The Divine Library (7)

In this chapter we will look at the "Book of Life," or what is called the "Book of Life of the Lamb." As we will see, this book is more like a record book or registry. We will also see how a person's salvation is determined by whether or not his or her name is written in this book. When the disciples who Christ sent out to preach and to heal the sick returned from their mission they rejoiced saying that "even the demons are subject to us through your name." In reply Jesus said:

"And He said to them, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.” (Luke 10: 18-20 nkjv)

The apostle Paul, whom most scholars believe wrote the book of Hebrews, also spoke of believers having their names written in heaven when he wrote:

"To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect." (Heb. 12: 23 kjv)

A year or two ago Brother Mann, a contributing editor of this blog, sent me a song titled "I Know My Name Is There" and I fell in love with it. The words of this lovely song celebrates the fact that a believer's name is written in the Book of Life. The lyrics says:

1 My name is in the Book of Life, O bless the name of Jesus! I rise above all doubt and strife, And read my title clear. Chorus: I know, I know my name is there; I know, I know My name is written there.

2 My name once stood with sinners, lost, And bore a painful record; But by His blood the Savior cross'd, And placed it on His roll. [Chorus]

3 Yet inward trouble often cast A shadow o’er my title; But now with full salvation blest, Praise God! it’s ever clear. [Chorus]

4 While others climb thro' worldly strife, To carve a name of honor, High up in heaven’s Book of Life, My name is written there. [Chorus]

Though you can find many Videos of churches and groups singing this song on YouTube, yet this is the one brother Mann sent to me I believe (listen here).

Another song that speaks of the names of believers being written down in heaven's book is the one titled "A New Name In Glory" whose lyrics are:

1 I was once a sinner, but I came Pardon to receive from my Lord. This was freely given, and I found That He always kept His word.

Chorus: There's a new name Written down in glory, And it's mine, (And it's mine,) oh yes, it's mine! (yes, it's mine!) And the white-robed Angels sing the story, "A sinner has come home." (home, has come home." For there's a new name written down in glory, And it's mine, (And it's mine,) oh yes, it's mine! (yes, it's mine!) With my sins forgiven I am bound for heaven, Nevermore to roam.

2 I was humbly kneeling at the cross, Fearing naught but God's angry frown, When the heavens opened and I saw That my name was written down. [Chorus]

3 In the Book 'tis written, "Saved by grace." Oh, the joy that came to my soul! Now I am forgiven, and I know By the blood I am made whole. [Chorus]

In the prophecies of the prophet Daniel we find another reference to this divine record book.

“At that time Michael shall stand up, The great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people; And there shall be a time of trouble, Such as never was since there was a nation, Even to that time. And at that time your people shall be delivered, Every one who is found written in the book." (Dan. 12: 1 nkjv)

So we see that one of the books in God's library is this divine registry, which is called the "Book of Life."

Book Of Life

"And I urge you also, true companion, help these women who labored with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the Book of Life." (Phil. 4: 3 nkjv; see also Rev. 17: 8)

Of all the good things that the apostle Paul could have said about his "fellow workers" who "labored" with him "in the gospel," he chose to say that their "names are in the Book of Life." How did he know this? Notice that he did not say "whose names I hope are in the Book of Life," which is how my Hardshell brethren would want it to read, for they believe that no one can be sure in this life that he or she is saved, and the reason they give is that no one has read the Book of Life. However, Paul was sure that the believers he named above had their names written in the Book of Life. Further, a person could not rejoice that his name was in the book of life, as Jesus exhorted, if he is not sure his name is written there. 

Another objection that my Hardshell brothers give on this subject, along with some other Calvinists, is against the idea that a person's name is written in the Book of Life when he believes and is saved. They argue that the names were written from before the world or time began. So, they would scorn singing "a new name is written down in glory." But, even in the song by that title the lyrics say that it was "when the heavens opened" that the penitent believer "saw that my name was written down." The other song cited mentions the fact that prior to being converted to Christ the believer's "name once stood with sinners, lost, And bore a painful record." In other words, his name was once in the Book of Death, in the list of the condemned, or those we might say who were on death's row.

We must be careful here as Calvinists and not go to extremes. One of the errors of the Two Seed Primitive Baptists was their belief that the elect ones were never lost. If by having one's name in the Book of Life means that a person is saved, then to say that the names of the elect were in the Book of Life from eternity is to say that they were never lost, or never had their names listed in the registry of those who are condemned.

