Justin thought he was getting away with his crime. He liked to “paint” his graffiti under cover of darkness. At night, armed with cans of spray paint, he would creep up to huge water tanks owned by the city and write things on the sides of the tanks, signing his work with a name he called himself — “J Rock.”
The city officials, disturbed with all the money they were spending to clean up his graffiti, asked the community to help them catch this vandal. Two weeks later, several people called the city to say they knew who “J Rock” was. The police that went to arrest him found that the name he liked to call himself, “J Rock,” was tattooed on his left arm.
Now, you may think that it’s not very smart to commit a crime and leave your signature on it, especially when your signature is also tattooed in full view on your left arm. But did you know that every wrong thing you do is written down under your name in a book in heaven? God says they are! In the Bible it says, “I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works” (Revelation 20:1212And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. (Revelation 20:12)).
The truth is that one day you will stand before God where the books are open, and your name will be searched for. It will be found either in a set of books where everything you have ever done is exposed because it has all been written down after your name, or it will be listed in the book of life where your sins are no longer listed.
The book of life is where your name is written if you have accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as your own Saviour. Your name in this book is your “passport” to heaven, no matter how many sins you have committed, because the blood of Jesus Christ has blotted out your sins. “The blood of Jesus Christ His [God’s] Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1 John 1:77The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. (John 1:7)). “I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins ... for I have redeemed thee” (Isaiah 44:2222I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins: return unto me; for I have redeemed thee. (Isaiah 44:22)).
However, if your name is not in God’s book of life, you have a very sad destiny. Revelation 20:1515And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. (Revelation 20:15) says, “Whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” This is not a place where anyone wants to go! And there is no release for good behavior.
Will you turn to the Lord Jesus Christ and tell Him that you are truly sorry for all your sins, and that you want to accept His offer of forgiveness for every sin you have ever committed or will commit? After this transaction, your name will be written down in the book of life. Jesus — “in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace” (Ephesians 1:77In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; (Ephesians 1:7)).