:38–39). A person enrolled in the book of life by faith remains in it by faithfulness and can be erased only by disloyalty. There is some evidence that one’s name could be removed from the city register before death if one were convicted of a crime. In the first century, Christians who were loyal to Christ were under constant threat of being branded political and social rebels and then stripped of their citizenship. But Christ offers them an eternal, safe citizenship in his everlasting kingdom if they remain loyal to him. (3) Finally, to the overcomer Christ promises to “acknowledge his name before [the] Father and his angels.” “Acknowledge” (GK 3933) is a strong word for confession before the courts. It is Christ’s confession of our name before the Father and his angels (implying our fellowship with him) that assures our heavenly citizenship (Matthew 10:32). What ultimately counts, then, is not our acceptance by this world’s societies but that our relationship to Christ is genuine and hence will merit his approbation in the coming kingdom.