Thoughts.
• Saturday, June 24, 2006 - There's an old name written down in glory
There's a gospel song called,
"There's a new name written down in glory"
I'm not sure who wrote it, but they didn't know their Bible very well!
I was listening to it the other day on a tape (yes we still use those
ancient mechanisms called cassettes! :-) and I thought, "That doesn't
sound right. God isn't so subjected to man's will that he waits
until someone accepts Christ to write their name in the book of
life. Can you imagine God sitting in heaven and waiting for
people "dead in transgressions and sins" to come to him of their own
accord so he can write down their name?
"Oh look, the white-robed angels sing the story - a sinner has come home! Now,write it down in the book of life."
I knew that was not so,
but I was having a hard time finding the Scripture text that proves
it. Well, on Sunday mornings in church, we are reading through
the book of Revelation, just reading a chapter each week as a Scripture
portion. Last Sunday - Eureka! There it was! The text I'd been
searching for: Revelation 17:8 "...The inhabitants of the earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the creation of the world will be astonished when they see the beast, because he once was, now is not, and yet will come."
Here is the foundation of my salvation: "Written in the book of
life from the creation of the world." Decided before-hand, "even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to
the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the
Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the
forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace..." - Ephesians 1:4-7
My salvation was worked outside me in the finished work of Christ, and
then worked inside me when God gave me new birth by the Holy
Spirit and called me, enabling me to believe in the work of
Christ. At the moment I was justified by faith in Christ (saved)
I was not then recorded in the book of life - I was proven to already have been in there from the creation of the world.
Or as Romans 8:28-30 more aptly puts it:
"And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For
those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image
of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many
brothers. And
those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he
also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified."
There's an old name written down in glory And it's mine, oh yes, it's mine In God's perfect plan for His own glory To bring this sinner home! There's an old name written down in glory And it's mine, oh yes it's mine With my sins forgiven, I am bound for heaven Never more to roam!
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• Tuesday, June 27, 2006 - Oooh
Good job coming up with Scripture which aptly supports your point. ^_^
We're studying Revelation in our evening church service.