Adopted as a Child of God

Does God's pencil have an eraser?

This is the question we ask the Securist, and the response is, NO! God wrote our names in the Book of Life at the beginning of time and therefore if your name is in it, you are eternally secure.

"He who overcomes shall thus be clothed in white garments; and I will not erase his name from the book of life." Revelation 3:5

Our first point to counter the Securist is Revelation 3:5. Jesus is talking of those that overcome not having their name erased from the Book of Life.

By implication, a logical mind would accept that if Jesus says He will not erase a name from the book, then He must possess the power to erase names. And if He possesses the power to do so, then it should logically follow that it can be done. If true, the Securist is applying a form of legalism to demand that God CAN NOT erase a name. Too bad for the Securist that man can not be the one to dictate to God, but God is one that dictates to man. For the Securist to state that the verse doesn't imply that a name can be erased also leaves the question of what the verse must mean. It would be entirely fruitless for God to have given this scripture only to fill space on a Bible page. To NOT assume that your name can be erased leaves the verse lifeless and without meaning other than knowing that those that overcome will be clothed in white garments. Jeff Paton, of biblicaltheology.webhostme.com, made a very good analogy at his website in his refution of Charles Stanley's book in which he states, "If these words do not have any application whatsoever, God might as well have written that if we overcome, He will not dress up in a Bozo suite and jump up and down on us while wearing golf shoes!"

The next hurdle to overcome is the Securist's claim that these names were written at the foundation of the world, but the Bible doesn't state this. "And who dwell on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name has Not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain." Revelation 13:8

"And those who dwell on the earth will wonder, whose name has not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world." Revelation 17:8

If you will notice, the verses do not read "at the foundation", they read "from the foundation". So what's the significance of this? The word "from" does not denote a point in time as the word "at" does. If God had meant for us to understand that names were written in the book AT the foundation of the world, don't you think the inspired writer would have chosen a word that would better be rendered as "at" rather than "from"? In fact, the greek word rendered "from" is apo, and does not carry the idea of "at". It is logically possible that the meaning of these verses denote that God has continually added and/or removed names from the book of life SINCE the foundation of the world. FROM denoting a starting point of an action that has continued up until the present and shall continue into the future. So far, we can easily debate and refute the Securist's claims as to when the names are written and whether they can be erased. But why would we assume that the names are written during the course of time and can be erased? LOGIC.

To boldly state a guarantee in using the phrase "once a son, always a son", the Securist also needs to understand that they are actually promoting the idea that nobody can be saved.

"The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one;" Matthew 13:38

"And said, O full of all subtlety and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?" Acts 13:10

"He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning." 1 John 3:8

"In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother." 1 John 3:10

As you can see, the Bible makes it perfectly clear that before becoming a child of God we were sons of the devil. If "onca a son, always a son", then how do we become a child of God? Is it the same way that a goat becomes a sheep? Securist use this line of reasoning also, but don't factor in that they had to get from being a goat to a sheep before announcing that you can't change a sheep into a goat!

The biggest obstacle for the Securist, in claiming guarantee in adoption, is wriggling past scripture that tells us that our adoption is not finalized until we are in our new glorified bodies.

And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body." Romans 8:23

"He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son." Revelation 21:7

Also notice the implication in the last verse. He that doesn't overcometh will NOT inherit all things and will NOT be adopted as a child of God.

Becoming a child of God is a wonderful Glorification, but should not make us so haughty that God must discipline us. The whole application of the concept of becoming children is for us to know that God wants to enter a personal relationship so close that we may consider ourselves as His children and He as our Father where we cry "Abba, Father". Our Father would NEVER want us to fear for our salvation, but it isn't to be taken for granted as a guaranteed proposition either. Allow Him to draw close as you cry "Abba, Father" and find your comfort and security in Him, not in man made doctrines. He loves you, He wants you and He wants you to have your security resting in Him!

Next: Sealed by the Holy Spirit

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