What Does It Mean To Be An Overcomer In Revelation 2-3?

According to Revelation 1.4, John wrote the book of Revelation to “the seven churches that are in Asia” (present day western Turkey). In Revelation 2-3 Jesus gives each of these churches a unique message – His evaluation particular to His church in each city.

Of special interest in Jesus’ letters are the concluding promises He made to the believer who “overcomes” (conquers or is victorious). But what does it mean to be an overcomer? Several viewpoints have been suggested by students of the Bible.

1     The loss of salvation view
This view teaches that those who fail to overcome can lose their salvation. We reject this view because the Bible clearly teaches the eternal security of the believer. Once a person believes in Jesus they are saved and can never be lost.

2     The all-believers view
This view understands every believer is an overcomer because of his or her faith in Christ as Savior. Since 1 John 5.4-5 teaches that the believer has overcome the world, so the “overcomer” in Revelation 2-3 refers to all believers regardless of how they live the Christian life.

3     The eternal rewards view
This view holds that the “overcomer” in Revelation 2-3 isn’t referring to all believers but of those believers who live faithful lives and persevere with Christ in the face of persecution. Believers who are not faithful in persecution will not lose their salvation (for they are eternally secure in Christ because of their faith in Him), but neither will they be rewarded because they have failed to overcome.

While the identity of the overcomer in Revelation 2-3 is a difficult interpretational problem, this last view has the most to commend it ...

• It ties closely with the main purpose of the book of Revelation – to encourage believers to live faithful lives in the midst of persecution.
• While it is true that some of the promises to overcomers are true of all believers (i.e., will not be hurt by the second death, 2.11), Revelation 2.26 makes it clear that being an overcomer requires more than just faith in Jesus for salvation (he who keeps My deeds until the end).
• We should not assume that John is using “overcomer” in Revelation 2-3 in the same way he uses it in 1 John. The overcomer in 1 John is the one who believes in Jesus as Savior and therefore has overcome the world and Satan. But the overcomer in Revelation 2-3 is the one who experiences victory in the midst of trials due to faithfulness, repentance and perseverance in good works.
• There is no call to faith or to believe in these letters because the letters are addressed to believers, to those who have already believed in Jesus. Rather, the focus is on faithfulness. The focus is on rewards for those believers who persevere and thus are rewarded for their good deeds. The emphasis is on the believer’s good works which will be rewarded and not on faith in Jesus for eternal life.
• The promises or rewards stated in the letters are made to individual believers – to him (singular) who overcomes. The implication is that not all believers will be overcomers but only those who are faithful. The promises are made to individuals who overcome, not to the entire church.
• If all believers are in view, Jesus’ promises are empty and meaningless. After all, every believer will be on the receiving end of these promises, regardless of how they live. What exactly is the point of these promises if all believers receive them? How is that encouragement to endure and live a faithful life? If one doesn’t persevere, they will receive the promises anyway.

So, it is best to understand the “overcomer” in Revelation 2-3 in a restrictive sense – true only of those believers who endure through trials. While all believers will rule as overcomers in Christ because of their faith in Jesus for salvation, some will receive special privileges because they overcame specific trials and were faithful to Christ.