Certainly God knew from eternity who he intended to save, those who were foreknown and predestined. But, this foreknowledge and predestination does not mean that the ones foreknown and predestined were actually saved, for they did not yet exist. The Two Seed Primitive Baptists, however, did believe that the elect preexisted from eternity, and were "in Christ" from eternity. This was an extreme view.

"And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world." (Rev. 13: 8 kjv; See also Rev. 21: 27)

Just as there are texts that speak of those who have their names written in the book of life, so there are texts which speak of others whose names are not written in the book of life. This may be what is meant by people being written in the earth as the following text says:

"O LORD, the hope of Israel, All who forsake You shall be ashamed. “Those who depart from Me Shall be written in the earth, Because they have forsaken the LORD, The fountain of living waters.” (Jer. 17: 13 nkjv)

Perhaps being "written in the earth" is the opposite of being "written in heaven." 

Rev. 13: 8 is also an interesting text for it has what is called a "double genitive." The book is both "of life" and "of the Lamb." That text is often disputed as to whether it says that the names were written in the book of life from the foundation of the world or whether it says that the Lamb of God was slain from the foundation of the world. Wrote one commentary:

"There is some doubt about the connection of the words “from the foundation of the world.” Some connect them with the word “written”: this would express that the names were written “from the foundation of the world” in the book. Others connect them with the word “slain”: this expresses that the Lamb was slain from the foundation of the world. For the former view, the similar passage in Revelation 17:8 is cited; but, on the other hand, the phrase “from the foundation of the world” is connected in other parts of the Bible with certain aspects of the work of Christ (1Peter 1:19-20, and John 17:24), and it seems more natural to take the words in their simple order." (Ellicott's Commentary)

It cannot be doubted that both the writing of names in the book of life and the slaying of the Lamb of God are both said to have taken place from the foundation of the world. The passage in Revelation 17: 8 certainly proves the former. It reads as follows:

"The beast that you saw was, and is not, and will ascend out of the bottomless pit and go to perdition. And those who dwell on the earth will marvel, whose names are not written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world, when they see the beast that was, and is not, and yet is." (Rev. 17: 8 nkjv)

But, this does not deny that Christ too was declared to have been slain from the foundation of the world. The passages given by Ellicott show this to be so. So, rather than being an either/or situation, it is a case where both things are said to have taken place from the foundation of the world.

So, the truth is that what God foreordained to be in the future is spoken of as already having been done. We see this often in scripture. Notice this example:

"(As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were." (Rom. 4: 17 kjv)

When the Lord said to Abraham "I have made thee a father of many nations" he spoke as if those nations already existed. But, God's ordaining it made it certain that it will be, and so he could speak of it as already done, and is why Paul says the words of God to Abraham are an example of God "calling those things which be not as though they already were." We could give other examples. So, when it is said that both the names being written in the book of life and Christ being slain "from the foundation of the world" it does not mean that this writing and this slaying actually occurred at that time, but that God had predetermined both things. So said the apostle Peter: "Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain." (Acts 2: 23 kjv)

It is a debatable question among Christians as to why God chose to write one person's name in the book of life from the foundation of the world and why he did not write the names of others. Calvinists say that God sovereignly chose who he would save, called the "elect," and that this choice was not based upon anything he foresaw the chosen ones doing, such as foreseeing their believing and repenting, or doing good works, or persevering to the end. Arminians, however, believe that God chose those who he foresaw would believe and therefore wrote their names in the book of life, or determined to do so on that basis. It is not my intention to say much about that question in this series, seeing it is beyond the scope of my focus, which is simply to list the books in the divine library and make observations upon each. However, I will add a few thoughts.

It is true that nearly all of the "church fathers" believed that God chose people, and determined that their names be in the book of life, based upon his foreknowledge of their decision to become believers and to persevere. But, what the church fathers believed is no determinant of what is a right interpretation of the bible, especially seeing that they disagreed on many things. Secondly, even if we grant that God chose those who he foresaw would believe and persevere in faith to the end, the question then shifts to why some have faith and persevere and others do not, or to the question as to whether faith and perseverance are gifts of God. If the latter is true, then God chose some to salvation, and to place their names in the book of life, who he first determined to give the gift of a persevering faith. The following texts tell us plainly that faith is a gift of God and one that is not given to all men. (John 6: 65; Eph. 2: 8-9; Phil. 1: 26; Heb. 12: 2; I Cor. 4: 7) Further, if faith can only be had by hearing the word of God, as Romans 10: 17 says, then those who have not had the word of God were not even given the opportunity to have faith.

