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 Re: The Book of Life

The Book of Life

Psalm 69:28 Let them be blotted out of the book of the living, and not be written with the righteous.

Verse 28. Let them be blotted out of the book of the living. Though in their conceit they wrote themselves among the people of God, and induced others to regard them under that character, they shall be unmasked and their names removed from the register. Enrolled with honour, they shall be erased with shame. Death shall obliterate all recollection of them; they shall be held no longer in esteem, even by those who paid them homage. Judas first, and Pilate, and Herod, and Caiaphas, all in due time, were speedily wiped out of existence; their names only remain as bywords, but among the honoured men who live after their departure they are not recorded.

And not be written with the righteous. This clause is parallel with the former, and shows that the inner meaning of being blotted out from the book of life is to have it made evident that the name was never written there at all. Man in his imperfect copy of God's book of life will have to make many emendations, both of insertion and erasure; but, as before the Lord, the record is for ever fixed and unalterable. Beware, O man, of despising Christ and his people, lest thy soul should never partake in the righteousness of God, without which men are condemned already. (CHS)

Verse 28. Let them be blotted out of the book of the living. All the Israelites who came up out of Egypt were put down in a muster roll of the living, called "the writing of the house of Israel" (Ezekiel 13:9), and "the book of life." Those who had died were excluded when the names were written out afresh each year. They were, thereby, consigned to oblivion (Proverbs 10:7). Hence, the book of life was used as an image for God's book of predestination to eternal life (Psalms 139:16 Exodus 32:32 Psalms 87:6 Daniel 12:1 Philippians 4:3 Revelation 17:8 13:8 Revelation 21:27; Luke 10:20). The book of life, in the human point of view, has names written in it who have a name to live, but are dead, being in it only by external call, or in their own estimation, and in that of others. But, in the divine point of view, it contains only those who are elected finally to life. The former may be blotted out, as was Judas (Revelation 3:5 Matthew 13:12 25:29 7:23 Exodus 32:33); but the latter never (Revelation 20:12,15 John 10:28-29 Acts 13:48). (A. R. Fausset)

Verse 28. Let them be blotted out of the book of the living, etc. We come to the question, Whether to be written in heaven be an infallible assurance of salvation; or, whether any there registered may come to be blotted out? The truth is, that none written in heaven can ever be lost; yet they object against it this verse. Hence, they infer, that some names once there recorded are afterwards put out; but this opinion casteth a double aspersion on God himself. Either it makes him ignorant of future things, as if he foresaw not the end of elect and reprobate, and so were deceived in decreeing some to be saved that shall not be saved; or, that his decree is mutable, in excluding those upon their sins whom he hath formerly chosen. From both these weaknesses St. Paul vindicates him (2 Timothy 2:19): "The foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, the Lord knoweth them that are his." First, "The Lord knows them that are his;" this were not true if God's prescience could be deluded. Then, his "foundation stands sure;" but that were no sure foundation, if those he hath decreed to be his should afterwards fall out not to be his. The very conclusion of truth is this impossibilis est deletio; they which are "written in heaven" can never come into hell. To clear this from the opposed doubt, among many, I will cull out three proper distinctions: --

One may be said to be written in heaven

He that is simply written there,because elected to life, can never be blotted out. He that is written after a sort may, for he is written -- not according to God's former decree, but according to his present righteousness. So they are said to be blotted out, not in respect of God's knowledge, for he knows they never were written there; but according to their present condition, apostatising from grace to sin. (Lyra.)

Some are blotted out -- not according to the truth of the thing but according to men's opinion. It is usual in the Scriptures to say a thing is done, when it is declared to be done. Hypocrites have a simulation of outward sanctity, so that men in charity judge them to be written in heaven. But when those glistening stars appear to be only foolish meteors, and fall from the firmament of the church, then we say they are blotted out. The written , by a perfect being, are never lost; but , by a dissembled appearance, may. Some God so writes, in that they have life simply in themselves, though not of themselves. Others he so writes, from which falling they are said to be obliterated. (Aquinas.)

Augustine says, we must not so take it, that God first writes and then dasheth out. For if a Pilate could say, Quod scripsi, scripsi -- "What I have written, I have written," and it shall stand; shall God say, Quod scripsi expungam -- What I have written, I will wipe out, and it shall not stand? They are written, then, according to their own hope that presumed their names there; and are blotted out when it is manifest to themselves that their names never had any such honour of inscription. This even that Psalm strengthens whence they fetch their opposition: Let them be blotted out of the book of the living, and not be written with the righteous. So that to be blotted out of that book, it is, indeed, never to be written there. To be wiped out in the end, is but a declaration that such were not written in the beginning. (Thomas Adams).

And not be written with the righteous; neither in the book of life with them; by which it appears, that to be blotted out, and not be written, are the same: nor in a Gospel church state; so they were the branches broken off: nor be among them at the resurrection of the just, and in the judgment day. Kimchi observes, that it is the same thing in different words; to be blotted out is the same as not to be written. (Gill)

 2008/10/16 23:45
crsschk
Member



Joined: 2003/6/11
Posts: 9192
Santa Clara, CA

 Re:

Quote:
I know that the Arminians hate the Christ of God, though they may love the idol they have set up in his room.



[i]What?[/i]!

Quote:
The Arminians profess to love all mankind, and so they may, excepting those that are chosen out of it; these they hate, and no wonder, when they hate election itself; but this proves them of the world.--"The world will love its own;" the seed chosen out of it hates the world, and the world hates them; enmity is put between both seeds:--"The unjust is an abomination to the just, and he that is upright in the way is an abomination to the wicked.



Quote:
The devil burns with rage against the free, sovereign, eternal, and unchangeable grace of God, to lost sinners, and he heats Arminians with it, and they prepare their hearts to receive it.




Patently absurd. Such venom, contortion and hypocrisy to fill the mouths with words ...

What indignation that brings out. wisevirgin, it is time for you to move on, this brand of hyper-Calvinism with it's spewing poison that you would spread throughout this forum, it's biting and bitter, crass and contemptible ... Truly unbelievable that any of this could coincide with a profession of God's love shed abroad in a human heart.

Thread locked.




_________________
Mike Balog

 2008/10/17 8:23Profile





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