Sam Storms

After realizing that (despite his oft and repeated recommendations that people read Edwards for themselves) most people simply would not persevere through Edwards' cumbersome and hefty treatise on the Religious Affections, Sam Storms decided to give a distilled version (my words, not his) of Edwards for modern readers. He has retained Edwards' basic outline and much of Edwards' actual wording. But he has trimmed away what seemed to him superfluous to Edwards' main argument.

I am currently show more reading Religious Affections for the third time and actually purchased Storms' book because I was hoping for a more sermonic distillation of Edwards. That is not what Storms has written. But I still finished his book with profit and expect to use it in the future. The great strength of Storms' "interpretation" of Edwards is its brevity - 152 pages vs. over 350 in the Yale edition! The first time I read Religious Affections it took me four or five months to get all the way through. Storms' book can easily be read in several sittings.

The downside is that the cumulative weight of Edwards' argument is somewhat lost with the editing. For example, Storms summarizes much of Edwards' actual exposition of biblical passages and just includes the verses in brackets, whereas Edwards actually quotes the verses. I find these parts some of the richest portions of Edwards' original. I like reading Edwards himself because I value the effect his more lengthy explanation and argumentation has on my heart.

But there is a second benefit to Storms' book - and this is really the reason I want to commend it. The last third of Storms' book (p. 153-213) contains Edwards' Personal Narrative, with Storms' commentary interspersed throughout. The Personal Narrative is Edwards' own recounting of his conversion experience and early spiritual growth. It is simply breathtaking! And Storms' commentary on it is exceptionally edifying. I read all of this on a Saturday evening and it really helped sensitize my soul to the Lord and prepare my heart for worship the next day.

So, if are stirred up by those occasional quotes from Edwards that you hear from your pastor, and you want to read him for yourself but don't think you can tackle 350+ pages of unedited Puritan prose, get Storms! Even if you don't read all of the Religious Affections section (though I hope you will!), you will benefit so much from reading the Personal Narrative section. show less

First sentence: It only makes sense that before we dive into an exploration of the steadfast love of God that we define love itself. You may think that's a no-brainer, but the distortions of love in our world today have made this a somewhat arduous task.

Sam Storms' newest book is about the steadfast love of the LORD. In many cases an example of what you see is what you get. The love of God is a subject that is simple and complex; one could drink of its richness, of its depth for decades show more upon decades and still find more, more, more. It's a subject worthy of our attention because HIS LOVE is so often unlike our own love. Oh, we try (and try and try and try) to love others, to love as He loves. But GOD's love is so amazingly amazing and extraordinary that it will always be a thing of wonder and awe.

Here Storms shares in thirteen chapters insights and lessons about the love of God.

1. Love is Love. Or is it?
2. How Long Will God's Love Last?
3. Sovereign Lord on Bended Knee
4. The Look of Steadfast Love
5. The Touch of Steadfast Love
6. Strengthened by the Spirit to Enjoy God's Love
7. Love in the Most Famous Verse in the Bible
8. When God Loves the Unlovely
9. Overwhelmed by the Floodwaters of God's Love
10. The "Much More" Love of God
11. The Incalculable, Insurmountable, Sin-Killing, Soul-Preserving Love of God
12. Saved by the Love of a Sovereign God
13. The Father's Loving Passion for His People
Conclusion: May the Lord Direct Your Heart Into the Love of God

Quotes:
To truly love a person you must say and do all that you can to direct them to beliefs and behaviors that align with their eternal destiny in the presence of God in the new heaven and new earth. That is love.

At no time during his earthly life, at no time during your earthly life, does Jesus cease to be sovereign.

The only sin that can be defeated is a sin that has been forgiven. ~ John Piper

Being right with God must precede doing right for God. show less

The beginning of the book was decent. But then it got repetitive. Sam was clear about his convictions and he would repeat them, sometimes verbatim, every other paragraph. And in italics. The tone was a little condescending at times and I found myself skimming portions because I knew he was going to keep repeating his talking points.

This is a comprehensive treatment of end times issues from an amillennial perspective written with a pastoral tone. It's taken me nearly a year to read it. Storms treats all views very respectfully. I was introduced to new perspectives I had not considered throughout. I'm not completely persuaded of his overall position, but I'm close.