Audio Download

The Spiritual Meaning of God’s Book From Stone to Spirit, Written Upon the Heart

[Study Aired July 1, 2025]

Introduction 

The Scriptures testify that God has a book—yet not one made with hands or filled by scribes, but a spiritual record authored by God Himself, bearing witness to those in whom His life is formed. From the earliest writings of Moses to the visions of John, the idea of God’s book appears repeatedly, carrying profound meaning for those who are given eyes to see and ears to hear. What does it mean to be written in heaven? What is the book of life, and why does Scripture warn that names can be blotted out? The answers lie not in fleshly reasoning, but in the revelation of God’s spirit. Let us discover what it means to be written in God’s book—and why this writing must occur within the heart.

A Book Not Made with Hands

When Moses interceded for the sins of Israel, he prayed with extraordinary boldness, “Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written” (Exodus 32:32). The Lord answered, “Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book” (Exodus 32:33). This response reveals that God’s book is His own possession and that entry into it is not inherited but granted according to His righteousness.

David echoes this reality: “Let them be blotted out of the book of the living, and not be written with the righteous” (Psalm 69:28). The book of the living is not a census of fleshly birth but a register of spiritual life—those who live unto God, as Christ said, “God is not the God of the dead, but of the living” (Matthew 22:32). To be “written with the righteous” is not to be listed in a religious institution, but to be joined to the life of Christ who is our righteousness (1 Corinthians 1:30).

The Writing Must Be Spiritual

How does one come to be written in this spiritual book? The answer lies not in outward observance but in inward transformation. As Ezekiel prophesied, “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you… I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh” (Ezekiel 36:26). This is not a fleshly surgery but a spiritual circumcision, as Paul teaches: “Ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands… by the circumcision of Christ” (Colossians 2:11).

Paul further clarifies the nature of this writing: “Ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ… written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart” (2 Corinthians 3:3). Here, the transformation is not symbolic but real—it is the indwelling of the Word, not merely in thought, but in being. This is why Paul could write to the Galatians, “My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you” (Galatians 4:19). The writing in God’s book is the forming of Christ in us.

From the Letter that Killeth to the Spirit that Giveth Life

When God first gave His law, it was written on tables of stone with His own finger (Exodus 31:18): “And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God.” Yet even before the commandments were delivered to the people, they were broken—Moses shattered the tablets in response to Israel’s idolatry. This outward breaking of stone reflects the deeper truth that the law, external and imposed, cannot impart life. Paul explains, “The letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life” (2 Corinthians 3:6). The law reveals sin but cannot transform the heart. It is only when the Word becomes internal—living and active within—that we are changed.

This transition is central to the gospel. Jeremiah foresaw the new covenant, writing, “I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people” (Jeremiah 31:33). Hebrews affirms this same promise: “I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts” (Hebrews 8:10). The emphasis is not on a rewritten law code, but on a rewritten heart—a heart that now moves in harmony with God because it is one with His will.

Written in Heaven

Jesus told His disciples not to rejoice that demons were subject to them, “but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven” (Luke 10:20). This writing is not visible to the eye but known to the Father, who sees the heart (1 Samuel 16:7): “But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.” Hebrews speaks of “the church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven” (Hebrews 12:23), emphasizing once again that spiritual birth is the basis of entry, not religious affiliation or earthly lineage.

Those who are written in heaven are those in whom the life of the Firstborn—Christ—is being formed. As Paul says, “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature” (2 Corinthians 5:17). Their hearts are no longer stone but spirit, no longer bound to the law of sin and death but moved by the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:2). “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.“

The Book of Life: Christ Formed Within

The book of life is not a static list, but the spiritual record of those in whom God’s life is actively dwelling. Paul speaks of “those… whose names are in the book of life” (Philippians 4:3). Jesus promises, “He that overcometh… I will not blot out his name out of the book of life” (Revelation 3:5). This implies that names can be added—and removed. What determines whether one remains in the book? Scripture answers: overcoming through Christ. Not outward success, but inward conformity.

In Revelation 13:8, we read of those “whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” These are the worshipers of the beast—those who walk in the flesh and are not born from above. Their names are not found in the Lamb’s book because they are not conformed to His image in this age.

