The Book of Life

When I was attending Sunday School as a young boy, I was taught about a book that God had in His possession called, "The Book Of Life."  I had some other teachers call it, "The Lambs Book Of Life."  Both terms are found in scripture.

The common teaching was and still is today that a person's name is written down in this book when they are born again, when they accept Jesus as their Savior and Lord.

The representation here is ... that God keeps a book or register, in which are recorded the names of all who shall obtain everlasting life.  The term, "the book of life" is found eight times in the K.J.V; once in the Apostle Paul's letter to the church at Philippi, and seven times in the Book of Revelation.

In reference to Paul's letter in Philippians 4:3, Paul is speaking about his fellow laborers ... "whose names are in the book of life."

But a few people say, no, it's something else.  This book is a list of all the names, of all those who have ever lived.  They say that's why it is called ... "The Book Of Life."  Evidently with this theory, God places everyone's name in the book that has ever lived thru out history, and then removes only the names of those who never except His plan of salvation. 

I say ... does it really matter?  They can both be scripturally correct.

Both the Old and New Testament contain scripture affirming the removal or the blotting out of the names of the unrighteous, unsaved ... those who are not born again.

When Moses came down from the mountain after he had received the Ten Commandments, and saw that the people had made a golden calf to worship, he pleaded unto God to forgive the people of their sin.  So we find Moses in conversation with God about this in ...

Exodus 32:32-33 ... "Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin; and if not, blot me I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written.  And the LORD said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against Me, him will I blot out of my book."

Moses was willing to trade himself in place of his people losing their salvation if that was the price required for forgiveness.  But God would have no part of that.  God would judge each of them, just as He will us ... and if our sin hasn't been covered by the blood of the Lamb ... then God Himself will remove our name from the book of Life, or so it seems. 

And now for the good part ...
 
In Revelation 3:5, Jesus is speaking to the seven churches, and even as imperfect as they were, they were still His church, covered by His blood; and as such He says to those who overcome ... "I will not blot out your name from the book of life."

The righteous, those saved by the blood of Jesus ... will be safe ... whose name is found in the book of life.

Albert Barnes, the old Presbyterian biblical scholar and theologian made this comment about this verse ...

"The expression 'I will not blot out' means, the names would be found there on the day of judgment, the final account, and would be found there forever.  It may be remarked, that as no one can have access to that book but He who keeps it, there is the most positive assurance that it will never be done, and the salvation of the redeemed will be, therefore, secure forever."

Going on now to judgment ...

Revelation 20:12 ... "And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and the books were opened; and another book was opened, which is that of life.  And the dead were judged out of the things written in the books according to their works."

And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life ... the book containing the record of the names of all who shall enter into life ... or into heaven.  No other use seems to be made of this book in the judgment of sinners, than only to observe whose names were not written in it.

Revelation 20:13-15 ... "And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and hell gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged each according to their works; and death and hell were cast into the lake of fire.  This is the second death, even the lake of fire.  And if any one was not found written in the book of life, he was cast into the lake of fire."

In regard to the lost, if your name is not found in the book of life, that means either you never accepted Jesus as your Savior and it was never placed there; or if it is a book of all the living ... then God removed it, blotted it out because you died a lost sinner.    

Revelation 21:27 ... "And there shall no wise enter into it (Heaven) any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lambs Book of Life."

There is a "Book of Life" with names in it.

There are also "other books" which shall be opened if your name isn't found in the book of life.  They are full of your deeds and works which won't be good enough to satisfy the righteousness demanded by God.  No one will be safe who is to have his eternal destiny determined by his own deeds.

Only Jesus can put your name in the book of life, and only Jesus can keep the other books closed at judgment. 

Is your name in the Lamb's Book of life?

It had better be.



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