Revelation 20:15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
Do we mean that people need simply to modify their behavior and obey God’s law? It would be great if it were that simple, but that is not what we mean (Romans 3:20; Galatians 2:16).
Instead, we mean that human beings are prisoners, captives, and slaves to their idols, to their own lusts, to the world’s system, and to the devil (Romans 6:16-18; John 8:34; 1 John 2:15-16). We cannot extract ourselves from these things because, like those who have Stockholm syndrome, we have fallen in love with our captors—loving those things which harm us most (John 3:19). Though we vaguely recognize that something is wrong in the world and within human nature, we tend to shrug it off, suppress or ignore it, and willingly fall under the illusion that we live in freedom (Romans 1:18-19; Romans 1:28). We cling to the falsehood of human progress, imagining that human ingenuity will somehow deliver us from ourselves and our problems (Jeremiah 17:5-6).
Pridefully, we hold to the idea that we are something and can do something to make things right. But we cannot escape our captivity on our own. No wisdom, plan, power, understanding, or technology can release us (1 Corinthians 1:20-21; Romans 7:18). The problem runs far too deep in us for that (Jeremiah 17:9; Romans 7:23-24). Like the Hebrews in Egypt, we are slaves who need rescue. The tyranny of our idols and lusts is too powerful for nature to conquer. We need redemption from outside ourselves (Isaiah 43:11; Titus 3:5-6).
So, salvation is not about behavior modification (Ephesians 2:8-9). We are too entangled in the web of our own making to escape (Proverbs 5:22). We first need supernatural intervention by One like us who can break the bonds and lead us out of slavery (Hebrews 2:14-15; John 8:36). Then, and only then, after being freed from our captors, are we free to do right, to love mercy, to do justly, and to walk humbly with our God (Micah 6:8; Galatians 5:1).
But those who ally themselves with the tyranny of sin, like the Egyptians, will experience the fullness of God's wrath, which is ultimately what we need to be saved from (Romans 1:18; Colossians 3:5-6; John 3:36).
Final Thought:
In biblical terms, salvation is holistic: it rescues us from sin’s power, our deserved judgment, and our rebellion against God. Romans 2:6-16 tells us that God's holy justice is exact and impartial, dealing with each person according to their works. This is a heavy reminder that none of us can stand before God on the basis of our own merit (Romans 3:23). Without grace, we would face judgment, not acceptance (Romans 6:23). Salvation, therefore, is God’s gracious intervention that transfers us from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of His Son (Colossians 1:13), a rescue beyond human effort or wisdom. Through Christ, God provides what we cannot: a righteousness that meets His perfect standard and redeems us from the bondage of sin into true freedom (John 8:36).
(What do Christians mean when they say that people need to be "saved"?)
FAQ: When Does God Write Our Names in the Book of Life?
If you’re a Christian, when was your name written in the Lamb’s book of life? Did it happen when you were born again or some other time?
We first hear about the book of life early in the Bible, right after Israel committed idolatry by worshiping the golden calf (Exod. 32:32–33). Then, in the last book of the Bible, Jesus says, “The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before His angels. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches” (Rev. 3:5).
But when, exactly, was your name written in the book of life if you’re a Christian? Was it the moment you were baptized? Was it when you professed faith in Jesus Christ?
Revelation 13:8 and Revelation 17:8–13 both address this question. Revelation 13:8 says, “All who dwell on earth will worship (the beast), everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain.” So, here it says our names were written in the book of life before the beginning of time (“the foundation of the world”). In Revelation 17:8, this idea is repeated: “The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to rise from the bottomless pit and go to destruction. And the dwellers on earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world will marvel to see the beast, because it was and is not and is to come.”
These passages about the book of life show that our salvation is the result of God’s sovereignty. You don’t go in and out of the book of life in a he-loves-me-he-loves-me-not kind of a way. No, God was absolutely sovereign from the very beginning and has always known those who are his.
So, God didn’t write your name in his book of life when you were baptized, prayed a prayer, and first heard the gospel. These two passages in Revelation show that, if you’re a Christian, God wrote your name in his book before he created the world.
This article is part of our Frequently Asked Questions series. Listen to Pastor Adriel answer this question on Core Radio here.
Comments