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Chosen for Life: The Case for Divine Election
Divine election is certainly one of the more profound―and controversial―doctrines in the Bible. Does God elect people because they believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, or does God elect people in order that they will believe in Christ? Much of the disagreement and controversy concerning this doctrine proceeds from a fundamental misunderstanding of what it means. This is why Storms begins his analysis of divine election with an attempt to clarify precisely what is at stake and, at the same time, correct misrepresentations of it. He takes a thorough look at the doctrine as it is presented in Romans 9 as well as the rest of the New Testament. He also explores freedom of will and the order of salvation. Appendixes address "Three Problem Passages" and "Who Can and Cannot Pray for God to Save the Lost?"
240 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1987
30 people are currently reading
276 people want to read
About the author
Sam Storms
79 books138 followers(Some early works written as C. Samuel Storms)
Sam has spent 39 years in ministry as a pastor, professor and author. He was visiting Associate Professor of Theology at Wheaton College from 2000-2004, and is currently Lead Pastor for Preaching and Vision at Bridgeway Church in Oklahoma City. He has authored 22 books and founded Enjoying God Ministries. He's a graduate of The University of Oklahoma (B.A.), Dallas Theological Seminary (Th.M) and The University of Texas (Ph.D.). He and his wife Ann have been married for 40 years and are the parents of two grown daughters and have four grandchildren. On a more personal level, Sam loves baseball, books, movies, and anything to do with the Oklahoma Sooners.
Sam has spent 39 years in ministry as a pastor, professor and author. He was visiting Associate Professor of Theology at Wheaton College from 2000-2004, and is currently Lead Pastor for Preaching and Vision at Bridgeway Church in Oklahoma City. He has authored 22 books and founded Enjoying God Ministries. He's a graduate of The University of Oklahoma (B.A.), Dallas Theological Seminary (Th.M) and The University of Texas (Ph.D.). He and his wife Ann have been married for 40 years and are the parents of two grown daughters and have four grandchildren. On a more personal level, Sam loves baseball, books, movies, and anything to do with the Oklahoma Sooners.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
August 28, 2024
“Election is God’s gracious and loving action to which we contribute nothing and for which, therefore, God receives all the glory.”
Predestination. Election.
Words that are sure to suck the life out of any room. At least in my circles, these topics tend to be avoided in conversation. Nervous chuckles and nudges to get back to talking about easier things like the fruit of the Spirit.
I think it’s pretty common. For two reasons: either people don’t really know anything about it and it feels like an overwhelming thought to entertain or people don’t want to end up in arguments and cause division.
I came into this book with a Calvinistic belief already in place. I had done some study of it and most of the avenues of discussion are not new to me. However, I still found this book to be helpful because it turns out I had a skewed view of the Arminian side of the coin.
Sam Storms does a great job of presenting fairly both sets of beliefs and explaining them as the belief holders would. His hope in writing this book is to dispel the caricatures of both camps and bring clarity.
It’s good to be upfront that though this book is presenting ‘a case’ to persuade readers to believe a certain belief, it is not because believing that belief is essential to salvation. Storms assures us that he has believing Calvinist friends AND believing Arminian friends.
So why even talk about it?
I believe this doctrine is important in terms of how you view God, yourself, others, evangelism, and the Bible. It informs how we preach, how we pray, and how we worship.
To put it plainly, both Calvinists and Arminians believe the Bible teaches election; the question at hand is: “Does God elect people because they believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, or does God elect people in order that they shall believe in Christ?”
Storms gives chapters to each the Arminian and Calvinist view of election and then has chapters discussing freedom of the will, faith and repentance, and grace.
Then he looks at specific Bible passages in the Gospels and Acts, the Epistles and Revelation, and then several chapters on Romans 9 which is one of the most prominent Bible passages in defense of unconditional election.
He briefly covers the ‘order of salvation’ and then addresses crucial questions surrounding this topic like- how can God be just? how can God be loving? why should we preach or pray?
Lastly he provides a defense for the defense of unconditional election.
[Ultra-lastly, there are three appendices regarding: problem passages, who can pray for the lost, and my personal favorite I’ll call ‘big words you can pull out at a dinner party to feel super smart but probably won’t make you a lot of friends— see bonus section.]
To help put things in perspective, Storms sets up an illustration at the beginning of the book: two brothers with the same genetics and familial upbringing— one ends up in heaven and one ends up in hell. Why? How can we explain why Jerry believed and Ed did not?
