Revelation 21:7-8 says, “He that overcometh shall inherit all things: and I will be his God, and he shall be My son. But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”
It never ceases to amaze me that some people are so eager to accept certain parts of the Bible, such as John 3:16, or Psalm 23, yet are just as eager to discard the parts of the Bible that they do not like, or else do not understand. Granted, some parts of the Bible are more pleasant to read than others, but that gives us no right to toss out what we do not like! I am thrilled about what God promises to the overcomers. More than that, I will give a Bible statement concerning who are the overcomers. I John 5:4-5 says, “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? “ So, we see two truths here: first, we see that the one who is born of God, or born again, overcomes the world. Second, we see that it is our faith that gives the victory over the world. So, all who are truly children of God by faith in Jesus Christ are overcomers. The problem seems to lie in the fact that not all who profess to know Jesus Christ by faith are really being truthful. After all, it is clear from the Bible that there will be many false professors of salvation, and they are not headed to heaven. Although we are not saved by works, yet works do accompany salvation, according to the Book of James. James 2:18b says, “….Show me thy faith without thy works, and I will show thee my faith by my works.” Then James 2:20 says, “But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead.” Does this contradict Ephesians 2:8-9, which says, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast”? Absolutely not, for Ephesians 2:20 says: “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” So, salvation is not obtained by works, rather it is the product of faith that produces good works!
I sprang off the above idea from Revelation 21:7 concerning the overcomer, or the saved person. Notice that this verse says the overcomer will inherit all things, so what we have in heaven will be an inheritance, even though we will also be rewarded for any good works that we have done. My point is that salvation is the gift of God, as Ephesians 2:8-10 clearly shows, yet all who are truly saved will have some good works! Jesus illustrated this point in Matthew 13:3-8, as He showed that all who receive the seed, or God’s Word, in good soil will bring forth some fruits. So it seems clear that there is no such thing as a completely “fruitless” Christian! Perhaps the problem lies in the fact that many claim to be saved, when they really have never been saved! Notice again that Revelation 21:7 speaks of the one who overcomes as inheriting all things, not the one who professes to be a child of God. It is also interesting that the language speaks of “inheriting” all things, not the matter of “earning all things”. So, eternity with God in His new creation is not a matter of our working to “obtain a seat there”, rather it is a matter of one receiving Jesus for salvation, and then being seated with Him in the new creation. I am saying that nobody could ever possibly “win an eternity with God” by any work he does, rather, one does the work of God while on earth, because he has received the Lord Jesus Christ as his personal Savior. I love the idea of doing good works, but they are the fruit, not the root, of our salvation! Since God says clearly that salvation is not of works, lest any man should boast, I think we should accept His Word for it.
J. Briggs King