Names Inscribed in and Those Blotted out from the Book of Life

The Bible teaches that God is omniscient (Rev 1:8; 21:6). He knows all things (Jn 16:30; 18:4; 21:17), declaring the end from the beginning (Is 46:10). Men descry the salvation status of others, but the Lord knows those who are His (2 Tim 2:19), even causing all things to work together for good for them (Rom 8:28). Clearly, in contradistinction, there are those who do not belong to Him (Jn 10:26; 1 Cor 3:23).

People, places, and things are identified by the names given to them. All things have come into being by the architect and builder of all things (Eccl 11:5; Heb 3:4), for from Him, through Him, and to Him are all things (Rom 11:36). God is sovereign over all (Job 42:2), seeing that He is Lord of all (Acts 10:36).

Open theists assert that God does not know the future. These blasphemers are the natural extension of Arminianism. Arminianism is a theology founded in Genesis 3:5, where the devil assures Adam and Eve that if they disobey God, they shall become like gods (Gen 3:5). This is the basis and the end game for man-centered theology. Men want to be in control of their destiny, and in their delusion, they do not stop their quest to wrest sovereign will from God.

The above agenda is the foolishness of sinful man, however. Sinners, pretending to be saints, will incessantly boast of their free will choice to control salvation. They “let” God do this and “allow” God to do that. Their words betray them.

Under the guise of promoting God as God, these false preachers will claim certain Bible verses to “prove” their man-centered theology, derived from twisted interpretations of the Scripture. Let us consider one example of their false teaching, employed by them to ensure that man, not God, is ultimately in control of salvation.

The Bible teaches that God has a book (Ex 32:32–33). It is sometimes called, “the book of life (Ps 69:28; Phil 4:3; Rev 3:5; 17:8; 20:12, 15).” In other texts, it is called “the Lamb’s book of life (Rev 13:8; 21:27).” In this book are names. The action taken by God in reference to the names in the book is both positive and negative. Our purpose here is to also show that God’s actions, regarding this book, are eternal.

First, God has inscribed the names of His predestined, elect people in the Lamb’s book from before the foundation of the world (Rev 13:8; 17:8). In other words, the book containing the names of God’s chosen people (Rom 11:5; 1 Pet 2:9), given by God the Father to God the Son (Jn 6:37), predates creation of the physical universe (Gen 1–2). He has promised that the names of His people will never be erased from His book of life (Rev 3:5). Thus, Moses’ request in Exodus 32:32–33 was an impossibility. This is another support of the doctrine of blessed assurance (preservation of the saints).

The Lord knows those who are His, by name, before the days of one’s life even begin (Job 14:5; Ps 139:16). Because He is the Author of one’s life (Job 1:21; 1 Sam 2:6) and faith (Heb 12:2), God is the One who is willing and doing His good pleasure in the life of every saint (Phil 2:13). God performs the good works of His saints (Is 26:12; Eph 2:10; Phil 2:13), accomplishing what concerns us (Ps 57:2; 138:8). In this and in all things, God is faithful and just to do all His holy will (Eph 1:11). All of this is for His glory.

The name of God is eternal and unchanging. His name is exalted and supreme in majesty. Sinful men and devils do all they can do bring false accusations against the holiness of God. Stated differently, God’s reputation is under constant assault. The truth, however, needs no defense; rather, He must be proclaimed (Jn 14:6; 1 Cor 2:2, 4; Col 1:28; 2 Tim 4:2).

We must now add another element to gain understanding about God’s book and His blotting out names from it (the negative). The Arminian claims, for the sake of his man-centered theology, that God blots names out of the book of life because men reject Jesus Christ (the Bible does not teach this, but these men do). Put another way, men determine their salvation or damnation themselves, and God is hand-tied to help them because of man’s sovereignty in salvation (false teaching).

So how do we interpret the text, putting the arrogant, free will decision makers in their place and exposing their evil intent to steal glory from God, to whom salvation truly belongs (Ps 3:8; Jon 2:9; Rev 19:1)? The added element is the meaning of “life.”

God has created man, body (soma) and soul (psookee). God has given life (bios) to all people, but He only gives life (zoe) to the souls (psookee) of His elect, by giving them His Spirit (pneuma). If one does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him (Rom 8:9), as evidenced by his unbelief (Jn 10:26). Simply put, if one has no indwelling Holy Spirit then he has no faith in Christ because the Spirit grants faith to God’s elect, redeemed people when He takes up permanent residence in them (Jn 14:17; Rom 8:9, 11; Phil 1:29).

