The Lamb's Book Of Life
May God richly bless you today with an understanding of the truth!
We are again hearing Paul’s farewell greeting in our text today. He names some specific individuals with whom he has worked and for whom he has some words of exhortation.
I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to live in harmony in the Lord. 3 Indeed, true companion, I ask you also, help these women who have shared my struggle in the cause of the gospel, together with Clement as well as the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life. Philippians 4:2-3
Paul addresses his words to the congregation but specifically concerning Euodia and Syntyche. These two women have served with Paul in the Gospel ministry, but it seems possible they are experiencing some conflict between them. This is easy for us to understand. In our broken humanness it is easy to get sideways with even our best friends. It could be they were disagreeing about the approach to ministry or even where the church was to meet, since these meetings often took place in private homes.
Either way, the issue is that Paul encourages the whole church to help these women in their relationship and ministry. Sometimes what gets us crossways with a person is not a serious issue but simply clashing opinions. Paul speaks highly of them when he says they have shared my struggle in the cause of the gospel. It should not surprise us that it is the women who take the lead in the ministry of the church. In our churches today, it is the women who actually do the majority of the work. Not that the men don’t, and for this I am thankful. However, throughout Paul’s letters we see it is the women who usually hosted the churches in their homes.
It was also the women who cared for the sick and the orphans. It was often the women who assisted with those in need. While the deacons were in charge, and these were all men, they did not do it all without the assistance of the women in the church. We should all take a moment and thank God for the dedication and service of the women in our midst today.
Paul then mentions Clement who he calls a fellow worker. The most well known “Clement” was Clement of Rome who died in 100AD. This may well be the same man Paul is addressing in this epistle. Clement of Rome was a notable figure in the Early Church. His ministry and his writings guided the second generation of Christians through many challenges and hardships. If this is the same man, it makes sense that having served alongside the Apostle Paul he would have grown to have the courage to lead the church in the generation following the apostles.
Paul then commends all his fellow workers who have their names written in the Book of Life. Let’s take a short look at what Paul is speaking of concerning the book of life.
Psalms 69:28 May they be wiped out of the book of life, And may they not be recorded with the righteous. In this verse from Psalms the writer is addressing the fact that the Book Of Life contains the names of all who have been declared righteous by God.
The only other reference to the Book Of Life outside of Revelation is found in this epistle to the Philippians written by Paul. But the book of Revelation contains this phrase six times.
Revelation 3:5 ‘The one who overcomes will be clothed the same way, in white garments; and I will not erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.
Revelation 13:8 All who live on the earth will 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 slaughtered.
Revelation 17:8 “The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to come up out of the abyss and go to destruction. And those who live on the earth, whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, will wonder when they see the beast, that he was, and is not, and will come."
Revelation 20:12 And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds.
Revelation 20:15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
Revelation 21:27 and nothing unclean, and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.
The prevailing understanding is that God does keep a record of all the sins committed by the unbeliever and when Judgment Day comes, all is revealed and the condemned stand without excuse before the judgment seat of God.
By contrast, those who have been declared righteous through the blood of the Lamb have their names recorded in the Book Of Life and on Judgment day that book is opened and all who have trusted in Jesus as Savior are ushered into the eternal kingdom of God.
Please note, faith is the key. Where there is faith, there is forgiveness. Where there is forgiveness, all sin is erased, and the name of the believer is recorded in the Book Of Life for all eternity.
Understand and take comfort in the truth of the Gospel. The Book of Life was opened on the day faith was born in your heart, and your name was recorded. It was not ink but the blood of the Lamb which recorded your name that you may dwell securely knowing there is a place reserved for you in heaven. And nothing can erase your name from that book so long as you hold onto Jesus as your Savior.
Be Blessed,
Pastor Russ
We are again hearing Paul’s farewell greeting in our text today. He names some specific individuals with whom he has worked and for whom he has some words of exhortation.
I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to live in harmony in the Lord. 3 Indeed, true companion, I ask you also, help these women who have shared my struggle in the cause of the gospel, together with Clement as well as the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life. Philippians 4:2-3
Paul addresses his words to the congregation but specifically concerning Euodia and Syntyche. These two women have served with Paul in the Gospel ministry, but it seems possible they are experiencing some conflict between them. This is easy for us to understand. In our broken humanness it is easy to get sideways with even our best friends. It could be they were disagreeing about the approach to ministry or even where the church was to meet, since these meetings often took place in private homes.
Either way, the issue is that Paul encourages the whole church to help these women in their relationship and ministry. Sometimes what gets us crossways with a person is not a serious issue but simply clashing opinions. Paul speaks highly of them when he says they have shared my struggle in the cause of the gospel. It should not surprise us that it is the women who take the lead in the ministry of the church. In our churches today, it is the women who actually do the majority of the work. Not that the men don’t, and for this I am thankful. However, throughout Paul’s letters we see it is the women who usually hosted the churches in their homes.
It was also the women who cared for the sick and the orphans. It was often the women who assisted with those in need. While the deacons were in charge, and these were all men, they did not do it all without the assistance of the women in the church. We should all take a moment and thank God for the dedication and service of the women in our midst today.
Paul then mentions Clement who he calls a fellow worker. The most well known “Clement” was Clement of Rome who died in 100AD. This may well be the same man Paul is addressing in this epistle. Clement of Rome was a notable figure in the Early Church. His ministry and his writings guided the second generation of Christians through many challenges and hardships. If this is the same man, it makes sense that having served alongside the Apostle Paul he would have grown to have the courage to lead the church in the generation following the apostles.
Paul then commends all his fellow workers who have their names written in the Book of Life. Let’s take a short look at what Paul is speaking of concerning the book of life.
Psalms 69:28 May they be wiped out of the book of life, And may they not be recorded with the righteous. In this verse from Psalms the writer is addressing the fact that the Book Of Life contains the names of all who have been declared righteous by God.
The only other reference to the Book Of Life outside of Revelation is found in this epistle to the Philippians written by Paul. But the book of Revelation contains this phrase six times.
Revelation 3:5 ‘The one who overcomes will be clothed the same way, in white garments; and I will not erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.
Revelation 13:8 All who live on the earth will 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 slaughtered.
Revelation 17:8 “The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to come up out of the abyss and go to destruction. And those who live on the earth, whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, will wonder when they see the beast, that he was, and is not, and will come."
Revelation 20:12 And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds.
Revelation 20:15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
Revelation 21:27 and nothing unclean, and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.
The prevailing understanding is that God does keep a record of all the sins committed by the unbeliever and when Judgment Day comes, all is revealed and the condemned stand without excuse before the judgment seat of God.
By contrast, those who have been declared righteous through the blood of the Lamb have their names recorded in the Book Of Life and on Judgment day that book is opened and all who have trusted in Jesus as Savior are ushered into the eternal kingdom of God.
Please note, faith is the key. Where there is faith, there is forgiveness. Where there is forgiveness, all sin is erased, and the name of the believer is recorded in the Book Of Life for all eternity.
Understand and take comfort in the truth of the Gospel. The Book of Life was opened on the day faith was born in your heart, and your name was recorded. It was not ink but the blood of the Lamb which recorded your name that you may dwell securely knowing there is a place reserved for you in heaven. And nothing can erase your name from that book so long as you hold onto Jesus as your Savior.
Be Blessed,
Pastor Russ
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