RACE WITH THE BOOK LIFE

 

KEY VERSE: And I intreat thee also, true yokefellow, help those women which laboured with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and with other my fellowlabourers, whose names are in the book of life. (Phil 4:3) 

  Just what is the “Book of Life?” Paul named three specific people whose names were written in the Book of Life: Euodia, Syntyche, and Clement. They “stand fast in the Lord” (Phil 4:1), “of the same mind in the Lord” (Phil 4:2). Paul had written that he, “be found in Him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the Law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith” (Phil 3:9).

  Those whose names were written in the Book of Life, according to Paul are to, “rejoice in the Lord… for you it is safe.” (Phil 3:1). Paul saw those whose names were written in the Book of Life as “safe.” They lived safely in Christ and would be “saved” by standing fast in the Lord.

  God is the “guard” of Christians, and his guardianship is obtained by your heart; “But in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”. (Phil 4:6-7). The New King James Version (NKJV) renders that God “will guard your hearts.”

  Therefore, those in Christ are in a state of safety until they are saved in the end by their endurance in stedfast faith (Mat 24:13). Of course, faith is a gift from God, but those with faith must keep the gift. The gift is by grace but keeping the gift is reverence — not taking the Name (Jesus) of God in vain — which is blasphemous (Exod 20:7).

  Everything goes back to the Law. The Law is the Way to demonstrate fidelity to God. It is the Way to keep the faith. The Law should not be viewed as something that must be kept. The only “must be” in the New Testament is “Ye must be born again” (John 3:7). Just what is born again? Trusting the Lord that you shall never perish (John 3:15-16). How is trust demonstrated? By being “fellow-laborers” and “yoked” like Paul with Christ (key verse). The implication is that a fellow-worker is not a slave by Law, but a freeman who keeps the terms of the Covenant. Just what Covenant is that? The Abrahamic Covenant — the promise of the seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob for a Savior.

  Moses took that Book and read it to the Hebrews of the exodus. Moses kept half the blood for later and sprinkled half on the altar, then, “He took the Book of the Covenant, and read in the audience of the people: and they said, ‘All that the Lord hath said will we do, and be obedient’” (Exod 24:7). The blood was shed by grace and in gratitude, the audience were to do God’s Will and be obedient. They had a change of heart. No longer would the Law be the Law but what they were willing to do to please the Lord for His grace for them.

  Now back to the Book of Life: “The Lord said unto Moses, ‘Whosoever hath sinned against Me, him will I blot out of My Book’” (Exod 32:33). That “Book” is what John referred to when he wrote: “Whose names are not written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world” (Rev 13:8). It should be obvious that the Book always existed since the foundation of the world. What Book is that? The “Book of the Law,” called the Torah, which are the first five books of the Old Testament — the Pentateuch.

  Hence, the Old Covenant is the Book of Life of the New Testament. In other words, the Abrahamic Covenant is the Covenant of Grace and the Edenic Covenant was the promise of that (Gen 3:15).

  The Lamb’s Book of Life is the Constitution of Christians. God has everyone’s names written at the bottom, according to John 3:16. All are elected, but few will be saved. Because they are unwilling to keep the Law, their names will be blotted out of that Book.

  Exodus chapter 32 is a picture of that, foreshadowing how God will judge in the end. They all broke the Law by having a graven image. Breaking one Law is as if breaking them all, and Moses demonstrated the wrath of God by breaking both tablets — all Ten Commandments. The Law was written on stone but not in their hearts. They had been safe from Pharaoh and Egyptian sin, but they returned voluntarily to the ways of the “Devil” and to the law of sin.

  Although Moses was with God, His people abandoned Him, even after being guarded from destruction and kept safe from Pharaoh. God threshed out those whose hearts were reprobate and kept those whose hearts had mellowed because of His wrath. The names of the reprobate were blotted out of the Book of Life and they were no longer co-signers of the Abrahamic Covenant.

