This is the first in a series of excerpts from The Book of Life: What the Bible Says about God’s Registry of the Redeemed from High Street Press and available at Amazon.

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The Bible mentions dozens of books. For example, there’s the book of the law, a collection of commands and decrees from God, given through Moses to the children of Israel (Deut. 30:10; cf. Deut. 31:24). There’s the Book of the LORD’s Wars (Num. 21:14), the chronicles of David (1 Chron. 27:24), and an angel’s book (Rev. 10:2). The record book of King Ahasuerus indirectly helps save the Israelites in Persia (Esth. 2:23; 6:1). A book of remembrance is penned in the days of Malachi (Mal. 3:16). And a seven-sealed scroll is opened in the hands of Jesus, revealing future judgments (Rev. 5:1ff.).

But perhaps the most fascinating book revealed in Scripture is the one that may, or may not, feature your name: the book of life. 

Scripture tells us the book of life is God’s book. Under his sovereign authorship, names are written in the book, and many are subsequently erased from it. In some biblical references, the book of life simply appears to be a record of the living, while in other passages, it’s the roll of God’s faithful covenant people. 

But the Bible’s most dramatic revelation is that the book of life discloses the everlasting destiny of all people. It is, John writes, the Lamb’s book of life (Rev. 21:27), and those whose names are written there are shielded from the lake of fire and welcomed into New Jerusalem. 

The very mention of the book of life in Scripture raises several questions, such as:

Where did the book of life come from?

When was it written – or is it still being drafted?

Who’s the author?

What’s its purpose?

Whose names are written there?

Once entered, can names be erased? And once erased, can names be re-entered?

Is there a connection between the book of life and God’s foreknowledge, election, and predestination of the redeemed?

Is the book of life an actual book, or merely a metaphor for God’s perfect memory?

Why does God open the book of life on judgment day?

How can a person know if his or her name is written there?

These are weighty questions. Scripture provides fragmentary answers that must be pieced together and laid against the backdrop of all God’s written revelation to understand the divine purpose for the book of life. 

While many non-biblical sources address divine books, this study seeks to explore the book of life in a biblical context. In the posts to follow, we identify different titles for the book of life, compare what the Old and New Testaments have to say about it, and seek to understand why this book is of great interest to God, and thus, should be of great interest to us. 

Our study unfolds in three sections:

Section I: What Is the Book of Life? lays the groundwork for an exploration of Old and New Testament passages on this topic.

Section II: The Book of Life in the Old Testament dives into seven Old Testament passages that call the book of life by different names, while maintaining divine consistency.

Section III: The Book of Life in the New Testament takes us from the words of Jesus in the Gospel of Luke to the apostle John’s end-of-days vision of New Jerusalem. The final chapter invites you to ask whether your name is recorded in the book of life and offers biblical insight for discovering the answer.

It’s my prayer that you enjoy this study as an appetizer for the banquet table God’s people share with him at the marriage supper of the Lamb (Rev. 19:6-10). Until that day, followers of Jesus should live confidently that he has written our names in heaven, and that our Savior promises never to erase our names from the registry of the redeemed. 

Our entries in the book of life are not based on merit, but on the finished work of the Lamb who was slaughtered, and in whose blood our names have been written. As John records the saints in heaven singing: “… you were slaughtered, and you purchased people for God by your blood from every tribe and language and people and nation. You made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they will reign on the earth” (Rev. 5:9-10).

Next: God’s Registry of the Redeemed