Clear. If one word could sum up Sam Storm’s work on the doctrine of divine election, it would be clear. Storms’ work was first published by Baker in 1987, but this revised and expanded edition published by Crossway in 2007 was my first encounter with Storms as an author.
The book begins with a brief parable about Jerry and Ed, plausibly fictitious, nineteen-year-old, identical twins with evidently identical lives until a mysterious distinction is revealed. This hypothetical relationship clearly grounds Storms’ proceeding discussion in the soil of life, and the author recalls his readers back to the story of Jerry and Ed to force an honest handling of an often theoretical topic.
Storms walks his readers thoroughly through the crucial biblical passages, devoting three chapters to the handling of Romans 9 alone. Further strengthening Chosen for Life are the two latter chapters which succinctly answer “Crucial Questions Concerning Election” as well as the appendices on problem passages in scripture, prayer and evangelism, and the justification of God’s eternal decrees. The author’s commitment to scriptural exegesis suites the humility of his language and commends his work to the mind of the reader. Those who agree – and those who are thus persuaded to agree – will be strengthened in their personal faith by confidence in God’s good sovereignty. Those who disagree will be called to pause and reflect deeply on their own grounds for confidence in God’s goodness.
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