The Book of Life
Eight times in the Bible, all of which occur in the New Testament (and 7 of which occur in the book of the Revelation), reference is made to the “Book of Life”. It has been long understood that this book contains the names of all saints who have died in Christ, yet many have failed to understand its biblical significance. For instance, when exactly is the name of a person ‘written down’ in the Book of Life? Can a name be written down and then ‘blotted out’? If a name can indeed be ‘blotted out’ then doesn’t that mean that Christians can lose their salvation?
To begin this brief study, let me tell you a story about one of my grade-school teachers. He opened the first day of class by announcing to the students that he approached the process of grading a bit differently from his counterparts. He told us that most teachers start out assuming that each student has no credit at the beginning of an exercise and adds the points ‘earned’ until the grade is compiled. He, on the other hand, started out by giving everyone 100 points on every exercise, and only deducted points for errors until the grade was determined. While this sounded good in theory, the truth is no matter which way a paper is evaluated, the same grade would be arrive at. However, it was the intent of the psychology of the statement that stood out, and the grades were noticeably higher in his class than in others where the same subject was taught.
This is the approach that we ought to take when we look God in His desire to relate to us as His children. The logical question to ask is, “When does God start loving me?” We could also ask, “When does He ordain a purpose for my life?” If He has no purpose for us until we prove our worthiness through works and obedience, then of what value are we to Him prior to that ‘moment’?
To address the issue of purpose we can go to Jeremiah 1:5, where the Lord tells the prophet Jeremiah:
“Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.”
So, even before the moment of conception God had a plan for Jeremiah’s life. To assume that this message was for the prophet only would deny the very nature and consistency with which God loves each and every one of us.
“Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.” (Matthew 10:29‑31)
And so, God loves us unconditionally and eternally from the past and into the future, but our obedience in yielding to His call to Salvation in Christ Jesus results in a special kind of union that ‘seals’ us to Him by the Holy Spirit.
“Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.” (2 Cor. 1:22)
“In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise” (Eph. 1:13)
“And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.” (Eph. 4:30)
Now as to the question of the names written in the Book of Life, I want you to look up the following verses on your own:
· Phil 4:3 (Paul’s fellow laborers names written in the Book)
· Rev 3:5 (Overcomers’ names not blotted out of the Book)
· Rev 13:8 (Even those whose names are not in the Book shall worship the Lord)
· Rev 17:8 (Those are deceived and whose names are not written in the Book)
· Rev 20:12 (The works of men judged out of 'another book')
· Rev 20:15 (Those not found in the Book are cast into the lake of fire)
· Rev 21:27 (The Lamb’s Book of Life is for the undefiled)
· Rev 22:19 (Those who take away any part of the prophecy shall be taken out of the Book)
I want you to notice that not once is there ever any mention of the name of a saint being written into the Book of Life as a result of salvation. Instead, the references (with the exception of Phil 4:3) either refer to the removal of one’s name from the Book, the existence of one’s name in the Book, or the absence of one’s name from the Book. This raises an interesting, and theologically crucial point. If the Bible only mentions the act of removal of names from the Book of Life, then it stands to reason that the names are already written there! Does this mean that everyone is born saved – or does it mean that everyone is born on an equal footing in God’s eyes?
Since God never intended for mankind to suffer eternal damnation, but to have fellowship with Him, the only reasonable conclusion in this matter is that God “from the foundation of the world” has already written down the name of everyone who He will ever create. Like the first Adam, we are all created having a self-centered nature that compels us to rebel (sin) against God. Yet, there is no mention of names being blotted out as a result of a sinful life. Instead, we learn through the words of Jesus Himself that the ‘blotting out’ occurs not in life, but at the time of death.
Look carefully at Rev 3:5:
“He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.”
Here Jesus is speaking to the Pastor of the Church at Sardis and addresses the fact that some are ready to die. Overcomers, as John clarified in 1 Jn 4:4, are believers in Christ, and are therefore those who are sealed by the Holy Spirit to the Father in Christ.
This is probably a good point to side-step for a moment to discuss the only unpardonable sin mentioned in the Bible.
“Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.” (Matthew 12:31. See also Mk 3:28)
Neither murder, nor rape, nor incest, nor even suicide are unpardonable sins in the eyes of God. Jesus Himself has declared it. Only ‘blasphemy against the Holy Spirit’ is unforgivable. So the question becomes, how do we avoid blaspheming Him? Well, if you are saved then blaspheming the Holy Spirit for you is impossible! How can you blaspheme (or deny the power and deity) of Him who lives within you? Besides, if a saint could commit this unpardonable sin, then that same saint could lose his/her salvation. However, this is in direct contradiction to the teachings of both Jesus and Paul who assure us that once we are saved our salvation is ‘sealed’ (see: 2 Cor 1:22; Eph 1:13; Eph 4:30; Jn 10:27-30).
So, how does one commit the ‘unpardonable sin’ of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit? Simply by facing death in denial of the power of salvation through the shed blood of Christ Jesus. For, if at any time one trusts him/herself to Christ by faith then the Holy Spirit is given according to that blessed promise (see: Acts 1:8a) and in His Power a life of righteousness pleasing to God may be realized. Therefore, to die without Christ is to blaspheme the Holy Spirit and results in having one’s name ‘blotted out’ of the Book of Life.
There are also those who claim that by ‘making a shipwreck of faith’ (see: 1 Tim 1:19-20) salvation can be lost. However, a careful study of the verse in question reveals that this is an incorrect assumption. Notice in 1 Tim 1:20 that Paul has delivered the blasphemers to Satan “that they may learn not to blaspheme”. Does this mean that Paul sent them to Hell? Only God has that power (see Mt 10:28)! Then we have to look at what happens to those who are saved and disobedient. In 1 Cor 11:30 Paul clearly states that disobedience brings weakness, sickness, and death – and he also writes that though the works of unfruitfulness may be burned up, the man himself shall be saved (1 Cor 3:15; 5:4-5).
So, fear not dear believer. Your salvation is assured, eternal, permanent, sealed, and redeemable only by that Perfect One who made us all in His own Perfect Love.
If you don’t have this assurance because you don’t know the Lord Jesus as your own personal Lord and Savior, then please call upon Him now in prayer and ask Him to forgive you of your sins and come into your heart to live with you forever.
In His Love,
Dr. Jack L. Burton
-Hebrews 11:1-3
Eight times in the Bible, all of which occur in the New Testament (and 7 of which occur in the book of the Revelation), reference is made to the “Book of Life”. It has been long understood that this book contains the names of all saints who have died in Christ, yet many have failed to understand its biblical significance. For instance, when exactly is the name of a person ‘written down’ in the Book of Life? Can a name be written down and then ‘blotted out’? If a name can indeed be ‘blotted out’ then doesn’t that mean that Christians can lose their salvation?
To begin this brief study, let me tell you a story about one of my grade-school teachers. He opened the first day of class by announcing to the students that he approached the process of grading a bit differently from his counterparts. He told us that most teachers start out assuming that each student has no credit at the beginning of an exercise and adds the points ‘earned’ until the grade is compiled. He, on the other hand, started out by giving everyone 100 points on every exercise, and only deducted points for errors until the grade was determined. While this sounded good in theory, the truth is no matter which way a paper is evaluated, the same grade would be arrive at. However, it was the intent of the psychology of the statement that stood out, and the grades were noticeably higher in his class than in others where the same subject was taught.
This is the approach that we ought to take when we look God in His desire to relate to us as His children. The logical question to ask is, “When does God start loving me?” We could also ask, “When does He ordain a purpose for my life?” If He has no purpose for us until we prove our worthiness through works and obedience, then of what value are we to Him prior to that ‘moment’?
To address the issue of purpose we can go to Jeremiah 1:5, where the Lord tells the prophet Jeremiah:
“Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.”
So, even before the moment of conception God had a plan for Jeremiah’s life. To assume that this message was for the prophet only would deny the very nature and consistency with which God loves each and every one of us.
“Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.” (Matthew 10:29‑31)
And so, God loves us unconditionally and eternally from the past and into the future, but our obedience in yielding to His call to Salvation in Christ Jesus results in a special kind of union that ‘seals’ us to Him by the Holy Spirit.
“Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.” (2 Cor. 1:22)
“In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise” (Eph. 1:13)
“And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.” (Eph. 4:30)
Now as to the question of the names written in the Book of Life, I want you to look up the following verses on your own:
· Phil 4:3 (Paul’s fellow laborers names written in the Book)
· Rev 3:5 (Overcomers’ names not blotted out of the Book)
· Rev 13:8 (Even those whose names are not in the Book shall worship the Lord)
· Rev 17:8 (Those are deceived and whose names are not written in the Book)
· Rev 20:12 (The works of men judged out of 'another book')
· Rev 20:15 (Those not found in the Book are cast into the lake of fire)
· Rev 21:27 (The Lamb’s Book of Life is for the undefiled)
· Rev 22:19 (Those who take away any part of the prophecy shall be taken out of the Book)
I want you to notice that not once is there ever any mention of the name of a saint being written into the Book of Life as a result of salvation. Instead, the references (with the exception of Phil 4:3) either refer to the removal of one’s name from the Book, the existence of one’s name in the Book, or the absence of one’s name from the Book. This raises an interesting, and theologically crucial point. If the Bible only mentions the act of removal of names from the Book of Life, then it stands to reason that the names are already written there! Does this mean that everyone is born saved – or does it mean that everyone is born on an equal footing in God’s eyes?
Since God never intended for mankind to suffer eternal damnation, but to have fellowship with Him, the only reasonable conclusion in this matter is that God “from the foundation of the world” has already written down the name of everyone who He will ever create. Like the first Adam, we are all created having a self-centered nature that compels us to rebel (sin) against God. Yet, there is no mention of names being blotted out as a result of a sinful life. Instead, we learn through the words of Jesus Himself that the ‘blotting out’ occurs not in life, but at the time of death.
Look carefully at Rev 3:5:
“He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.”
Here Jesus is speaking to the Pastor of the Church at Sardis and addresses the fact that some are ready to die. Overcomers, as John clarified in 1 Jn 4:4, are believers in Christ, and are therefore those who are sealed by the Holy Spirit to the Father in Christ.
This is probably a good point to side-step for a moment to discuss the only unpardonable sin mentioned in the Bible.
“Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.” (Matthew 12:31. See also Mk 3:28)
Neither murder, nor rape, nor incest, nor even suicide are unpardonable sins in the eyes of God. Jesus Himself has declared it. Only ‘blasphemy against the Holy Spirit’ is unforgivable. So the question becomes, how do we avoid blaspheming Him? Well, if you are saved then blaspheming the Holy Spirit for you is impossible! How can you blaspheme (or deny the power and deity) of Him who lives within you? Besides, if a saint could commit this unpardonable sin, then that same saint could lose his/her salvation. However, this is in direct contradiction to the teachings of both Jesus and Paul who assure us that once we are saved our salvation is ‘sealed’ (see: 2 Cor 1:22; Eph 1:13; Eph 4:30; Jn 10:27-30).
So, how does one commit the ‘unpardonable sin’ of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit? Simply by facing death in denial of the power of salvation through the shed blood of Christ Jesus. For, if at any time one trusts him/herself to Christ by faith then the Holy Spirit is given according to that blessed promise (see: Acts 1:8a) and in His Power a life of righteousness pleasing to God may be realized. Therefore, to die without Christ is to blaspheme the Holy Spirit and results in having one’s name ‘blotted out’ of the Book of Life.
There are also those who claim that by ‘making a shipwreck of faith’ (see: 1 Tim 1:19-20) salvation can be lost. However, a careful study of the verse in question reveals that this is an incorrect assumption. Notice in 1 Tim 1:20 that Paul has delivered the blasphemers to Satan “that they may learn not to blaspheme”. Does this mean that Paul sent them to Hell? Only God has that power (see Mt 10:28)! Then we have to look at what happens to those who are saved and disobedient. In 1 Cor 11:30 Paul clearly states that disobedience brings weakness, sickness, and death – and he also writes that though the works of unfruitfulness may be burned up, the man himself shall be saved (1 Cor 3:15; 5:4-5).
So, fear not dear believer. Your salvation is assured, eternal, permanent, sealed, and redeemable only by that Perfect One who made us all in His own Perfect Love.
If you don’t have this assurance because you don’t know the Lord Jesus as your own personal Lord and Savior, then please call upon Him now in prayer and ask Him to forgive you of your sins and come into your heart to live with you forever.
In His Love,
Dr. Jack L. Burton
-Hebrews 11:1-3
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