Is it ultimately God who saves or is it our own choice to believe?
If this is a doctrine you are confused, unsure, or curious about, reading the entire book is the best course of action. But for those who won’t, I’ll try to explain the two views and summarize the main points. Storms wrote a whole book about it, so this review is in now way a complete resource on the topic.
Goodreads has a cap on characters so to get my full review please visit my original blog post HERE because space does not allow for all my words here.
Some quotes in the meantime:
“If any man or woman is ever converted to Christ it is not because the Holy Spirit outwits us or is more skilled in the tactics of religious debate. If we are converted it is because the Holy Spirit sovereignly, which is to say independently of our ideas or efforts, recreates within us a heart willing to believe.”
“To say God ‘denies’ something to one that he ‘gives’ to another implies that God is withholding what he ‘owes.’ Thus for God to ‘deny’ eternal salvation to some suggests he is refusing to give them what they deserve, or what he owes them, or what he as God is obligated to give them… Secondly, the word ‘denies’ suggests that people have asked God, indeed pleaded with him, for eternal life and he ‘denies’ it to them or refuses to grant it to them.”
“To choose people because they believe is an obligation to which God is bound; it is a debt he must pay… How can election be gracious if it is something God must do because justice requires it? Election is gracious precisely because it is the bestowal of life on those who deserve only death.”
“What is it, then, that dictates and determines God’s choice? God… Why that particular choice is more pleasing to God than another, or why neither choice pleases him, is not revealed in Holy Scripture… How can anyone object to the reason God elected Jerry instead of Ed when no one knows what that reason is?”
Recommendation
I would definitely recommend this book. It’s a topic that Christians need to be willing to engage in and Sam Storms does a great job of tackling this divisive issue with clarity and accessibility.
I’m one of the weird ones who enjoys a book on a theologically taboo subject, but even if that’s not you, I think you’ll find the book helpful and insightful.
And I would also recommend J.I. Packer’s book Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God for more on why unconditional election does not take away from the urgency or charge to evangelize.
Book Review Blog | Facebook | Pinterest | StoryGraph
Predestination. Election.
Words that are sure to suck the life out of any room. At least in my circles, these topics tend to be avoided in conversation. Nervous chuckles and nudges to get back to talking about easier things like the fruit of the Spirit.
I think it’s pretty common. For two reasons: either people don’t really know anything about it and it feels like an overwhelming thought to entertain or people don’t want to end up in arguments and cause division.
I came into this book with a Calvinistic belief already in place. I had done some study of it and most of the avenues of discussion are not new to me. However, I still found this book to be helpful because it turns out I had a skewed view of the Arminian side of the coin.
Sam Storms does a great job of presenting fairly both sets of beliefs and explaining them as the belief holders would. His hope in writing this book is to dispel the caricatures of both camps and bring clarity.
“Often people proceed to define ‘Calvinism’ as an inflexible, fatalistic system of theology, devoid of life and joy, in which God is portrayed as a celestial bully who takes sadistic glee in sending people to hell whether they deserve it or not… Some argue that Calvinists empty human choices of all moral relevance and reduce men and women to robotic automatons.
…Sadly, many Calvinists think of Arminianism as an intellectually flabby, overly sentimental view of the Christian faith that borders on liberalism, if not universalism.”
It’s good to be upfront that though this book is presenting ‘a case’ to persuade readers to believe a certain belief, it is not because believing that belief is essential to salvation. Storms assures us that he has believing Calvinist friends AND believing Arminian friends.
So why even talk about it?
I believe this doctrine is important in terms of how you view God, yourself, others, evangelism, and the Bible. It informs how we preach, how we pray, and how we worship.
To put it plainly, both Calvinists and Arminians believe the Bible teaches election; the question at hand is: “Does God elect people because they believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, or does God elect people in order that they shall believe in Christ?”
Storms gives chapters to each the Arminian and Calvinist view of election and then has chapters discussing freedom of the will, faith and repentance, and grace.
Then he looks at specific Bible passages in the Gospels and Acts, the Epistles and Revelation, and then several chapters on Romans 9 which is one of the most prominent Bible passages in defense of unconditional election.
He briefly covers the ‘order of salvation’ and then addresses crucial questions surrounding this topic like- how can God be just? how can God be loving? why should we preach or pray?
Lastly he provides a defense for the defense of unconditional election.
