Christ First Forum

Carmela wrote:I agree with you, Frank, that this is a doctrinal issue. I can see where both sides are coming from. For me, I believe that one can walk away from God to the point of losing their salvation. I wanted to put some Scripture in here to back up my belief but I have to look them up and I'm fighting a lousey cold/flu thing that makes me very lazy. I just wanted to get this conversation going. My estranged husband is a perfect example but to be honest with you, I wouldn't dare say whether he's lost his salvation or not. It really is a heart issue and only God knows the heart.

Carmela wrote:In the following Scriptures, names being blotted out of the Book of Life leads me to believe that salvation can be lost. Ps 69:28, Ex 32:33, Ex32:32, Rev 3:5 and 22:19. It has always been my understanding that once we accept God's gift of salvation through Jesus Christ, our name is written in the Book of Life. So, if we are written in the book of life, then eventually our name can be blotted out. Aaron's name was blotted out because of his sin with the golden calf, but later was rewritten in after he was forgiven.

Carmela wrote:Whoa. . .there's gonna be alot of blotting! No, I never realized that ALL names are in the Book of Life. I thought only the names of the ones who accepted Christ were in there. I am recalling a Scripture where Jesus says something like "I will write you in the Lamb's Book of Life" or something like that. I could be remembering incorrectly so I'm going to try and find it. Thanks, Frank, for your input. It does put a different perspective on the subject.

Carmela wrote:That's a frightening thought. . . . to be blotted out as if you never existed! Way too many people just don't even realize who God really is.

elect777 wrote:I believe all from the beginning were written in, for God would have all to be saved, He is no respecter of persons and John 3:16 & 17 tells it all..

Remnant, there is a Scripture that has me baffled
Where it says they wonder who's name was Not written in the Book of life from the beginning..
Enlighten me on this, what I'm I missing, or is this just the thinking of those unbelievers??

Carmela wrote:OK. . .now I'm confused. Rev 17 seems to imply that since God knew from the beginning who would be saved, that only their names are in the book. But, Rev 3 seems to imply that if only the names of those saved are in the book, then they can be blotted out. . . .OR the unsaved names are written in from the beginning also and then blotted out when they don't accept Christ. Understand what I'm saying? I think I've just confused myself further so I hope you can see what I'm saying.

George Blader asked me a good question after our service Sunday night. I had argued that the “book of life” is a list of all the elect whom God has chosen before the foundation of the world. To be written there is to be secure in God’s sovereign, electing love. This is why Jesus told the disciples, “Rejoice that your names are written in heaven” (Luke 10:20). I argued from Revelation 17:8 that names are written in the book of life “before the foundation of the world” and that this represents God’s free and unconditional election before we are ever born or have done anything to merit God’s blessing. And I argued from Revelation 20:15 that having our name in the book of life means that we will have eternal life and not be cast into the lake of fire. My conclusion, then (from Luke 10:20; Philippians 4:3; Revelation 17:18; 20:15), was that before the foundation of the world God wrote the names of his chosen people in a book, so that to be in that book is to be chosen and secure for all eternity.

But George pointed out Exodus 32:32-33 where Moses pleads for Israel like this: “But now if you will forgive their sin—and if not, please 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.” This created a big problem for me (it is approaching midnight Sunday as I try to figure it out). Clearly, if God blots unrepentant sinners out of his book, then being written in the book is not the same as election and there is no security in being written there.

One possible solution is that the book of life means the list of everyone who is born, and that God blots out all unbelievers leaving only the saints. This would agree with Revelation 17:9 that the names were written before the foundation of the world and with Revelation 20:15 that only those in the book of life are saved. But it would not account for why Jesus said, “Rejoice that your names are written in heaven” (Luke 10:20). Why should they rejoice in this if everyone’s name is written in heaven before the foundation of the earth? What’s to rejoice about if Judas’ name is there as well as John’s?

The solution I would suggest at this stage of my understanding is that the term “book” or “book of life” does not have a uniform meaning in Scripture. Rather, the meaning develops over time. In Exodus 32:33 the book is probably a list of all the living in Israel. And to be blotted out of the book is simply to die. So Moses was saying, “I’d rather die than see your people destroyed in the wilderness.” This is probably the meaning in Psalm 69:28, too: “May they be blotted out of the book of the living” (i.e., may they die). In these two texts eternal life is probably not in view at all.

But when we come over into the New Testament the term, “book of life,” is apparently given a new meaning. It is now “the Lamb’s book of life” (Revelation 21:27). The life signified by the book is not mere human life but the eternal life purchased by the Lamb. But someone may say, “Still, everyone could have been written in and only unbelievers blotted out.” But Revelation 13:8 rules this out because it says that being written in keeps you from unbelief: “And all who dwell on earth will worship [the beast], everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain.” Here the thing that keeps a person back from worshiping the beast is that his name is in the Lamb’s book of life. Presence in the book secures perseverance in faith.

So, I think my explanation of Luke 10:20 from last Sunday evening still stands. In the New Testament the book of life is synonymous with the list of those who are elect and predestined for eternal life. This makes good sense of Luke 10:20: “Rejoice because your names are written in heaven!”

Thanks, George,

Pastor John

Carmela wrote:. . . and is the Book of Life the same as the Lamb's Book of Life??