CAN YOUR NAME BE REMOVED FROM THE BOOK OF LIFE?

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Can your name be removed from the Book of Life? This article is  designed to help you answer this question from God's written Word, the Bible. To lay the proper foundation for such, we must review or learn some terminology which can be confusing if we don't study both the Old and New Testaments. By this is meant that we must study the Scriptures to determine God's will and consistent overall message of the gospel. Some of the basic words which affect the understanding of the Book of Life include definitions of the Book of Life, Tree of Life, believer, salvation, faith, grace, and repentance. Needless to say, in such an abbreviated amount of space, an exhaustive study cannot be completed, but perhaps there will be enough here to help guide you into truth as you continue to "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." (II Timothy 2:15)

We will first discuss the Book of Life and the Tree of Life, followed by a brief study of terms relating to proper methods of applying these two aspects of salvation to our lives. Lastly, we will look at how the consistent gospel message in the Old and New Testaments regarding the Book of Life and Tree of Life are tied together.

BOOK OF LIFE & TREE OF LIFE

Returning to our contextual study of the terms, Book of Life and Tree of Life, consider those whose names are written in the Book of Life: "And I entreat thee also, true yokefellow, help those women which laboured with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and with other my fellowlabourers, whose names are in the Book of Life." (Philippians 4:3) Those who were labouring according to the Gospel are written in the Book of Life.

NO ONE IS WRITTEN IN THE BOOK OF LIFE WHO IS NOT SAVED

THOSE GOD REMOVES FROM THE BOOK OF LIFE

And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life." (Revelation 21:27) Those who will enter the Kingdom of God, the Paradise of God, Heaven, are those who choose to believe the testimony of Jesus by living righteously; they will eat from the Tree of Life - live eternally. There are many lists throughout God's Word which identify works of the flesh/perdition (sin, rebellion), such as summarized in Revelation 21:27 and others specifically listed in I Corinthians 6:9,10, Galatians 5:19-21 and Romans 1:28-32. "And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh." (Jude 23) “But we are not of them who draw back into perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.” (Hebrews 10:39) God's temple is holy, which is our bodies - often represented in the Old Testament by the “house of worship.” He does not cohabit with sin. "Is this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers ... saith the LORD." (Jeremiah 7:11) He was referring to those who brought "counterfeits" into the house of worship pretending they were saved: "Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense unto Baal, and walk after other gods ... And come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, We are delivered to do all these abominations?" (Jeremiah 7:9,10) These people, who fell from the faith, God destroyed.

We have two ultimate choices in life: to obey God's Word, or to disobey God's Word. The consequence of disobedience (rejection/unbelief) was made plain to Adam and Eve and to the Israelites, as it is to us - eternal death. We are reminded in I Corinthians 10:3,4 that the Israelites were saved out of Egypt "And did all eat the same spiritual meat; And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ." They, however, FELL from their faith: they repeatedly sinned - departed from believing/obeying the Word; thus, God's law of sin and death took hold as their hearts became hardened to sin: "So I [God] sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.” (Hebrews 3:11) “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:23) "And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man ..." (Genesis 6:3) There is a point at which God leaves man to his hard-heartedness.

MANY FALL AWAY FROM THE FAITH WHO WERE ONCE SAVED

REPENTANCE (TURNING FROM SIN)

"And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached ..." (Luke 24:47) Many there are that have blood upon their hands because they are not warning friends, relatives and others whom God brings into their paths of the sins in which they are involved. This includes thousands of pastors who are wrongly telling their "sheep," directly or indirectly through implied approval, that they are forgiven even when they remain in their lifestyles of sin; that is, they have actually only confessed their sins. They have "... strengthened the hands of the wicked, that he should not return from his wicked way, by promising him life." (Ezekiel 13:22) "... his blood will I [God] require at thine hand." (Ezekiel 33:8) We are God’s “watchmen” who are to warn those practicing sin what the Word says regarding it. One of the most prevalent examples for which many refuse to “sound the alarm” for repentance is with those who have, under civil law, "married" another spouse when one of the parties has a living one-flesh spouse.

BELIEVER (ONE WHO OBEYS THE WORD)

"They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation [sin] fall away." "But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience." (Luke 8:13,15) Of sin, because they believe not on me." (John 16:9)

The Word in us will bring change - we will turn from sin IF we believe. "But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition [sin]; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul." (Hebrews 10:39) The soul is only saved if we turn from sin. "Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient ..." (I Peter 2:7) Notice that there is a contrast between those who believe and those who do not believe; that is, those who disobey the Word of God. "I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not [refused to turn from sinful lifestyles]." (Jude 5)

GRACE (GOD'S WORD WORKING WITHIN US TO PERFECT US FOR HIS KINGDOM)

"For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world." (Titus 2:11,12) "But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved ..." (Acts 15:11) "Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled." (Hebrews 12:15) "Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear." (Hebrews 12:28) “As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.” (I Peter 4:10)

Man often misuses grace to try to cover his sin: "For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness [a license to sin], and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ." (Jude 4) "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?" (Romans 6:1,2) There is no grace without repentance - if we continue in sin, we are not living under grace. Only when we are truly dead to sin will we turn from sin in true repentance.

THE BOOK OF LIFE AND TREE OF LIFE - A BRIDGE BETWEEN THE OLD AND NEW TESTAMENTS

Most believers are familiar with the FALL of man in the garden of Eden. Adam and the woman walked with God, but their faith - just as ours - was tested through the trial of obedience, which they failed. Jesus Christ did not fail the test of obedience. Conversely, He showed us that we, too, can choose life over death: "Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him." (Hebrews 5:8,9) He overcame death; He was sinless. By His shed blood, our sins, from which we repent, are washed away as if they never occurred - although we will likely reap the consequences of our sins - but not eternal damnation. "And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire." (Revelation 20:15)

In the garden of Eden, God grew three types of trees: "... every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil." (Genesis 2:9) Adam and the woman, the Israelites and each of us today had/have two choices: "I [God] call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live." (Deuteronomy 30:19) Adam and the woman had experienced only good and could have remained in that state of purity and lived forever in the presence of God: "And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." (Genesis 2:16,17) God gave the same message then as He gives to us today: "the wages of sin [disobeying the Word] is death ..."; "Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? ..." (Romans 6:23; I Corinthians 6:9,10)

MYTHS DISPELLED

Lucifer/Satan (who had been cast out of Heaven because of sin) appeared in the garden of Eden in the form of the serpent with the lie that many today believe: If you sin, you will not die; you don't have to come out of sin to be forgiven; your name will not be blotted out of the Book of Life. That, in essence, is what the serpent told the woman, "... Ye shall not surely die," in complete opposition to what God had said, "... thou shalt surely die." (Genesis 3:4; 2:17) Adam and Eve chose to believe the lie and to sin - to wrongly believe God's Word was not true - to "know" good AND evil. Thus, the judgment came upon their lives: "And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever: Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden ... So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubim, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life." (Genesis 3:22-24)

Notice that in the book of Revelation is recorded the same type imagery as in Genesis. We are - as were Adam and the woman - promised that if we overcome sin, our name will be written in the Book of Life and we will "eat" of eternal life (the Tree of Life): "...To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God." (Revelation 2:7) "And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life." (Revelation 21:27) "Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent ..." (Revelation 2:5)

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