[Ultra-lastly, there are three appendices regarding: problem passages, who can pray for the lost, and my personal favorite I’ll call ‘big words you can pull out at a dinner party to feel super smart but probably won’t make you a lot of friends— see bonus section.]
To help put things in perspective, Storms sets up an illustration at the beginning of the book: two brothers with the same genetics and familial upbringing— one ends up in heaven and one ends up in hell. Why? How can we explain why Jerry believed and Ed did not?
Is it ultimately God who saves or is it our own choice to believe?
If this is a doctrine you are confused, unsure, or curious about, reading the entire book is the best course of action. But for those who won’t, I’ll try to explain the two views and summarize the main points. Storms wrote a whole book about it, so this review is in now way a complete resource on the topic.
Goodreads has a cap on characters so to get my full review please visit my original blog post HERE because space does not allow for all my words here.
Some quotes in the meantime:
“If any man or woman is ever converted to Christ it is not because the Holy Spirit outwits us or is more skilled in the tactics of religious debate. If we are converted it is because the Holy Spirit sovereignly, which is to say independently of our ideas or efforts, recreates within us a heart willing to believe.”
“To say God ‘denies’ something to one that he ‘gives’ to another implies that God is withholding what he ‘owes.’ Thus for God to ‘deny’ eternal salvation to some suggests he is refusing to give them what they deserve, or what he owes them, or what he as God is obligated to give them… Secondly, the word ‘denies’ suggests that people have asked God, indeed pleaded with him, for eternal life and he ‘denies’ it to them or refuses to grant it to them.”
“To choose people because they believe is an obligation to which God is bound; it is a debt he must pay… How can election be gracious if it is something God must do because justice requires it? Election is gracious precisely because it is the bestowal of life on those who deserve only death.”
“What is it, then, that dictates and determines God’s choice? God… Why that particular choice is more pleasing to God than another, or why neither choice pleases him, is not revealed in Holy Scripture… How can anyone object to the reason God elected Jerry instead of Ed when no one knows what that reason is?”
Recommendation
I would definitely recommend this book. It’s a topic that Christians need to be willing to engage in and Sam Storms does a great job of tackling this divisive issue with clarity and accessibility.
I’m one of the weird ones who enjoys a book on a theologically taboo subject, but even if that’s not you, I think you’ll find the book helpful and insightful.
And I would also recommend J.I. Packer’s book Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God for more on why unconditional election does not take away from the urgency or charge to evangelize.
Book Review Blog | Facebook | Pinterest | StoryGraph
March 4, 2021
Along with “Chosen By God”, I think this is one of the best books on the subject. Written with a humble spirit, and nearly impeccable argumentation.
September 2, 2023
Such a clear and helpful book on a topic fraught with debate and confusion.
July 23, 2008
If you have never read a book on the doctrine of election in Holy Scripture--here is a great start. It is a shame that divine election is treated as the great debated theme and relatively unimportant to the people of God. The more I look at the church of God and God's wonderful plan for humanity the more I see that election is absolutely everywhere in the Scriptures and is an encouragement to the believers soul. De-emphasizing truths like this in the Scriptures, though for a season may seem like emphasizing unity in the Holy Spirit and brotherly love, I think in the long run is a reason why the church loses its identity given by God. A generation that is so fascinated with "self" should not leave there identity to "self", putting aside complex doctrines, but see the identity that God has given those who trust Christ Jesus as "elect one's" chosen before the foundation of the world.
No doubt election is complex and difficult, but it is meant to encourage the people of God not discourage them, and to encourage the people of God that God is gathering from those who are not His people and making them His very own through the message of the Gospel. So much to say here...
Read this book to familiarize yourself again (or for the first time) with the doctrine of election. Good analogies. Good exegetical work. Good quotes from others on this theme. Not divisive. Not overly academic. Election is a reason to worship. Storms makes the case well...
No doubt election is complex and difficult, but it is meant to encourage the people of God not discourage them, and to encourage the people of God that God is gathering from those who are not His people and making them His very own through the message of the Gospel. So much to say here...
Read this book to familiarize yourself again (or for the first time) with the doctrine of election. Good analogies. Good exegetical work. Good quotes from others on this theme. Not divisive. Not overly academic. Election is a reason to worship. Storms makes the case well...
July 12, 2014
By far, this is the best book I've read on God's sovereignty and election (other than the Bible, of course). Storms presents a kind, gracious discussion, especially as he examines Arminian thought processes and objections. This is a deep book that wrestles with very important issues. Yet it is also well presented and easy to read. I don't agree with all of his theology, but do consider this book to be top notch.
