According to those who take the pulse of societal trends, many people admit to having no meaning in their lives. That seems to be a big factor behind a lot of the anti-social activity we see. They don’t know what their life is about. Religion, politics, and the culture at large fail to give any essential meaning to life.
However, understanding the Book of Life mentioned throughout the Bible does enhance the relevance of our Christian lives. King David is one who understood the relevance of his life. As a young man David had a relationship with God who sent Samuel to the family of Jesse to anoint the next king. He told Samuel that He does not look on the outward appearance of man, but rather, He looks on the heart. That is why God selected Jesse’s youngest son David to train to be the next king of Israel.
There is one fact that stands out about this young man, David. When he was anointed king, Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed David and “the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward” (1 Samuel 16:13).
The Spirit of the Lord gave David a different perspective on life. David’s life, after being anointed, was a bit of a rollercoaster ride. He went from a young man not yet king to having Goliath delivered into his hands by God. He went from that to King Saul becoming David’s continual enemy. The highs and the lows of life came upon David.
Even though God’s Spirit was upon him, he had many difficult times. He had to flee for his life. Saul was out to kill him, to eliminate the opposition to his kingship (1 Samuel 21:10-12). These were very unpleasant and dangerous times in David’s life. But what is interesting is the understanding that David gained through the Spirit that was given to him.
His early life has some very close parallels for today’s followers of Christ to consider in their lives. He did live in a hostile environment:
“Be merciful to me, O God, for man would swallow me up; Fighting all day he oppresses me; My enemies would hound me all day, for there are many who fight against me, O Most High. . . . All day they twist my words; All their thoughts are against me for evil. They gather together, They hide, they mark my steps, When they lie in wait for my life. Shall they escape by iniquity? In anger cast down the peoples, O God! You number my wanderings; Put my tears into Your bottle; Are they not in Your book? When I cry out to You, Then my enemies will turn back; This I know, because God is for me” (Psalm 56:1-2,5-9).
We live in a hostile spiritual environment and our enemy is unseen. They are the third of the angels who rebelled and follow Satan. “Your adversary the devil walks about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour” (I Peter 5:8). Satan seeks to attack us daily to get into our heads to derail us from a strong relationship with God.
But notice that David turns his attention away from the enemies that were against him to God, because he knew what God was doing for him. He was constantly talking to God in prayer, knowing that he was anointed to be king. David’s mindset is very encouraging, something for us to think about when we are in desperate situations.
He had a relationship with God and focused his attention on a long-term aspect of God’s plan, the Book of Life. David knew about it and understood enough to say, “Are not my wanderings and my tears written in your book?” Are You not fully aware of everything that’s going on in my life?” And it’s an affirmative. He knew that God was very aware of everything that was happening in his life.
The fact is that God is well informed about any situation and its development that occurs in our lives every single day. He knows our wanderings. He knows every thought that goes through our minds. God is concerned and He is aware. David had this clear vision of God’s involvement.
The Apostle Paul expressed it this way to the Church: “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.
“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written: “For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.” Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:31–39). Our awareness of God’s awareness, is a faith builder.
Perhaps we all need to think about what could separate you or me from the love of God. What trial, what difficulty can occur in our life that might turn us away from God?
Moses understood the Book of Life relative to aspects of the daily life with God’s people of ancient Israel: “Now it came to pass on the next day that Moses said to the people, ‘You have committed a great sin. So now I will go up to the LORD; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.’ Then Moses returned to the LORD and said, ‘Oh, these people have committed a great sin, and have made for themselves a god of gold! 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’ “ (Exodus 32:30-33).
Clearly, wickedness and unrighteousness (sin) have no part in the Book of Life. God is acquainted with all our ways and our words, righteous or unrighteous. Regardless, He is completely involved in developing His nature and character in us, a process of removing our sinful nature throughout our lifetime:
“O Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word on my tongue, but behold, O Lord, You know it altogether. You have hedged me behind and before, and laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is high, I cannot attain it. My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them” (Psalm 139:1-16).
Interestingly, The Book of Life appears in end time prophecy as well.
“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 (Jacob’s 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. And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, Some to everlasting life, Some to shame and everlasting contempt. Those who are wise shall shine Like the brightness of the firmament, And those who turn many to righteousness Like the stars forever and ever” (Daniel 12:1-3).
If your name is written in the Book of Life, there is a resurrection to everlasting life. If your name is not written in the Book of Life, it’s a resurrection to shame and everlasting contempt. Before Adam, God’s intention was to create a family in His image. That is still the motivation for God’s salvation today. “For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:3-4).
But we have choices to make in our lives. And God has given His revealed word, so those choices can be based on the Bible. God does not impart His character without choices and decisions being made and His Spirit enables us to do just that, to understand what these choices are and how important they are in terms of building sonship in His family.
There are two books clearly referenced in the Bible. The Bible itself and the Book of Life. The Book of Life is separate from the Bible, but only in as much as the names are recorded in one Book. It is what we do with the Bible that means whether our name is in the Book of Life or not:
“and if anyone takes away from the words of the book (the Bible) of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. . . And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books” (Revelation 22:19, 20:12).
It is going to require a great deal of faith and confidence and trust in God to maintain our names in the Book of Life. No matter what is thrown at us we have this qualification: “Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus” (Revelation14:12).
When we are called by God and we go through the repentance process, which leads to baptism and the laying on of hands, our name is written in the Book of Life at that point.
However, one can be disqualified from the Book of Life. It’s not once saved always saved. We have to maintain our life within God’s way of Life. Some of the qualifications start to filter through in Hebrews 6:
“Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, , . . .For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame” (Hebrews 6:1,4-6).
To be in the Book of Life, one must have a foundation of repentance and faith. It’s a mind submissive to the will of God. And there’s no such thing as maintaining. It’s about continual growing and developing:
“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” (Revelation 3:5).
These are very practical, spiritual realities which flow from the knowledge that your name is in the Book of Life. God notices the good things and He wants to lift; He wants to encourage:
“. . .you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God (a spiritual relationship), the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven…” (Hebrews 12:22-23).
True faithful believers in God and Jesus (overcomers) are registered in heaven, known in heaven, known by God, known by Jesus Christ, and known by the angelic realm that’s associated with God. You stand before the throne and the city of God and everything that stands between you and God has been removed through Jesus Christ, through the faith in Jesus Christ’s sacrifice. It brings you into a powerful relationship with a Being we can’t see, but who reveals Himself very clearly to us.
Brian Orchard