FAQ: When Does God Write Our Names in the Book of Life? - By Adriel Sanchez

Found here. Our comments in bold.

----------------------

This is another one of those explanations that really doesn't matter. Knowing when one's name is written in the Book of Life has no bearing on any part of living a God-pleasing, proper Christian life. 

However, perfect doctrine is important to some. In particular, Calvinists will find this article interesting, since the explanation is based on Calvin's teaching. We are not Calvinists, however, so the teaching rubs us the wrong way. Not surprising.

So let's take a moment and examine the author's presentation. Happily, the author does quote some Scripture, an all-to-rare occurrence among these Bible teachers.

-----------------------

If you’re a Christian, when was your name written in the Lamb’s book of life? Did it happen when we 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). (Hmmm. Let's quote the verses: 

Ex. 32:32-33 "But now, please forgive their sin — but if not, then blot me out of the book you have written.” 33 The LORD replied to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against me I will blot out of my book." 

The author will, in the very next sentence, claim that this is the same book from Rev. 3:5, where Jesus asserts that no name will be blotted out. No wonder the author didn't quote the Exodus verses. He would have to explain this.)

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). (This excerpt is taken from Jesus' letter to the church in Sardis, specifically, a faithful remnant in this church [Re. 3:4]. This is not a statement about all Christians.)

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.” (Waaait. According to pre-trib eschatology, the Church has already been raptured. So who are these people in Revelation 13? They are identified as "the saints" in vs. 7, where the beast was given power to make war against them and conquer them. Does the author think that the beast has power to conquer us?)

So, her (sic) it says our names (The author assumes it's 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.” (Same question. Can the author tell us who these saints actually are? The great prostitute drank their blood [Re. 17:6]!)

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. (These two passages do not show this, as we have seen.

If we are written in the book of life, it seems to us that such and event would happen when we received life. When do we receive life? This seems like a crucial question, because before we were saved we were dead: 

Ro. 5:17 For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.

We were dead, and because of Jesus we became alive. That's what it means to be born again:

Jn. 3:3 In reply Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth, no-one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.”

Jn. 5:39-40 You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, 40 yet you refuse to come to me to have life.

When we were saved we died to the sinful nature and were raised with him into new life:

Ro. 6:4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

This happened when we believed, the moment we received the Holy Spirit:

Ep. 1:13-14 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession — to the praise of his glory.

This means that Adam's sin brought death to us all. We were born dead. Then we must die to our sin nature and be raised up alive in Christ by the power of His resurrection. 

That moment we believe is when we are alive. So if we were dead in our sins and we were included in Christ's new life when we believed, then how did our names appear in His book since the foundation of the world? The two don't add up. Only the living can appear in the Book of Life.)