The Book of Life (Bible Study)

 The Book of Life

Thursday Bible Study, Immanuel Lutheran Church, Mt. Olive, Illinois
September 3, 2026

In 1893 James Milton Black wrote the song “When the Roll Is Called Up Yonder.” He wrote the song because one of the students in his Sunday School class was absent. He visited her home and called a doctor to attend to her pneumonia. After that the thought of someone not being in attendance in heaven haunted him, and this inspired the song.

What is the Book of Life and how can I be sure that my name is written in it?

1. Exodus 32.32 – Moses uses the phrase to describe earthly life. 

It is most likely that Moses is asking for the LORD to end his life as he did in Numbers 11.15. He doesn’t use the expression “Book of Life.” There is nothing we can do to put our names in or take our names out of the Book of Life. As one pastor said, “The names in the Book of Life are not written in pencil.”

2. Psalm 69.28 – David prays that his enemies be blotted out from earthly life like Exodus 32. As unbelievers their names are not in the Book of Life with the righteous.

Some suggest that everyone’s name is in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world and that if they reject Christ, they’re names are removed (Universal Inscription). The Hebrew word m-ch-h means “to wipe out, annihilate.” This fits better with his enemies being killed rather than removed from the Book of Life.

3. Daniel 12.1-3 Describes those who are delivered to eternal life.

Daniel is clearly speaking about the resurrection and eternal life. 

4. Luke 10.20 Jesus urges us to rejoice knowing our names are written in heaven. 

ἐγγέγραπται “written” is in the Perfect Middle Tense. The core meaning of the Perfect Middle is “a present state resulting from a past action.”

5. Philippians 4.3 Here it is equivalent to those who are saved.

John uses the phrase more than any other in the Book of Revelation.

6. Revelation 3.5 Again equivalent to those who are saved.

7. Revelation 13.8 Emphasizes that the names were written from the foundation of the
world See also Revelation 17.8.

8. Revelation 20.12-15 Describes other books used for judgment that record our works
    as well as the book of life. 

9. All in all, the Book of Life is an expression used as an equivalent to “those who are
    saved.” What is the significance of using the image of a “book”?

The image of a “book” adds the sense of “permanence.”

10. When are the names written in the Book of Life? The Bible clearly says: From the foundation of the world. 

Three schools of interpretation
1. Names are written in the Book of Life when Jesus is accepted. (Wrong)
2. Names are written from the foundation of the world but are “sealed” at conversion. (Wrong)
3. Names are written from the foundation of the world. Accept it at face value. (Correct)

The first two interpretations stem from the idea that we participate in our conversion in some way if only that of “acceptance.” [“As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him” (Colossians 2.6) Ephesians 2.1 says we were dead in trespasses and sins and made alive.] 

Those who hold to this view are afraid that the doctrine of election will lead to a lack of holy living if people think they have nothing to do with their salvation. “Why evangelize if salvation is predestined?” “Why strive to live a holy life if salvation is predestined?” Human beings feel they must have some control over their salvation. They think this gives them assurance. But this also leads to bad outcomes. How will I ever be sure of my salvation if somehow it depends partly on me? How terrible I must feel if I think that the salvation of my neighbor depends on my zeal to share the gospel with him? Synergism leads to pride and presumption or doubt and fear. 

Why is the Lutheran (Face Value) interpretation more consoling? It consoles us because we know that God’s work is the only reliable work. It consoles us because we know that our salvation is not an accident, a coincidence, or a work we finished. God started it, continued it, and will finish it. “He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1.6). It was planned by God from the beginning. I’m sure that in the heart of a hypocrite this would disincentivize a person’s spirituality. But in the heart of a true believer it actually motivates. Consider how this truth motivated the apostle Paul when he came to the spiritually corrupt city of Corinth. God told Paul, “Do not be afraid, but speak, and do not keep silent; for I am with you, and no one will attack you to hurt you; for I have many people in this city” (Acts 18.9-11). 

