How can we be written in the Book of Life?

What is the Book of Life, and who is and will be written in it?


Answer:

The phrase “Book of Life” appears eight times in the New King James Version of the Bible, and seven of those are in the book of Revelation. It is also alluded to in other passages that remind us that God remembers His people and their obedience and sacrifices for His way of life.

Basically, the Book of Life records who will receive God’s gift of eternal life.

What does the Bible tell us about those who will have their names written in this wonderful book? Consider the following scriptures and their descriptions of those who will and won’t be written in the Book of Life:

  • “Nothing evil will be allowed to enter—no one who practices shameful idolatry and dishonesty—but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life” (Revelation 21:27, New Living Translation).
  • “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).
  • “Then those who feared the Lord spoke with each other, and the Lord listened to what they said. In his presence, a scroll of remembrance was written to record the names of those who feared him and loved to think about him” (Malachi 3:16, NLT).

Those who practice sin won’t be in the Book of Life, but forgiven overcomers will be written there. As Malachi points out, those who fear God and think and talk about Him will be recorded.

Those whose names are written in the Book of Life are those who receive salvation. And the Bible shows that our loving God has a plan that involves giving everyone a full chance to repent and be saved (2 Peter 3:9; 1 Timothy 2:4). This wonderful plan to give everyone a chance to be written in the Book of Life is explained in more detail in the Frequently Asked Question “Will everyone have a chance for salvation? ”

1 comments
Submitted on Jul 2, 2011, 7:50 pm

dust_i_am

dust_i_am's picture

Based on what Moses said to God in Exodus 32:32-33, would it be fair to say that <i>everyone</i> begins life in the "book of life" -- only to be removed from it by God due to sin? Then we need Jesus to return to that book (Philippians 4:3)?



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