December 2, 2022
The doctrine of Election is a difficult concept to contemplate for most Christians, including myself. For this reason, many completely ignore it. In so doing, there are a lot of misconceptions and misunderstandings about Election and that can make for deeper errors of doctrine if one isn't careful.
I found this book by Sam Storms to be very informative and clarifying to me on this topic. It was rather dry, however, as topics go, so it's going to mostly be for those who have a high degree of interest in the topic covered and not just a light read in any shape or form.
I found this book by Sam Storms to be very informative and clarifying to me on this topic. It was rather dry, however, as topics go, so it's going to mostly be for those who have a high degree of interest in the topic covered and not just a light read in any shape or form.
July 5, 2023
If I was to believe or advocate for the understanding of Divine Election Sam holds this is not the book I would use to do it. He holds to a form of compatibilism that is more "agreeable" then some of the Theologians he would consider in his own camp, but nevertheless there are easier read popular level books for one audience and more specific and helpful Scholarly works for other audiences. I would agree with author Douglas Wilson (an author in his own camp) in giving it a 3-star review that is on the plus side of good.
July 5, 2021
To help clear up the issue of divine election, this is a very good read. Took my a while to get through it, I found it easy to wander off....If you are looking for more concise or quick guidance, I liked a video by R.C. Sproul and Ligonier Ministries on the subject.
Also like the appendix on problem passages in Scripture. 1 Tim 2:3, 4; 2 Pet 3:9; John 3:16
Also like the appendix on problem passages in Scripture. 1 Tim 2:3, 4; 2 Pet 3:9; John 3:16
January 19, 2022
Pros: While remaining charitable with Arminians, Storms clearly argues for the Calvinistic doctrine of unconditional election.
Cons: Most of the time, Storms will be the clearest theologian you will ever read, then you turn the page to read a random paragraph on Edwards or three sentences of word salad.
Cons: Most of the time, Storms will be the clearest theologian you will ever read, then you turn the page to read a random paragraph on Edwards or three sentences of word salad.
November 13, 2021
Lucid elaboration of the doctrine of unconditional election. Winsome and eminently readable. Will be at the top of my recommendation list for those interested in understanding the Calvinist doctrine or election in general.
September 13, 2017
Outstanding.
November 8, 2024
A very good methodical teaching through the oft-confused doctrine of election. It’s Sam Storms at his best, explaining a complex topic with simplicity and humility.
January 18, 2012
This is a very educational book to know the different between the view of The Arminian Concept of Election and The Calvinistic Concept of Election. When I was reading the Arminian view or concept that had me scratching my head where did they get that view that didn't line up to His Word (The Bible). When I read the Calvinistic view, I understood it very clearly and without any question of doubt I knew this view does line up to His Word. Therefore, since I read this book, I knew that I am a Calvinist without any question of doubt. More detail is in my BoldLion's blog about this.
August 7, 2020
In this updated version of his 1987 tome, Storms does a noteworthy job of examining the difficult doctrines of election and predestination. What makes his effort memorable is a refusal to shy away from passages that (on the surface) seem to potentially contradict his perspective. Storms also asks pointed questions that promote careful reflection of their implications. Over-reliance on block quotations is jarring at times, but that is a minor gripe in an otherwise rich resource.
July 17, 2016
Wow, this subject is so tough. When I say that I'm still not completely decided on what side I stand, that is in no way a discredit to Sam Storms. This has to be the best book on the subject out there.
July 10, 2012
Academic and yet perfectly readable. It actually allowed me to give me a credible defense of the doctrine of Election on the flight to Denver with an Arminian who was quite agitated anyone could believe such nonsense.
August 22, 2014
Fantastic defense of the Reformed view of election.
September 22, 2012
In short, Sam Storms wrote a very convincing book backing divine election and divine sovereignty>
November 12, 2013
This little book explained election (and the other facets of TULIP to a lesser degree) in a gentle, easy to understand manner. A good starting place for someone studying Calvinism vs. Arminianism.
September 5, 2015
Mind opening
Very clear on educating us about the doctrine of predestination. Brings us to adore God more, as He is the only agent in our salvation.
Very clear on educating us about the doctrine of predestination. Brings us to adore God more, as He is the only agent in our salvation.
November 2, 2015
What great book! If you read this and you still don't understand the differences between Arminianism and Calvinism, there is no hope for you .
April 17, 2009
On the plus side of good.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews