Chosen by God [Paperback]

 

 

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Agree or disagree with the thesis of the book, but you will get a clear, straight forward presentation of the doctrine of election. Dr. Sproul is a churchman. By this I mean Sproul has a healthy respect for all Christians and it shows in this book. While he presents the Calvinist view of election, he does so without making light of those who disagree. If you are interested in knowing what the issuses are, the Biblical bases for election and have your questions answered, you will benefit from this book. This is true even if you don't agree with the conclusions. For a deeper presentation on the subject by the same author see "Willing to Believe" and/or "Grace Unknown." Dealing with subjects such as election, it is necessary that we have more light than heat. Dr. Sproul's unique gift to the church is helping take difficult issues and making them understandable by all. Again, agree or disagree with the author, but if you read this you will be armed with an understanding of the issue that will help you draw informed conclusions.

I was wondering if I actually needed to read this book, as I have already read other R C books and was familiar with the arguments. Needless to say, this book refreshed a few things I forgot. It is more philosophical than biblical, although the Scripture is there. Although short in size, it is not necessarily an easy read. Sproul does something in this book that I have not seen him do elsewhere: he uses diagrams. A few are:

Justice/Non-justice Mercy

and then there is the not able not to sin diagram

Sproul's definition of the will's freedom is crucial in this book. In doing so he borrows from Jonathan Edwards: "Edwards defined the will as 'the mind choosing'...before we ever make moral choices we must have some idea of what we are choosing...my inclination and my motives are shaped by my mind....I act according to those inclinations...
Ergo:
The will always chooses according to its strongest inclination at the moment" (54)." So in reality, we are slaves to our own free-will.

In the next chapter he goes on to illustrate how any denial of original sin necessarily entails vicious question begging, especially if pressed on how society becomes bad.

As to the reviewer from Glendale, CA, he started out writing a fair review but then got off track. As to whether Schaeffer was an Arminian, bear in mind that he was a Presbyterian and did graduate from a Presbyterian seminary. Furthermore, According to theologians Scott Burston and Gerry Walls, Schaeffer was a soft-determinist in the tradition of Van Til, unlike most Arminians. Other misconceptions of Schaeffer self-destruct upon scrutiny. And yes, Geisler is a four-point Arminian, believing only in eternal security. Furthermore, Sproul gives a correct interpretation of helko. The reviewer claims that the normal meaning of the word doesn't count in John 6:44, in doing so he interposes a different context onto the one in 6:44. Finally, concerning Romans 9, and I can only mention one part. I know that this debate will never be solved, but if the whole chapter is on service rather than salvation, then why at the beginning does Paul wish himself accursed and cut off from Christ? That is understandable if one's people were damned, but it seems like emotional over-kill if they are not chosen for ministry.

But what practical value does the denial of free will have for evangelism? Sproul, Boice, and Van Til maintain that if the sinner believes that he can choose God today, then he can put it off and choose God tomorrow, ad infinitum. If he realizes that he cannot choose God, but is a slave to sin, then he has to come to grips with how DESPERATE his situation is! He is driven to his knees in awful desperation. Then, and only then,can he realize that he cannot save himself. Which is what the gospel is about.

I've read this book, and given away copies of it to Arminian friends, and I've reread this book. It is very helpful in terms of learning about the basics of Calvinism. Dr. Sproul has done much in his lifetime towards the promulgation of Reformed theology in today's church.
His focus historically, is on the major players in Reformed thought - such as Calvin, Luther, Augustine and Edwards. I do have a problem with his listing Aquinas as a Calvinist on page 14, because that is simply not true. There may have been some similarities in Aquinas' views on predestination, but that would be credited to his use of language, not on the definitions of terms that Aquinas provided. Aquinas was a Roman Catholic and therefore betrays any notion or possibility of holding to Reformed views. It seems that Sproul has an affinity for Aquinas which is too bad. His contemporary list is accurate, including Francis Schaeffer who was undoubtedly a Calvinist as opposed to what one reviewer claims. Granted, some of Schaeffer's apologetic methodology didn't line up with his soteriology, he nonetheless was a Calvinist! He said so himself! And Sproul would know, the two were friends.
The book's strong points are its focus on God's sovereignty in salvation. He provides easy to understand examples from life and the Bible to show God's sovereignty. The section in chapter two called The Sovereignty of God should be read and reread until one comes to a full understanding of what is being said.
Sproul's explanation of mercy and justice is extremely helpful and is likely the point in the book where I just couldn't stop smiling being so impacted by the truth of it all. This provided an excellent seguay into the relationship between God's sovereignty and man's responsibility. Here Sproul follows Packer's argument for antinomy which is surprising considering Sproul's love for Jonathan Edwards. It would have made more sense for him to refer to Edwards' view on the two wills of God as John Piper has done (see www.desiringGod.org). Although antinomy is a good answer to this problem, it is not the best as Piper has shown.
Thankfully Sproul refers the reader to Edwards in chapter 3 on the issue of free will. I know of no other Christian theologian who dealt with this better than Edwards in his treatise On The Freedom of the Will. I believe Sproul handles it well. Especially with his explanation of natural verses moral inability.
The different charts and diagrams are helpful in visualizing what Sproul is saying. As well as his use of illustrations.
The weak point of the book is that he doesn't refer to the Bible as much. Granted, the Bible is being used, I think that it could have been used a bit more. Sometimes Sproul falls into using philosophy a little too much. I guess that is understandable considering philosophy is one of Sproul's primary interests.
I would heartily recommend this book.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Glory To Christ Alone
At first, I wanted nothing to do with this subject. In fact, I thought it was quite silly to debate it. Read more

Published on April 21 2004 by E. Faison

5.0 out of 5 stars A Book That Can Answer Many of Your Questions
R.C. Sproul has written a book that will help you better understand the age-old debate between Calvinism and Arminianism. Read more

Published on April 13 2004 by J. Pace

4.0 out of 5 stars Recommendations
For several superb works on Calvinism, I recommend the following. Search for them on the web (many free materials are available from these authors). Read more

Published on Mar 24 2004

5.0 out of 5 stars Hurrah! A great book by a great author on a great doctrine
A great book by a great author on one of the great doctrines of the Bible - and also, alas, one of the most misunderstood. Read more

Published on Oct 10 2003 by C. Catherwood

3.0 out of 5 stars Great introduction to Reformed Theology
For the budding theologian, Chosen By God is the best introduction to Reformed Theology that a person can purchase. Read more

Published on Aug 23 2003 by bill_the_great

5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
***** The most contraversial issue among Christians might not be predestination, but that is certainly one of the main ones. Read more

Published on Aug 17 2003 by Huntress Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Good, not great.
When I first went through the material of this book, I had a crisis of faith that nearly killed me (literally). Read more

Published on July 23 2003 by Jimmy Price

5.0 out of 5 stars A work of brilliance
This is a book of extremely deep insight, and yet very chatty and readable and easy to understand. Even for a long term Reformed Christian it offers depth of insight that you... Read more

Published on Jun 28 2003

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Read to be informed about Reformed Theology
In this book, Sproul gives an excellent overview of Calvinism and basic Reformed theology. He carefully and systematically articulates the five Doctrines of Grace with Scripture,... Read more

Published on Jun 18 2003 by AHenk

2.0 out of 5 stars Not The Final Word
Despite Dr. Sproul's rather conclusory language, "Chosen By God" is not the final word on the free will debate. Read more

Published on Feb 11 2003 by Thomas More

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