Bible believers are taught the Scriptures by the indwelling Spirit, who guides them into all truth (Jn 14:17, 26; 16:13). These people believe the whole Bible, and they trust that when God blots a name out of the book of life that this is as much an eternal act as His writing a name in and leaving it for all eternity. God’s works were finished from the foundation of the world (Heb 4:3).

The names of the reprobate, unelect, unregenerate, unbelievers had their names blotted out of Christ church membership roll from the beginning. Their names are in God’s book because He gave them life (bios), but they are removed from life (zoe) by His eternal good pleasure and purpose. Simply stated, God’s will must be done.

The sinning unbeliever simply manifests his part in God’s story, in time, as a vessel of wrath prepared for destruction (Rom 9:22). Can he or she ask, “God, why did you make me this way?” The Bible student knows this is an unacceptable inquiry (Rom 9:20). The unbeliever is who he is by God’s design and for His purpose in bringing glory to Himself.

There is no hope for the godless in this world because they are without God (Eph 2:12). This should never trouble the Christian, nor should it cause the preacher to manipulate people into “making a decision for Christ.” For nothing exalts the One and only Savior of sinners more than the total depravity of humanity (Gen 6:5; Is 64:6; Jer 17:9; Rom 1:18–32; 3:10–12; 8:7; Eph 2:1–3, 12). People are not willing (Jn 1:12–13) nor are they able to do what is required (Rom 8:7), in order to have right standing before the holy Judge and King of all the earth (Gen 18:25).

Man’s only hope is the sovereign free will (Jn 1:12–13), gracious choice (Rom 11:5), and just mercy of God (Rom 9:15–16), in preparing vessels of mercy for glory (Rom 9:23). The elect, redeemed, regenerate, believer’s only hope is that God has predestined some people to adoption as sons (Rom 8:30; Eph 1:4–5), whom God gave to His Son, for Him to come into the world to save at the fullness of time (Mt 1:21; Eph 5:25). In love for His own, His bride (Eph 5:25), His church (Mt 16:18), the Israel of God (Gal 6:16) — Jesus incarnated for a perfect life of obedience (Mt 5:17; Jn 1:14; Heb 4:15), in order to die as the unblemished Lamb of God (Jn 1:29), for those whose names remain forever in His book (Rev 13:8; 17:8).

Jesus Christ did not die to redeem or to atone for the sins of those whose names were blotted out of His book, and this was according to the eternal purpose of God. Sinners with no Savior are blotted out life (bios and zoe). God knows them before they enter His story, and He knows their end. In this, the Potter desired to reveal His righteousness, His holiness, His judgment (Eccl 11:9; 2 Cor 5:10), and His perfect justice, upon those who do not have love for Him in their hearts (Jn 5:42), nor room for His Word in their hearing (Jn 8:47), which is the only means for giving life (zoe) to men (Jn 6:63; Rom 10:17).

Men cannot believe without hearing (Rom 10:17), and it is the Spirit who sows the seed (Word) in peoples’ hearts (Mt 13:3–9; 18–23), by filling the preacher of the Word to proclaim Christ (Col 1:28), who alone is our life — new (Rom 6:4; 2 Cor 5:17), abundant (Jn 10:10), and eternal (Jn 17:2, 6, 24; 1 Jn 5:11–13). “Goats” do not belong to the Great Shepherd of the “sheep;” therefore, the goats will never hear His voice and follow Jesus, who calls out to His own lost sheep amidst the others occupying the sheepfold (Jn 10:3–4). Jesus, the Good Shepherd, knows the name of every one of His sheep. The reason is that He knows all things, especially those who belong to Him, having had their names written in His book of life from eternity and for eternity.

Therefore, let us not concern ourselves with Christian performance and competition (works-based salvation), nor fear that our names will be removed from the book of life for our sins (Ex 32:32–33; Rom 8:1), but let us be glad that our names are written in the Lamb’s book of life in heaven (Lk 10:20) and that our sins are forgiven in Christ (Mt 26:28; Acts 10:32; 26:18; Eph 1:7; Col 1:14), the Lamb who was slain (Rev 5:6; 13:8) and who receives all honor, glory, and praise (Rev 5:12) for His book and all that is included and excluded from it.

David Norczyk

Spokane Valley, Washington

February 22, 2022