The Seven Churches in Asia...Sardis

So far in this series of articles, we have considered four of the seven churches in Asia. There are three churches left to study, and all three of them are found in the third chapter of the book of Revelation. Today, we will study Christ's letter to the church in Sardis.

Christ's description of Himself here in Revelation 3:1 is short and simple. He describes Himself as the One who "has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars." To understand this, we have to turn to other passages within the book of Revelation.

1. The seven Spirits are defined as the "seven lamps of fire...burning before the throne" (4:5). Or perhaps the seven lamps are defined as the seven Spirits which are "sent out into all the earth" (5:6). Some conjecture that these spirits are literally angels...which would line up well with the theory that the seven angels of the seven churches are also literal angels. Others posit that these seven spirits are symbolic of the seven graces of the Holy Spirit, and thus the Holy Spirit is here intended. It appears more likely that these are angels, and not the Holy Spirit, for these spirits appear to be animated beings (5:6).
2. The seven stars are defined in 1:20 as "the angels of the seven churches." Are these the same seven spirits, or are these seven angels, i.e. stars, distinct? It is hard to say. Again, we are dealing with a highly symbolic book. We could spend hours discussing the different theories and in the end we may convince ourselves that one interpretation is more reasonable, but ultimately, it is most important that we understand the significance of the statement in Revelation 3:1...and the point is this: Christ has all power and all knowledge. He is higher than the angels, and not a mere angel. He is the Son of God...He IS God! Christ here is simply establishing His supremacy.

Once Christ introduces Himself to the saints in Sardis, He immediately sets in on their error. Jesus wrote to them, "You have a name that you are alive, but you are dead." In other words, they had a good reputation; when people thought of the Sardis church, they thought of an active congregation that was doing well. But in reality, they were inactive and spiritually decaying. This kind of reminds of what Jesus said to the Pharisees back in Matthew 23:27: "For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness." God knows our hearts (Lk. 16:15; Ac. 15:8). Even when we look good in the eyes of men, we may look dead to God. And this only motivates us to not only do what is right outwardly, but to do and think what is right inwardly.

It is important to understand that the Sardis saints were not completely dead. According to Revelation 3:2, they were told to "strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die." You see, they were on the verge of complete apostasy, but they were not there yet which is why God chose to rebuke them, and not condemn them. Spiritual death doesn't always happen all at once. Sometimes, yes, we embrace sin and we leave God, but all too often, we simply begin to drift slowly away from the Lord. We grow more and more apathetic until eventually we have withered away to nothing. Please, don't let this happen to you.

What is the remedy? "Remember therefore how you have received and heard: hold fast and repent" (vv. 3). We need to first of all remind ourselves of who we are and why we are who we are. Reestablish yourself in the truth of God's word. Study the basic principles of the New Testament. Regain that zeal and love for the Lord. Then, you must repent...change your mind and your actions; commit to a new start. And finally, you must hold fast. In other words, don't let it happen again. Be faithful and do what is right inwardly and outwardly.

If we do not repent and make things right, Christ promises that He will come upon us like a thief, when we least expect it (vv. 4). Some people may thing that they have "the rest of their lives" to change, but we do not know that for a fact...which means that we must take advantage of the time we have now. Do not postpone repentance or salvation, for when you finally make the decision, it may be too late.

Not all the saints in Sardis were this way, however. There were "a few names" who had not "defiled their garments." As a result, they would walk with Christ (vv. 4). Even when those around us are spiritually weak and decaying, we must stand strong.

In verse five, Christ wraps up this letter by saying, "He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels." There are several interesting points here:

1. White garments represent purity and holiness. As God's people, we are to strive for purity and holiness here on earth, but if we overcome, it is said that we will wear "white garments" in heaven. Again, this is symbolic, but there is something here for us to consider. Now, we have to battle temptation and resist sin to be pure, but in heaven, there will be no temptation or sin. We won't have to fight to be pure...we will always be pure, and we will be surrounded by perfection and bliss!
2. The Lord goes on to say here that if we are faithful, our names will NOT be blotted out of the Book of Life. The Book of Life is the book which contains all the names of the saved. If one's name is in the Book of Life, they are heaven-bound, but if their name is NOT in the Book of Life, they are bound for eternal damnation (Rev. 20:14-15). Christ implies here in Revelation 3:5 that our names can be blotted out of the Book of Life. This is a crushing blow to the doctrine of Once Saved, Always Saved. Our names can be added to the Book of Life, and then blotted out (if we are unfaithful). So yes, we can lose our salvation.
3. Finally, Jesus says that He will confess our names before the Father and His angels. This point is also made back in Matthew 10:32. Can you imagine the Son of God uttering your name in the presence of the Almighty God? What a privilege! What an honor! But it only comes upon those who overcome and are faithful.

Do you have a name that you are alive, but indeed you are dead? If so, please repent and make things right with the Lord before it is too late!