Revelation 20:12–15 culminates this truth with a scene of judgment: “The books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life… and whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” This is the ultimate contrast between those who have the life of Christ and those who do not in this age. As John writes, “He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life” (1 John 5:12). The book of life is the record of those who have the Son dwelling within and chosen as the elect of God.

The Books Opened: The Judgment of Hearts

When Scripture says the books are opened, it is not describing paper archives but the unveiling of every heart before God. Paul declares, “God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ” (Romans 2:16). Likewise, “Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire” (1 Corinthians 3:13). The fire is not carnal torment, but the spirit’s discerning judgment. As Hebrews testifies, “All things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do” (Hebrews 4:13).

These are the true “books” that will be opened—the thoughts, intents, and inner workings of the soul. Only the life of Christ formed within will stand in that day.

The Book of Remembrance and God’s Foreknowledge

Beyond the book of life, Scripture mentions a “book of remembrance… for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name” (Malachi 3:16). This shows that God’s writing is not merely judicial, but relational. He records not just deeds, but hearts—those who reverence Him and meditate on Him.

David testifies of this same intimate knowledge: “In thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them” (Psalm 139:16). This is not a record of physical formation, but divine foreknowledge. As Paul teaches, “Whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son” (Romans 8:29). The book contains not biographies, but the blueprint of God’s workmanship.

The Scrolls of Prophecy: Eaten, Not Just Read

Ezekiel saw a scroll “written within and without: and there was written therein lamentations, and mourning, and woe” (Ezekiel 2:10). God told him, “Eat that thou findest… and I did eat it; and it was in my mouth as honey for sweetness” (Ezekiel 3:1–3). John experienced the same in Revelation 10:9–10—sweet in the mouth, bitter in the belly. This duality reflects the Word of God itself: it brings joy to the spirit but requires the death of the flesh. As Hebrews says, “The word of God is quick, and powerful… a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12).

These scrolls are not historical artifacts; they are spiritual instruments of transformation. They must be eaten, digested, and lived. The bitterness comes because the Word judges us, chastens us, and conforms us to Christ.

The Lamb and the Seven-Sealed Book

Revelation 5 shows a book sealed with seven seals in God’s hand. No one is found worthy to open it—“but the Lion of the tribe of Juda… hath prevailed to open the book” (Revelation 5:5). This book is the hidden mystery of redemption; the counsel of God sealed until the Lamb unveils it. It is spiritual truth hidden from the wise and prudent, but revealed to babes (Matthew 11:25). “At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.”

Jesus is “the volume of the book… I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart” (Psalm 40:7–8; Hebrews 10:7). He is the fulfillment of the writing, the revelation of its meaning, and the very life it records. The entire testimony of Scripture points to Him—not merely as the author of life but as the life itself.

The True Rock and Everlasting Engraving

Even Job, in the midst of suffering, longed for permanence in truth: “Oh that my words were now written… graven with an iron pen and lead in the rock forever!” (Job 19:23–24). He did not know it, but he prophesied of Christ—the true Rock (1 Corinthians 10:4): “And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.” Upon Him God engraves eternal truth. And those who are in Christ are likewise engraved: “Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands” (Isaiah 49:16).

The Final Word: The Book of the Lamb

Revelation 21:27 concludes with this declaration of the New Jerusalem: “And there shall in no wise enter into it anything that defileth… but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.” This is the culmination of all divine writing. The Lamb is both the book and the pen. To be written in the Lamb’s book is to be one with the Lamb—to follow Him, to suffer with Him, and to be conformed to His image.

As it is written, “These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth… and in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God” (Revelation 14:4–5).

Conclusion

To be written in God’s book is not to have one’s name etched in stone, but to have Christ’s life formed in the heart. It is to be transformed from stone to spirit, from law to life. It is to enter the kingdom of God, which is within (Luke 17:21). It is to pass from death to life, from the flesh to the spirit, from outward ritual to inward reality.

This is the book that will be opened. Not a scroll in heaven, but the inner heart of every man—read and judged by the living Word. May we be among those in whom He has written His name.

“Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth forever” (Psalm 119:160).