BOOK OF LIFE IN THE OUTLINE OF THE REVELATION, FEBRUARY 26TH, 1926
BOOK OF LIFE IN THE OUTLINE OF THE REVELATION, FEBRUARY 26TH, 1926
MY DEAR BROTHER, — I am glad that you wrote me about the difficulty which you felt as to the reference to the book of life in the “Outline of the Revelation” and it gives me pleasure to send you a few lines on the subject, though I do not know that I can add much to what is said on pages 48, 49, 213 of that book.
The book of life seems to be brought before us in two ways. That is, in connection with God’s eternal purpose on the one hand, and in connection with His righteous government on the other. It is in connection with God’s sovereign purposes and electing love that names are “written from the founding of the world in the book of life of the slain Lamb”, Revelation 13: 8 ... There is no possibility of such being lost, for their blessing and preservation are the fruit of God’s immutable counsel, and of the redemption work of the slain Lamb.
God’s purpose and grace are made good to His people by divine calling (see Romans 8:30; 2 Timothy 1:9) and by the work of His Spirit in their souls. So that they are brought to know their lost and ruined state as in Adam, and to abhor themselves and repent, and believe in God as the Raiser up of the Lord Jesus, so as to be justified in Christ by faith, and to have the Spirit. They are put on a new and divine line, and they have the Spirit as life. There is no life in power in [p. 141] the soul except by the Spirit, but to have the Spirit as life according to Romans 8:10 puts the soul on the line of righteousness in contrast with sin, so that the new moral character attaches to the called and justified person. If a person professed to believe, but was still characterised by the old man and his deeds, we should not have much confidence in his profession.
If Scripture clearly suggests the possibility of persons being blotted out of God’s book, as it does, we may be sure that this cannot refer to the reversal of God’s purpose and grace given to His foreknown, predestinated, called and justified saints in Christ. So that evidently in certain passages the book of life is not viewed in connection with God’s eternal purpose, but as a register of those who appear in this world in the place of “the living”. In the passages which speak of blotting out of the book of life, it is not viewed as the secret record of persons foreknown of God, and marked out by Him for blessing in Christ, but rather as the public list of those who profess faith, and who appear as “the living” in this world. This aspect of the book of life refers to God’s government rather than to His grace. He keeps a record of those who appear in this world as “the living”, but the fact that they have a place in that record does not ensure that their names will not be removed. If such as have professed to know God in works deny Him, and prove “abominable, and disobedient, and found worthless as to every good work”, Titus 1: 16, they will be blotted out. J.N.D. says, “In a general way we have God’s book as a registry ... they are supposed to be true, unless shown to be otherwise — as one on the list of voters, unless proved to have no right”. If people turn away from the living God (Hebrews 3: 12) their names may be blotted out as no longer entitled to remain on the register. But this has nothing to do with eternal security of those divinely called, and blessed in Christ according to God’s purpose. It is the striking off the public register of those who are proved not to have the characteristics of life.
All this raises exercise that we should not merely take the place of believers, but that we should have to do with God in a real way, and be preserved through continual dependence from the things that would turn us aside, daily finding Christ more indispensable to us, and learning His worth and glory and blessedness as an abidingly satisfying Portion and Object for our hearts. Thus shall we know the path of life, and there [p. 142] will be no question as to the removal of our names from the book of life. Our security lies on the divine side in the unchangeable faithfulness of God to His own purpose and grace given to us in Christ. But on our side it lies in the fear of God, and in cleaving with purpose of heart to the Lord.
Those who hear the voice of the Good Shepherd and follow Him do not perish. It is our privilege to abide in Christ, and there we are safe.
There is divine wisdom in all the solemn warnings and admonitions of Scripture. They would not be put there if there was not need for them. They serve not only to awaken those who may have professed faith in Christ without any real work of the Spirit in their souls, but also to preserve godly exercise in the consciences of true children of God. There is ever the necessity for us to make our calling and election sure according to 2 Peter 1: 5 - 11.
With much love in the Lord,
Yours affectionately in Him,
February 26th, 1926.