The book of life

We’ve established that hell is a terrible place of darkness and fire, and it includes eternal torment for those who go there.

How are we humans, who deserve hell, allowed into heaven?

“But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life" (Revelation 21:27). It’s not looking good for me. I’ve deceived others. I've done shameful things, and I’m certainly not wholly pure.

I suspect that’s true for you also, friend.

But there’s hope. Read on: “But only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life” (Revelation 21:27).

If your name is written in the book of life, you will be with the Father forever: “I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels.” (Revelation 3:5).

Read that again: “I will never blot out his name from the book of life” (emphasis added).

God keeps this promise, no matter what you’ve done or haven’t done. Whatever it means to be written in the book of life, it means absolute security, for eternity.

The next question, naturally, is how does that security come to us? How can we know if our names are written in the book of life?

While we cannot read it, only the one true judge, Jesus, may open it. We can still have that hope and security. As we’ll look into tomorrow, the confidence we will have is not because of our work, but because of His grace.

The Bible is clear: “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). So, it must be through Jesus that our names are written in the Lamb’s book of life (John 14:3).

Why is salvation an important question for our lives today? Today, as opposed to tomorrow? Today, as opposed to the weak excuse, “I’ll get around to it sometime”?

We are not promised tomorrow.

Take the question of salvation seriously.

Do you want the security of salvation?

How would you live differently if you were fully in tune with the facts of your salvation?