Chosen for Life: An Introductory Guide to the Doctrine of Divine Election

This book deals with the first 2 points of Calvinism (Total Depravity and Unconditional Election) directly, but only mentions the other 3 points of Calvinism (Limited Atonement, Irresistible Grace, Perseverance of the Saints) indirectly. That was fine with me, since that was the author was trying to do - talk about Election. Some said this book is only a good introduction to Election. While that may be true, Storms does an excellent job in covering Election, Free Will, Total Depravity, and Unconditional Election. You have to start somewhere, and this is an excellent book to do that. And for $12.23, where are you going to get this good of a start? I found Storms to be very fair and sensitive to the Arminian views. Some of the Arminian views were new to me. I did not know that John Wesley taught that after the fall that man did not have a Free Will any longer. And, I did not know that they taught prevenient grace. I had never heard of such a thing. That is the grace that they believe that God gives to every person so that the person is able to make a choice to accept or not accept Jesus Christ. So man (according to Arminianism) now has a Free Will. This is the grace that allows them to have a Free Will. That is the Arminian view of Election - they believe it is Conditional on man's choice. That helped me a lot. Total Depravity - I appreciated Storms teaching on Total Depravity and the Free Will of man. When it comes to Free Will, it depends what you mean by Free. Man is free to sin, he is free to hate God, and man has a darkened and reprobate mind. Man is Free to do a lot of things, but he will never choose to obey and love God. The Calvinist would say that man's will is free, but it is Limited or in Bondage. Psalm 14 2 The LORD looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. 3 All have turned aside, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one. So I appreciated the discussion on this topic. It is important to know what we mean by Total Depravity and what we mean by Free Will. Many will be surprised to learn that both Calvinsim and Arminianism teach the Free Will of Man. They just disagree what Free Will means. Unconditional Election - Storms has 5 chapters on the doctrine of Unconditional Election. In these chapters he covers the main verses in the NT that are relevant to this doctrine. This section was easy and fun to read. I liked it because he took the verses and explained why Election is Unconditional. He was also good to show supposedly problem verses and explain how they fit in with Unconditional Election. In chapter 13 he gives a Good Illustration of a Bad Illustration that others use to argue against Election. I agree with the author, there are a lot of bad illustrations out there that people use to explain their position of Election. The problem is that they are such bad illustrations that

The Case for Divine Election Great book, an easy read, tons of reference's to my other favorite authors. I have not read anything by Sam Storms Before this turned me on to his writing style.

Sam Storms does a very good job of laying out the issues regarding the doctrine of election. What I find most appealing about this book is that he does not raise up straw men, or use sarcasm, caricature, or invective in laying out the case for classic Calvinism as opposed to the dominant Arminiansim of modern American theology. The shift from classic Calvinism to Arminianism "free-will" gained dominance through the revivalsim of Finney and has dominated even some Reformed churches since then. Storms provides a nuanced, theological exegesis of the central texts regarding election. He lays out the position of current Arminians with care, respect, and emphasizes the strenghts of their positions. He devotes his second chapter to the Arminian conception of election. I would think than most in this camp would consider it an accurate, balanced, and fair statement of this position. One of Storms strongest chapters is on "Amazing Grace." You will be hard pressed to find a more concise, lucid, and helpful definition and explication of grace. He does a fine job of illustrating the distinction between grace and mercry. As one might expect, the exegesis of Romans 9 is the axis around which the book pivots. In itself, this takes three chapters. Anyone appreciating the argument of this book might check out Roy Steven's "How Much Does God Foreknow?".

Writing from the Reformed tradition, Sam Storms unpacks the biblical doctrine of election. Almost stating the obvious, he explains why the doctrine is controversial, and then gives a chapter to each of sides of the debate - Arminian and Calvinist. Tackling the issue of free will, Storms explains the dilemma, and takes his stand in the shadow of Jonathan Edwards. Next, solid he provides solid exegetical work in explaining key New Testament texts relating to the doctrine. In fact, he spends three chapters explaining the ninth chapter of Romans. Concluding chapters and appendices answer standard complaints and questions. Many will strongly disagree with Storms' Reformed understanding of the doctrine of election. However, this book should still be a powerful tool for coming to an understanding of the central issues of the debate. Storms writes well, and his exegetical skills are sharp. He does not deal in false or emotional argumentation, and writes with the intention of showing forth the glory of God in salvation. Highly recommended.

I had the good fortune to hear Sam Storms at the Jonathan Edwards conference in Minneapolis a few years back. His sermon was spell-binding. I would not have been able to pull myself out of the seat even if the room were on fire! I bought the CD of his sermon and have listened to it several times since then with much the same effect. Sam Storms brings this same type of style and excitement to this book. Election is controversial but he has made it understandable through a solid exposition of Scripture and common sense. This book is a must have for anyone seeking to learn Gods truth in election.