Blotting Out of the Book of Life?

“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." (Rev. 3: 5 nkjv)

This verse is often used by those Christians who believe that a person may be truly saved and then later lose his or her salvation by some sin or by apostasy from the Christian faith. They believe that the text implies that those who do not overcome will have their names erased from the book of life and therefore means that they were no longer saved. However, that is jumping to conclusions. That reasoning assumes that some of the truly saved, some true believers, will fail to overcome. But, the Bible plainly declares that this is not possible. Wrote the apostle John:

"For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?" (I John 5: 4-5 nkjv)

The words "whatever is born of God overcomes" is what is called a universal proposition, as in "all x is p." They affirm that it is universally the case that whatever is born of God will overcome. If it were a limited proposition it would say "some things that are born of God overcome." Secondly, the specific thing that John affirms is born or begotten of God is "faith" that the one "who believes that Jesus is the Son of God" possesses. If, therefore, some of those who had this faith lost their salvation and had their names erased from the book of life, then John's affirmation would not be true.

Combining the words of Revelation 3: 5 with I John 5: 4 leads us to say that "all who have God begotten faith will overcome and not have their names blotted out of the book of life." So, once a believer's name is in the book of life, it cannot be erased. 

Societies of men have their records which list the names of living citizens and the names of the deceased. These records are called "vital statistics." States have registries of all marriages, divorces, deaths, and those living. This is why the government has a census every ten years. To be blotted out of the list of the living is the result of dying. In ancient societies a citizen may be expelled from the country and in that case the citizen would have his name erased from the list of living citizens. This is what we perhaps see in these texts about the ancient Hebrew community:

“Yet now, if You will forgive their sin—but if not, I pray, blot me out of Your book which You have written.” And the LORD said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against Me" I will blot him out of My book." (Ex. 32: 32-33 nkjv)

"Let them be blotted out of the book of the living, and not be written with the righteous." (Psa. 69: 28 kjv)

In commenting upon the former passage Dr. Gill writes the following in his commentary:

"...but rather the book of life, either of this temporal life, and then it means no more than that he wished to die, even immediately by the hand of God, which seems to be countenanced by Numbers 11:15 or else of eternal life, and is no other than the book of life of the Lamb, or God's predestination or choice of men in Christ to everlasting life, which is particular, personal, sure, and certain; and Moses asks for this, not as a thing either desirable or possible, but to express his great affection for this people, and his great concern for the glory of God; and rather than either should suffer, he chose, if it was possible, to be deprived of that eternal happiness he hoped for, and should enjoy."

Moses expressed the desire that, if possible, the Lord would blot out his name from the book of life, would condemn him, if that would save his people. It is similar to the prayer of the apostle Paul who said "I have great sorrow and continual grief in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my countrymen according to the flesh..." (Rom. 9: 2-3 nkjv) Or, he could be saying "simply take my life and out of the land of the living." In either case, the desire of Moses and Paul did not imply that God would do what they asked to be done. 

The Final Judgment & The Book of Life

"And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works...And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire." (Rev. 20: 12, 15 kjv)

Those whose names are not in the book of life will be judged by "those things which were written in the books according to their works"; And, all those judged in this manner are cast into the lake of fire. Those whose names are in the book of life are not judged by the books of the law nor by their law keeping. So Jesus said: 

“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life." (John 5: 24 nkjv)

The reason why believers will not come into judgment or condemnation, nor be judged by the law, is because they have already been justified and freed from condemnation. Notice these proof texts:

"And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses." (Acts 13: 39 kjv)

"There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." (Rom. 8: 1 kjv)

What a precious book in the divine library is the book of life! To be numbered with the living rather than with the dead! You can be sure that your name is written there if you have truly believed in Christ and have sincerely asked him to save you and to come and dwell in your heart. If you truly love Christ and adore him, and serve him gladly, then you can be sure your name is written in heaven. Don't fret over predestination and wonder whether you were chosen before the world began or whether your name was written in the book of life before you were born. Simply know that if you are a true believer that your name is indeed in the book of life and will never be blotted out. Keep in mind also that true believers will overcome.