  By grace, God kept most safe for another day. When the exodus was finished, just a remnant made it into “Paradise” because they had been looking back at the safety under Pharaoh and the pleasure of Egyptian sin. Crossing the Jordan River (the River of the Garden) into the Promised Land was symbolic of salvation. They progressed from safety guarded by God to saved in the Kingdom of God.

  What had the Hebrews only to do? “Stand fast in the Lord” and “be of the same mind in the Lord.” What is the “Mind of the Lord?” His Will be done on Earth as in Heaven. Rather than a Book of the Law, as the Hebrews understood the “Ten Words,” they were the “Ten Wills of God.”

  God had His “Mind” written on stone by His own Finger (Deut 9:10). Anytime that God manifests Himself, that “Flesh” is Jesus. Why the Lamb’s Book of Life? Because Jesus wrote the Law. He did not change it but fulfilled it! The Law belongs to the Lamb and the Ten Words of God belong to the Jesus.

  Back in the Garden Paradise, there was one Law, and that was to revere God’s Authority. He also authorized Adam to be one with Eve. Adam was irreverent to God by eating the fruit and irreverent to Eve by hearkening to her. Adam could not even keep two commands, let alone ten!

  Ten Commandments made it difficult, especially by breaking one is as breaking them all. So, what did Jesus do? He made it easier again; He refined the Ten Laws down to Two again: Revere God and the all the children of Eve. He called that reverence “love” and referred to them as the “Greatest Commandment” and “the one like unto it” (Mat 22:35-39).

  Why two Tablets of the Law? Tablet One surely had the four ways to love God and Tablet Two, the six ways to love others. When the Hebrews worshiped the carved image of the Egyptian calf, they broke Tablet One, and because breaking one is as breaking them all, Moses threw down Tablet Two. Note that the content of both tablets is Christian Doctrine, Tablet One is alone is Judaism, and Tablet Two alone is secular humanism. It takes both love of God and love of fellow man to define Christianity, and Jesus amplified that!

  Jesus said, “If you love Me, keep My commandments” (John 14:15). The Commandments are the Book and they belong to Jesus. Willingly keeping the Commandments demonstrate love. So long as love for God and others are present, saints remain signatories of the Abrahamic Covenant which has Ten Terms of compliance. In effect, the Abrahamic Covenant is God’s “Will,” the Ten Words the Ten Conditions of His Will, and fellow-laborers signatories to God’s Will and are His heirs.

  Just what are Christians heirs to? God’s eternal “estate” — Paradise in Heaven!

  Do you remember how you wanted to do the chores to please your Dad? With that attitude, they were not “chores” but demonstrations of love and respect. Only when your Dad enforced your work assignments, did they become chores. That is the same with your Father in Heaven and His Ten Wills for you! Remember that Moses asked for grace on those who failed with their chores. So long as they tried to please Him, God kept them safe.  In this “race,” the “prize” is awarded to all who run the race and endure until it is finished!

  Now picture this: Paradise is ahead. You can see it now. You see yourself as already there, but it is at a distance. You want that prize badly… so much that you run toward it. However, the task is made harder; you must carry two stone tablets to the finish. It seems so hard, that you tire, and just give up… until! Until you notice the race is easier than you thought. You hold the tablets of stone, but Someone is carrying you to the finish. So long as you hold the tablets, He is with you. He will have no need to carry you if you break the tablets. You will then run the race by yourself because there would be no need for a Comforter to help. You will tire before the race is finished. You must depend on God to endure to the end because the race seems so long.

 The "race" is our own "exodus" from the world and away from Satan into the arms of God in Paradise. Christians have the same Book of Life that the Hebrews carried in the safety of the Ark of the Covenant. Those two poles that carried the Ark? It is believed that the gold had been stripped from them, that they were preserved for the finish, and that those two poles made the Holy Cross on which Jesus died for us, so that we need never die!

(picture credit: Pinterest; "Pastoring for the Poor")