One the great hymns often sung for “teaching and admonishing one another” (Colossians 3:16) is a song entitled, “I Know My Name Is Written There.” This song was written by Daniel Sidney Warner, a denominational preacher in the Church of God in the late 1800’s. This song centers around the “Book of Life.” The Book of Life is a very special book that God revealed throughout the pages of inspiration. The things that God revealed about this wonderful book are comforting to those who have obeyed the Gospel and are remaining true to it.
The Book of Life—Past The first mention of the Book of Life came from the pen of Moses. In fact, Moses offered to have his name erased from this book for the sake of Israel. “And Moses returned unto the Lord, and said, Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold. Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written” (Exodus 32:31-32). As noble as Moses’ intentions were, thankfully, for Moses’ sake, God does not operate in such a way. David went to the other extreme and asked God to remove the names of David’s enemies from the Book of Life. “Let them be blotted out of the book of the living, and not be written with the righteous” (Psalm 69:28; cf., Isaiah 4:3; Daniel 12:1; Malachi 3:16). From various other Old Testament passages, it appears that the Jews kept a register of their citizens, which was known as the Book of the Living (Ezekiel 13:9; Nehemiah 12:22ff). From this register, they would add names of those born and remove names of those who died each year.
The Book of Life—Present When we turn to the pages of the New Testament, we see the Book of Life again, but now it does not deal with physical Israel but rather with spiritual Israel, the church of our Lord. Upon returning from the Limited Commission, the disciples, excited about their God-given powers, were told to not rejoice in miracles, “but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven” (Luke 10:20b). Paul, by inspiration’s pen, affirmed that the names of many of those who labored with him from the church in Philippi “are in the book of life” (Philippians 4:3). How comforting it must have been for the persecuted saints during John’s time to know that faithfulness would ensure that their names would not be blotted out of the Book of Life (Revelation 3:5). Writing of Heaven itself, John penned, “And there shall in no wise enter into it anything 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).
The Book of Life—Personally Is your name written in the Lamb’s Book of Life? Only those whose names are written there are going to Heaven (Revelation 21:27). Therefore, it is imperative that our names are inscribed upon the Book of Life’s pages. How does one get his name written there? For God to record our names in the Book of Life, we must become spiritually alive to God. When we die to sin and are born again (John 3:3-5; Romans 6:1-5), our names are written in the book of the living. If we continue faithfully and never quit, our names will continue to be chiseled upon the scared pages of God’s Book of Life (Revelation 3:5). However, our names can be removed from this book as well. If we become unfaithful to our Lord and His church, “God shall take away his part from the book of life“ (Revelation 22:19).
Have you obeyed Jesus? Are you currently faithful to Him and His kingdom? There are only two groups of people—those whose names are written in the Book of Life and those whose names are not written therein (Revelation 13:8; 17:8). Eternity is at stake; make sure your name is written there! For what a comfort it is to honestly sing, “I know, I know my name is written there”!
