Rosh Hashanah. Yom Kippur. Book of Life. Written in the Book of Life. Not inscribed in the Book of Life? Elect? What does this all mean?

Jewish religious teachings do teach the concept of sin and the “Book of Life” is a focal point, mainly during Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. The focus is mainly on “missing the mark” and practical steps to take to make amends to any people affected. The teaching continues that if amends are made with a sincere heart, the sin is forgiven by God. 

In Judaism, being inscribed or erased from the “Book of Life” is taught to be an annual event; inscribed, not inscribed, inscribed, not inscribed… over and over and over again. The focus is more on life on earth in the here and now.

Modern Judaism does not teach that mankind is born sinful, separated from God.

There are no teachings on what a person would need to be saved from, or to. There is little focus on the afterlife; heaven or hell, and what forgiveness from God results in other than blessings on earth.

Although, in Orthodox Judaism and in examining the Hebrew Scriptures we do find: We are made from dust (Genesis 2:7), and to dust we will return to an eternal destiny (Genesis 3:19). Many who sleep in the dust of the earth will awaken, some for eternal life [heaven], and some for disgrace, for eternal abhorrence [hell] (Daniel 12:2).

What does it mean to be elect?

The “elect of God” is irrespective of national origin, religion, race. While Jews as a “nation,” the “collective group,” are God’s “chosen people,” we as a collective group were chosen for particular purposes. As a nation and group we do receive unique divine protection, however that is separate from being chosen for salvation in the eternal sense.

The elect are the people whom God has chosen, predestined to salvation (deliverance from destruction). God loves all of His creation and we see tremendous evidence of that in the Bible.

However, we also see God’s hatred of evil. We also see instances in the Bible where God raises up an evil leader or an evil doer for purposes that are not apparent to the people afflicted at the time. As we see the complete scene unfold in the Bible, we read about how it ultimately brought about a bigger picture of good, and displays God’s goodness, love, mercy, glory (Pharaoh is one prime example).

We always have to remember, this world is God’s, not ours. God is sovereign, which means in complete control of every aspect of everything. Regardless of what we see with our natural eyes, God does have a plan and a purpose, and it is truly all detailed in the Bible.

Psalm 65:5 Hebrew Bible [65:4 OT] “Happy is the man whom Thou choosest, and bringest near, that he may dwell in Thy courts; may we be satisfied with the goodness of Thy house, the holy place of Thy temple!” And Psalm 139, in depth details the sovereignty of God and His foreknowledge of us. We also see from David in this passage, a man who desires to be in God’s will, a man who has been given that desire from His maker, a man who we can glean from this psalm, would be found among God’s elect.

God is the main character and focus in this love story through the huge, continuous thread of 66 books describing who God is, what God created and why, as well as showing God meeting us where we are at; rebellious, sinful, failing, guilty, striving yet never reaching. God meets us with His rescue, His salvation, His favor, His grace, His mercy, His goodness.

The Bible tells us of the perfect standard that God is, as well as the realization that we will never be able to reach that perfection. No matter how good we “behave,” there is always something in what we do, or in our motive, that is not “perfect.”

However, every book in the Bible, right from Genesis on, is love-filled, mercy-filled, grace-filled, as it contains His Gospel (Besorah, Good News) message. The deeper this message seeps and sinks into us, the more we will reflect just who God designed us to reflect, Him!

What does it mean when we read God “chose us”?

Looking at a tangible example, let us go to 1 Samuel 17:40. “And he took his staff in his hand, and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in the shepherd’s bag which he had, even in his scrip; (“scrip”is a pouch) and his sling was in his hand; and he drew near to the Philistine.”

Was there any willingness of the stones to be “chosen”? Did the stones move in a certain way, respond to David’s looking at them in a certain way? Of course not. The choice of which stones to select was completely David’s decision based on those that best suited his purpose, we might say a “sovereign” choice.

The way David chose those stones is exactly the way God chose Israel out of all other nations, and exactly the same way God chose specific individuals for salvation, by His grace, in His sovereignty, for His purposes, not by anything a person said or did.

Yes, we are flesh and blood human beings, not lifeless stones, however, what is the scriptural definition of our hearts before salvation? Ezekiel 36:26 “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you; and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh.” That is an interesting comparison.

The passages that develop the Hebrew Scriptures doctrine of election most fully are Deuteronomy 7:6-8, 9:4-6, 2 Samuel 7:8-16, and Isaiah 41:8-16, 42:1-9, 43:1-3, 44:1-5.

Salvation, being written in the Book of Life, cannot be lost.

A child of God’s name can never be blotted out, because it is never about us, it is always about God and what He did. One to whom God has given the new heart and spirit described in Ezekiel 36 will persevere to the very end.

The scriptures talking of erasing, or blotting out of a name in the Book is the same concept as Hosea 8 and Matthew 7:15-23. Not everyone who believes they are in the “Book of Life” or who says they are, truly is. Their fruits (their outward words, actions, behaviors) are the best indicators, of the reality of their situation.

Psalm 40 tells us that there is nothing God requires us to do to be written in the Book of Life. His elect are already written in, and we are drawn by God, to God, when He gives us that revelation (opens our ears). When that occurs, the rest of what is stated here is the natural outflow.

So how can YOU ensure you are truly written in?

With love,
Diane