Are the names written in the Book of Life before people are born?

from the old testament

• In a couple of places, the Old Testament speaks of the Book of Life as if names could be removed. In Exodus 32:32–33, Moses said, “If [you will] not [forgive their sin], please blot me out of your book that you have written. But the LORD said to Moses, ‘Whoever has sinned against me, I will blot out of my book.’” But that passage is not meant to teach about the Book of Life but to make a point about God is just with His punishments (cr. Psalm 69:28, next).
• The other example is Psalm 69:28. Speaking about his enemies, David said, “Let them be blotted out of the book of the living; let them not be enrolled among the righteous.” The NASB translates “book of the living” as “book of life.” However, in this example, David means a physical judgment of losing their life or being removed from the community, so the book is used figuratively.
• Beyond those examples of being taken off the book (meaning death), the Old Testament contains examples of the book of life referring to eternal life. For example, Isaiah recorded a future time when “he who is left in Zion and remains in Jerusalem will be called holy, everyone who has been recorded for life in Jerusalem” (Isaiah 4:3). Similarly, Daniel concludes by describing a future resurrection. At this time, “everyone whose name shall be found written in the book” will be awakened to eternal life (Daniel 12:1c–2a).

from the new testament

• By the time of the New Testament, the Book of Life was understood to mean one's eternal state. For example, Jesus told the disciples he had sent out on a mission to “rejoice that your names are written in heaven” (Luke 10:20). Paul also referred to his fellow workers “whose names are in the book of life” (Philippians 4:3b). The saved are those in the Book.
• Conversely, we also learn that at the final judgment, those who are not in the Book of Life are “thrown into the lake of fire” (Revelation 20:12–15). The ones who enter heaven will be “only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life” (Revelation 21:27). Thus, those not in the book will be eternally condemned.
• The question of when the names are written appears to be answered in Revelation. Revelation 13:8 says that unbelievers will worship the beast, “everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain” (emphasis added; cf. 17:8). Scripture uses “foundation of the world” language to refer to before creation. This indicates that the names are written before creation.
• The reason the Bible can speak so definitively about the names being written before creation is that God chose believers “in [Jesus] before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love, he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will” (Ephesians 1:4–5). From God’s perspective, the names have always been written.
• However, Scripture also teaches that people are saved at specific times through their repentance and faith (Acts 2:38; Ephesians 2:8–9). That implies names being written as people are saved while also keeping in mind that, from God’s perspective, they were always the ones who would be saved and, thus, always already written in the book. We are responsible to respond to the gospel, despite the fact that God already knew who would be in the Book of Life.

implications for today

People are sometimes concerned about the idea that God has already chosen who will be saved. They worry that this either removes any real human choice or makes evangelism unnecessary. However, does knowing that the Book of Life was filled before creation affect either?

According to Scripture, no. We struggle to reconcile God’s sovereignty with our responsibility because our human perspective is limited; we need God’s perspective to understand it. We must trust what He teaches us about salvation in Scripture, namely that 1) people must repent of their sin and believe in Christ or else they won’t be saved (i.e., Romans 10:9–10) and 2) people throughout the world will only know how to be saved if we go and tell them (Matthew 28:19–20; Romans 10:14).

Rather than thinking about God’s Book of Life fatalistically (“Since He already knows who He is saving, it doesn’t matter what I do!”), we are to think about it with comfort: “I know that God is saving people through the gospel, so I can keep sharing it with confidence!”