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NASB | Revelation 13:8 All who dwell on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Revelation 13:8 All the inhabitants of the earth will fall down and worship him, everyone whose name has not been written since the foundation of the world in the Book of Life of the Lamb who has been slain [as a willing sacrifice]. |
Subject: Our name erased or added to Book of Life |
Bible Note: Hi Ed, Thanks for your response. First I would say that our response to God's calling is not something we do but something that God has done in us. Eph 2:10 "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them." Note that "we are His workmanship". What does that mean? Does it simply mean that He created us or does it have a deeper implication on our lives. I believe the latter. For the verse goes on to say "created in Christ Jesus". We christians then are a NEW creation. Not only that, but God has already decided what works we will do and when we will do them. They were prepared beforehand! I must disagree Ed with your dismissal of the rejection of the faith as not qualifying as an evil work. If that's not evil, nothing is. Fortunately no true believer is capable of such a heinous act of treason to his King! When asked about this very thing John said (1 John 2:19) "They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be shown that they all are not of us. It is true, as you said, that God does not force people to believe in Christ. I agree with you 100 per cent! But I also believe that the Bible teaches, that until God calls them, no one is even interested in salvation. Rom 3:9-11 What then? Are we better than they? Not at all; for we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks are all under sin; as it is written, "THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE; THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS, THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD; OK. Now we have to ask if no one seeks God, how come some become saved? Where does this new desire come from? Is it buried down deep in the hearts of all people? Not according to the Bible it is'nt. Gen 6:5 Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And, Matt 15:19 "For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders. But someone might say "Sure, I know that the Bible says these things, but surely that does not mean that there is not even a speck of faith in the heart, does it?". The Bible says YES , not one speck of faith. I say this because saving faith is a spiritual attribute and unregenerate men are spiritual corpses. "Dead in sin" is what the "good book" calls man. There is a world of difference between DEAD and SICK. But some would say that I am wrong to think that God alone has saved me. They believe that God merely makes the gift available and that it is the will of man that frees God to lift his lifeless body from the grave of spiritual death. Does this mean that God forces men to believe? NO! He frees them by raising them to spiritual life, so that for the first time, they have the DESIRE to believe. Once we are "born from above" our eyes our opened, our deaf ears are unplugged, we recieve the Holy Spirit and God proceeds to mold us into the image of His Son. He is the Potter and we are the clay. Who would want it any other way? Not me. Thanks Again Ed, JohnReformed |