Chosen for Life by Sam Storms
Chosen for Life: The Case for Divine Election
Over the last century, there have been quite a few books on the doctrines of grace known as Calvinism. I myself have such Calvinist apologetic works on the “5 points of Calvinism” including those of Curtis and Steele, Spencer, James White, R.C. Sproul, James Boice and others. What does Sam Storm have to offer that these don’t or haven’t already?
Well the first thing about this book is that it is not a typical “5 point” book. While it does mention and deal at length with some of the points, the main emphasis of the book is really dealing with the second of the 5 points, unconditional election. What really makes Storms contribution worthy of reading in our present age is that Storms seeks to deal with more modern criticisms of Calvinism and the doctrine of unconditional election.
Storms approaches the doctrine with a governing scenario in which to contemplate the theology. Storms tells of two indentical twins, Jerry and Ed, who were at Church like they had been all their life. But this Sunday was different for Jerry. Instead of leaving as he always did, Jerry truly saw his need for Christ and for forgiveness. As a result, Jerry asked Christ for forgiveness while Ed thought his twin was making a scene. They left church and on the way home were involved in a fatal accident. Jerry went to heaven while Ed did not. “What made Jerry to differ from Ed?” asks Storms. This is where the doctrine of election comes in.
Storms goes through the doctrine of Total Inability, or Depravity, and shows that each of these brothers did not possess the ability within themselves to be able to repent or even have an inclination toward God. What I particularly liked was that Storms actually took the time to define “grace” and what it is not as well. He did this by offering 10 characteristics of “grace” and made sure that grace includes no obligation at all to the creature. It was also very helpful that he took the time to examine the Arminian perspective of “prevenient grace” and its foundations. Most Calvinist authors don’t take the time to explain the other side but Storms was willing to do that and rather fairly as well using different Arminian theologians and sources to assist him.
The other thing that Storms does is show from the Scriptures that faith and repentance are gifts of God. Not many Calvinist authors spend much time doing this in what are usually quick treatments of the 5 points of Calvinism. But since this is a book specifically dealing with Unconditional Election, Storms feels that it is important to deal with this and how it also proves election as only the elect are granted faith and repentance as gifts of God.
Another contribution from Storms is that he shows that the one who holds to “free will” doesn’t really have a sound basis upon which to even pray for the salvation of the lost. If the human will is ultimately free, and not able to be efficaciously determined by God, then it is theologically and practically useless and contradictory to pray for the salvation of the lost. If God cannot cause anybody to believe, what basis does the Arminian have to pray to God to do anything if that would constitute violating the “free will” of the creature.
The work is an excellent work and is recommended for Calvinist and Arminian alike. Whatever questions one might have about the doctrine of election whether you already believe in it, or want more information about it or are just seeking to understand its perspective, you can not go wrong with this work! Orders yours today
Over the last century, there have been quite a few books on the doctrines of grace known as Calvinism. I myself have such Calvinist apologetic works on the “5 points of Calvinism” including those of Curtis and Steele, Spencer, James White, R.C. Sproul, James Boice and others. What does Sam Storm have to offer that these don’t or haven’t already?
Well the first thing about this book is that it is not a typical “5 point” book. While it does mention and deal at length with some of the points, the main emphasis of the book is really dealing with the second of the 5 points, unconditional election. What really makes Storms contribution worthy of reading in our present age is that Storms seeks to deal with more modern criticisms of Calvinism and the doctrine of unconditional election.
Storms approaches the doctrine with a governing scenario in which to contemplate the theology. Storms tells of two indentical twins, Jerry and Ed, who were at Church like they had been all their life. But this Sunday was different for Jerry. Instead of leaving as he always did, Jerry truly saw his need for Christ and for forgiveness. As a result, Jerry asked Christ for forgiveness while Ed thought his twin was making a scene. They left church and on the way home were involved in a fatal accident. Jerry went to heaven while Ed did not. “What made Jerry to differ from Ed?” asks Storms. This is where the doctrine of election comes in.
Storms goes through the doctrine of Total Inability, or Depravity, and shows that each of these brothers did not possess the ability within themselves to be able to repent or even have an inclination toward God. What I particularly liked was that Storms actually took the time to define “grace” and what it is not as well. He did this by offering 10 characteristics of “grace” and made sure that grace includes no obligation at all to the creature. It was also very helpful that he took the time to examine the Arminian perspective of “prevenient grace” and its foundations. Most Calvinist authors don’t take the time to explain the other side but Storms was willing to do that and rather fairly as well using different Arminian theologians and sources to assist him.
The other thing that Storms does is show from the Scriptures that faith and repentance are gifts of God. Not many Calvinist authors spend much time doing this in what are usually quick treatments of the 5 points of Calvinism. But since this is a book specifically dealing with Unconditional Election, Storms feels that it is important to deal with this and how it also proves election as only the elect are granted faith and repentance as gifts of God.
Another contribution from Storms is that he shows that the one who holds to “free will” doesn’t really have a sound basis upon which to even pray for the salvation of the lost. If the human will is ultimately free, and not able to be efficaciously determined by God, then it is theologically and practically useless and contradictory to pray for the salvation of the lost. If God cannot cause anybody to believe, what basis does the Arminian have to pray to God to do anything if that would constitute violating the “free will” of the creature.
The work is an excellent work and is recommended for Calvinist and Arminian alike. Whatever questions one might have about the doctrine of election whether you already believe in it, or want more information about it or are just seeking to understand its perspective, you can not go wrong with this work! Orders yours today
posted by prchdaword at 8:07 PM
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