What is happening when we evangelize and when people come to faith in Christ? Neither the witness or the converted person is putting their name in the Book of Life. It is already there! It is the Lamb’s Book of Life! What is happening is this: They are being awakened to the fact that they are saved! This is highly motivational. It tells us not to look at the outer person to see if they could become a Christian. We should witness to the worst criminal as well as to the most refined gentleman. God will determine the outcome since “Salvation belongs to the LORD” (Psalm 3.8). 

But what about personal responsibility? Don’t confuse personal responsibility with God’s work in us. Something is happening. The heart is brought to repentance and filled with faith. Good works will result. But this does not come from personal responsibility, it comes from God. “No one can say, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ except by the Holy Spirit” (1 Corinthians 12.3). Ask yourself this question: Are we saved because we accepted Christ? Or, Do we accept Christ because we are saved? Which view gives all the glory to God? “By grace you have been saved, through faith, and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2.8-10). 

10. Martin Luther said on several occasions that the Book of Life is Christ Himself and
      to be written in it is to be in Christ by faith. 

11. The Formula of Concord (SD XI.13) states:

¹³ Hence if we wish to think or speak correctly and profitably about eternal election or about the predestination and ordering of the children of God to eternal life, we should accustom ourselves not to speculate concerning the absolute, secret, hidden, and inscrutable foreknowledge of God. On the contrary, we should consider the counsel, purpose, and ordinance of God in Christ Jesus, who is the genuine and true “book of life” as it is revealed to us through the Word.

Conclusion

Our hymnal contains the hymn “The Day Is Surely Drawing Near” (LSB 508) that accurately describes the Day of Judgment. It is drawn from an older poem known as the Dies Irae or “Day of Wrath.” The hymn pulls no punches as it describes the fright which will engulf the world at that time. It also offers great comfort to believers assuring them: “My Savior paid the debt I owe And for my sin was smitten; Within the Book of Life I know My name has now been written. I will not doubt, for I am free, And Satan cannot threaten me; There is no condemnation.” 

 

1 When the trumpet of the Lord shall sound, 
and time shall be no more,
and the morning breaks, eternal, bright and fair;
When the saved of earth shall gather 
over on the other shore,
and the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there.

Refrain:
When the roll is called up yonder,
When the roll is called up yonder,
When the roll is called up yonder,
When the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there.

2 On that bright and cloudless morning 
when the dead in Christ shall rise, 
and the glory of His resurrection share;
When His chosen ones shall gather 
to their home beyond the skies,
And the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there. [Refrain]

3 Let us labor for the Master 
from the dawn till setting sun;
let us talk of all His wondrous love and care.
Then when all of life is over, 
and our work on earth is done,
and the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there. [Refrain]

Hold Fast. Hold Forth. (Doctrine of Election) Romans 9.1-13

 Hold Fast. Hold Forth. (Doctrine of Election)

Romans 9.1-13

 Audio: https://michaelpwalther.podbean.com/e/sermon-romans-91-13-hold-fast-hold-forth-election/

Main Teaching: Israel is God’s chosen nation. He chose them to bring salvation to this world through the messiah. Though most of Israel and most of the world reject Jesus as their messiah, Christians hold fast to Jesus and hold forth Jesus as the only hope of salvation for all.

 

1.     Israel is the beginning of God’s incarnation.

2.     Most of the people of Israel have tragically rejected God just as most of the world rejects God.

3.     Jesus is still choosing people for His kingdom. 

 

     I tell the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit, that I have great sorrow and continual grief in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my countrymen according to the flesh, who are Israelites, to whom pertain the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God, and the promises; of whom are the fathers and from whom, according to the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, the eternally blessed God. Amen. But it is not that the word of God has taken no effect. For they are not all Israel who are of Israel, nor are they all children because they are the seed of Abraham; but, “In Isaac your seed shall be called.” That is, those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but the children of the promise are counted as the seed. For this is the word of promise: “At this time I will come and Sarah shall have a son.” And not only this, but when Rebecca also had conceived by one man, even by our father Isaac (for the children not yet being born, nor having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works but of Him who calls), it was said to her, “The older shall serve the younger.” As it is written, “Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated.”

