One of the best defenses of the sovereign election of God in salvation comes from the pen of Sam Storms in his classic book, Chosen for Life: The Case for Divine Election. Crossway just released the revised and expanded version, 20 years after it was first published by Baker.
Chosen for Life is a humble and deeply biblical look at the controversial subject of God’s sovereign election of sinners. Storms excels at incorporating illustrations that make the concepts easy to comprehend for those who are new to the discussion.
While there are many books on the doctrine of election (to my knowledge) none emphasize God’s unmerited delight in His chosen! That’s right, God delights in the elect. Building off Ephesians 1:11-18, Storms writes,
“God didn’t predestine us unwillingly, grudgingly, or reluctantly. He wanted to do it. He delighted to do it. God has an emotional life. There is immense and unfathomable complexity in his feelings: He delights in some things, and despises others. He loves and hates. He rejoices and judges. Choosing hell-deserving sinners to spend an eternity with him as his beloved children is uniquely joyful and pleasing and delightful and exciting and satisfying to the heart of God! … God not only delights in the act of election, he also delights in the objects of election: us! … God wants us to fully understand and grasp and experience what we are to him! But note well: the glory and honor of being elect is not why we are elect. Rather, there is glory and honor because we are elect. Election bestows glory and honor, but is not based upon it” (p. 188, 191-192).
What Humble Calvinists we would become if we truly grasped this concept. God rejoices over us and exults over us with loud singing (Zeph. 3:17)! He delights in His elect. If you were elected by God, His heart rejoices, delights, excites and is satisfied over you. But we are totally depraved sinners deserving only of God’s wrath?!? Yes, but God delights. Never does God delight in us because we are delightful. He delights in us because He has freely chosen us. We are the depraved prodigal son, God is our father who lavishes unmerited righteousness, joy and delight over us (Luke 15:11-32).
Few truths will better encourage us, help us to battle the sin of condemnation in our hearts, focus our corporate worship upon God’s grace or truly bring humility to our hearts. God sings over me. Amazing truth!
If you are opposed to Calvinism or if you’ve been a Calvinist for 50 years, this book will be a great challenge and encouragement. Your mind will be challenged and your heart will be stirred. Chosen for Life is a wonderful book about our glorious and sovereign God!
Title: Chosen for Life: The Case for Divine Election
Author: Sam Storms
Boards: paperback
Pages: 237
Volumes: 1
Dust jacket: no
Binding: glue
Paper: normal
Topical index: yes
Scriptural index: yes
Text: perfect type
Publisher: Crossway
Year: 2007 (expanded from 1987 Baker ed.)
Price USD: $17.99 / $12.99 at CBD
ISBNs: 1581348436, 9781581348439
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