 

 

Introduction

 

     Last Sunday we learned that the kingdom of God is above all the other kingdoms of the world (Matthew 13). That kingdom comes to all the other kingdoms of the world through people who believe in Jesus. Today our epistle lesson raises the question of the nation of Israel. If the kingdom of God came to us through the nation of Israel, why did the majority of Israel reject that kingdom, and Jesus as their king and messiah? 

 

Israel Is the Beginning of the Incarnation

 

     God’s intervention into this world through Jesus to save it from sin is a “flesh and blood” intervention. It is spiritual, the words of God; And it is physical, the presence of God. The words bring us promises, but the substance of those promises is the very real and physical intervention of God to save us from sin and death. Just as God created the physical world and sin corrupted the physical world, so God came physically into the world through His son Jesus to save us spiritually and physically, body and soul. We call this physical intervention, the “incarnation,” the coming into the flesh by God’s Son. 

 

     Two of the most important facts that identify all human beings is their date of birth and place of birth. You can only be born on one day and in one place. Jesus had a date of birth and a place of birth like any other person who has ever lived. God prepared that for Him by creating the kingdom of Israel. He didn’t choose Egypt or Rome or Arabia. He chose Israel. For this reason, the people and the land of Israel will always be important. This is the beginning of God’s incarnation. God had promised that one of the children of Adam and Eve would crush the head of Satan (Genesis 3.15). That promise was very broad and could have come from any nation. But the promises of God narrowed as He chose Abraham, Israel, Judah, David, Mary, and Bethlehem. 

 

     In June of 2003 I was in visiting the Biblical sites in Israel. One day we visited the Temple Mount. I walked down a stone stairway. I passed a young Israeli soldier with an Uzzi machine gun slung over his shoulder talking to his girlfriend. I stood before the famous foundation of the Temple built by Herod the Great. I saw Jewish men praying to HaShem. I looked up and saw the Muslim shrine, Dome of the Rock. Muslims like to build mosques and shrines over the countries and religions they think they have conquered. That moment confirmed again for me that everything the Bible says about Jesus is real. Jesus was here. He knew the tensions, the hatred, the violence, and the wars of mankind. But He had come to intervene. He had come to bring an end to the power and authority of evil in this world. He had come, God in the flesh, to save sinful men in the flesh. Being in that spot reinforced everything I knew from God’s word about the incarnation. I knew that Jesus was the only hope for a sinner like me and for this sinful world. 

 

Most of the People of Israel Have Tragically Rejected God Just as Most of the World Rejects God.

 

     But Paul brings up something very discouraging. For the most part Israel has rejected this incarnation and salvation through Jesus. This was so painful for Paul that he said he wished he were “accursed from Christ for my brethren” (9.3). How could this happen he wondered. To them belong the covenants, the law, the worship, and the promises of the fathers, “from whom, according to the flesh Christ came, who is over all, the eternally blessed God. Amen” (9.4-5). Has the word of God somehow failed? 

 

     No, it has not failed. Paul went on to explain that “they are not all Israel who are of Israel” (9.6). Abraham had a total of eight sons, but only Isaac was called. Isaac had two sons, but only Jacob was called. Jesus came from the people of Israel, but that doesn’t mean that all the people of Israel came to Jesus. In the same way Jesus came from Adam and Eve and is a brother to everyone in the world, but most of the world rejects Him as the Son of God who came to save them. 

 

     Last Sunday we heard Jesus say that He spoke in parables, “Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them (to those who reject) it has not been given” (Matthew 13.11). The rejection of Jesus by most of Israel and most of the world is a great mystery. But we must not let that rejection tempt us to doubt God’s salvation in Jesus, and that He has chosen us for His kingdom. I’ve thought a lot about this, and I have prayed a lot about it. Here is one way to think about it: Who and how many reject Jesus as their Messiah doesn’t change for a moment the fact that Jesus is my Messiah. What if it were not “most” of Israel and “most” of the world that rejected Christ? What if it were only half? Would that make me feel better? No. I would still be sad. Well then, what if only one fourth of all people rejected Jesus, would I feel a little better about that? “No,” again is the answer. I don’t want anyone to reject Jesus and choose damnation over salvation. Even if only one person did this, it would still wreck my heart. Rejection is sad. Period. 

 

Jesus Is Still Choosing People for His Kingdom

 

     Paul tells us in verse eleven that no matter who or how many people reject Jesus, the purpose of God’s election still stands. It is “not of works but of Him who calls.” This is the doctrine of election or predestination. It is the Bible teaching that if we believe and are saved, it is because God called and elected us to this. “You He made alive who were dead in trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2.1).  If we reject His grace, God lets us reject Him and judges us accordingly. “Therefore He has mercy on whom He wills, and whom He wills He hardens” (Romans 9.18). Rejection is not only sad, it is also a great mystery. 

 

     So here we need to ask the great question of the Catechism: What does this mean? Why is Paul teaching this? Last week we heard the parables of the pearl and the treasure hidden in a field. Both tell us that the kingdom of heaven is so valuable that it is worth everything we have here on earth and more. Today we heard how Jesus fed more than five thousand people with five loaves and two fish. How can Jesus not be the Messiah, the one who reconciles us to God and brings us forgiveness and all the other blessings of God? Yet many violently reject or passively ignore this as they cling to their own self-righteousness. In their hearts they say, “I don’t need Jesus’ righteousness. I have my own, and it is good enough.” Or, as we heard a few weeks ago in the parable of the soils, the faith some Christians is being choked out by the cares of the world that in their minds have become more important than the kingdom of God. 

 

     Jesus warned us about this in His sermon on the Mt. of Olives: “You will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. And then many will be offended… Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come” (Matthew 24.9-14). Notice how Jesus emphasizes “all” and “many.” This is exactly what we see going on in our world today. 

 

     America is one of the most Christian countries in the world. Yet more and more Americans mock the Christian faith, and every Sunday the majority will sleep in rather than go to church. Of those who do worship, many will sit at the feet of false prophets who teach a repentantless and crossless gospel of feel betterism rather than the true gospel of the salvation from sin, death, and the devil. This is tragic, and we should feel the same pain that Paul felt for his fellow Jews who rejected Jesus. 

 

     Nevertheless, as Paul said, the purpose of God’s election still stands “not of works but of Him who calls.” God is still calling you and me and your neighbors and everyone into His amazing kingdom. Jesus said, “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.” We hold fast, and we hold forth. We hold fast to the gospel as our hope and salvation. And we hold that same gospel forth to the world because it is their only hope and salvation. 

 

Conclusion

 

     Here is one of my own parables: Once there was a great famine, and many people were starving. Many blamed God for the famine and were cursing Him and stealing from one another. But one man went out into the desert to pray to get away from all the cursing and stealing. He prayed that God would deliver him by giving him food to eat or taking him to heaven. Amazingly God answered his prayer by leading him to a beautiful oasis with fruit trees and grain. He ate with joy and immediately came back to his countrymen and told them about the oasis. Most of the scoffed and would not risk what little life they had left to go across the desert to the oasis. But some did. They believed, and they also went out into the desert ready to die or ready to live rather than cling to a sure and certain death by starvation. He held fast to that oasis for his salvation, and he held it forth to his friends for their salvation. That is our Christian life. Amen. 

Sermon for August 2, 2026

Immanuel Lutheran Church, Mt. Olive, Illinois