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The Epistle of James is now Available!
October 3, 2017 by Sam Storms
Several weeks ago I announced that my entire series of sermon notes on the book of Hebrews was available on my website. Today I’m happy to tell you that all twenty-two lessons on the book of James are now posted. If you are unfamiliar about how to access these documents, simply click on Resources at the top of the Home page, and then on Articles. Look under Biblical Studies, and at the bottom of the list you will see both Hebrews and James. These twenty-two articles are essentially a verse-by-verse analysis of James. I hope and pray you will find them helpful in your life or ministry, or in both.
J. I. Packer on Individualism vs. Individuality
By: Sam Storms
J. I. Packer on Individualism vs. Individuality
By: Sam Storms
“The gospel fosters individuality, in the sense of realization that as regards the present decisions that determine eternal destiny one stands alone before God; no one can make those decisions for someone else, and no one can enter the kingdom of God by hanging on to someone else’s coat-tails. The individuality that consists of a sense of personal identity and responsibility Godward is a Christian virtue, making for wise and thoughtful behavior, and is a nece...Read More ➔
Why doesn't God always heal the sick?
2By: Sam Storms
Why doesn't God always heal the sick?
By: Sam Storms
[About a month or so ago the Resurgence asked permission to post an abbreviated version of one of the chapters from my book, Tough Topics. They chose the topic: Why doesn’t God always heal the sick? If this interests you, I suggest you read the much longer chapter in the book. Short of that, here is the edited version from Resurgence.] God loved the Apostle Paul. Yet God sovereignly orchestrated Paul’s painful thorn in the flesh and then declined to remove i...Read More ➔
Otherwise, or why we must pray
2By: Sam Storms
Otherwise, or why we must pray
By: Sam Storms
For seven years I was on staff at a church that was passionately committed to corporate intercessory prayer. Ann and I typically would spend a minimum of six hours every week in corporate prayer meetings. On multiple occasions throughout the course of a year, the entire church would voluntarily commit to add fasting to our prayer. It wasn’t uncommon for us to go on three-day, five-day, even fourteen-day (and for some twenty-one day) water fasts. It wasn’t eas...Read More ➔
A disturbing trend
By: Sam Storms
A disturbing trend
By: Sam Storms
I’m typically a bit skeptical about public opinion polls. I often wonder about the views of those conducting the polls as well as the demographics that govern those whose opinions are solicited. But I found it interesting, and disturbing, that according to a recent Gallup poll (as reported in The Week, May 31, 2013), “standards of sexual morality are rapidly changing” in our country. Do with this what you will, but here are the results. 60% of Ameri...Read More ➔
All things must be done decently and in order
1By: Sam Storms
All things must be done decently and in order
By: Sam Storms
Jonathan Edwards was often told by opponents of the Great Awakening that it couldn’t be a work of God because “all things must be done decently and in order.” To which he replied: "But let it be considered what is the proper notion of confusion, but the breaking that order of things whereby they are properly disposed, and duly directed to their end, so that the order and due connection of means being broken they fail of their end. Now the conviction ...Read More ➔
Postures of Praise
1By: Sam Storms
Postures of Praise
By: Sam Storms
If you’ve ever visited Bridgeway you know that we freely and frequently lift our hands when we worship. Some people kneel down. Some sit. Some just stand. Some even dance. On more than one occasion I’ve been asked: “Sam, why do you lift your hands when you worship?” My answer is two-fold. First, I raise my hands when I pray and praise because I have explicit biblical precedent for doing so. I don’t know if I’ve found all biblical ins...Read More ➔
Revival and the Ministry of George Whitefield
By: Sam Storms
Revival and the Ministry of George Whitefield
By: Sam Storms
George Whitefield (1714-71), known widely as "The Grand Itinerant", arrived in the fall of 1740 and "set all New England aflame with a revival compared to which the Valley awakening of 1734-35 was but a brush fire" (C. C. Goen, Works of JE, 4:48). After preaching to thousands all along the Atlantic coast, Whitefield arrived in Edwards' Northampton in mid October. After one Sunday morning sermon in Edwards' church, Whitefield wrote in his diary that "Good Mr. Edwards wep...Read More ➔
J. I. Packer on Three Views of Salvation
2By: Sam Storms
J. I. Packer on Three Views of Salvation
By: Sam Storms
“Long ago, when I was an undergraduate, I had an experience on one of the rivers in Oxford where students love to pole themselves around in flat-bottomed boats called punts. I do not know if undergraduates do it in the universities of this country, but we do it in Oxford. The experience was my falling into the river. I can still remember the surprise I had when I suddenly found myself upside down in the water and that there were strands of green weed around my head...Read More ➔
Revival and the Revelation of God's Grace and Love
1By: Sam Storms
Revival and the Revelation of God's Grace and Love
By: Sam Storms
When revival swept through New England, and in particular in Northampton, Massachusetts, where Jonathan Edwards lived and ministered, the effect on men and women was profound. Said Edwards: "It was very wonderful to see how person's affections were sometimes moved – when God did as it were suddenly open their eyes, and let into their minds a sense of the greatness of his grace, the fullness of Christ, and his readiness to save . . . Their joyful surprise has cau...Read More ➔
Spiritual Gifts in Church History (4)
1By: Sam Storms
Spiritual Gifts in Church History (4)
By: Sam Storms
Although there is less evidence as we enter the period of the Middle Ages (the reasons for which I’ve already noted), at no time did the gifts disappear altogether. Due to limitations of space I will only be able to list the names of those in whose ministries are numerous documented instances of the revelatory gifts of prophecy, healing, discerning of spirits, miracles, together with vivid accounts of dreams and visions. For extensive documentation, see Stanley M....Read More ➔
Genuine revival is infectious!
By: Sam Storms
Genuine revival is infectious!
By: Sam Storms
Edwards noted that often times when visitors came to Northampton to observe the revival there (The First Great Awakening), they took it with them when they left: "There were many instances of persons who came from abroad on visits, or on business, who had not been long here, before, to all appearances, they were savingly wrought upon, and partook of that shower of divine blessing which God rained down here, and went home rejoicing; till at length the same work began e...Read More ➔
Spiritual Gifts in Church History (3)
1By: Sam Storms
Spiritual Gifts in Church History (3)
By: Sam Storms
Just as a reminder, we are looking closely at the claim of some cessationists that so-called miraculous spiritual gifts ceased to operate in the church following the close of the apostolic age. In the previous article we saw extensive evidence to the contrary. We now return to other important figures in the life of the early church. The work of Theodotus (late 2nd century) is preserved for us in Clement of Alexandria’s Excerpta ex Theodoto. In 24:1 we read: &ldqu...Read More ➔
"In Christ Alone," the Wrath of God, and a sad day for the PCUSA
3By: Sam Storms
"In Christ Alone," the Wrath of God, and a sad day for the PCUSA
By: Sam Storms
In a recent issue of The Christian Century (May 1, 2013; written by Mary Louise Bringle) it was reported that the Presbyterian Committee on Congregational Song (PCOCS), operating under the authority of the Presbyterian Church, U. S. A. (PCUSA) evaluated the theological merits of the popular worship song, In Christ Alone (written by Keith Getty and Stuart Townend). Evidently they are preparing for the release of the denomination’s new song collection, Glory to God. ...Read More ➔
Spiritual Gifts in Church History (2)
3By: Sam Storms
Spiritual Gifts in Church History (2)
By: Sam Storms
We are now ready for a brief survey of church history (from the Apostolic Fathers to Augustine). The representative examples cited will demonstrate that the miraculous gifts of the Spirit were, and are, still very much in operation. Indeed, before Chrysostom in the east (347-407 a.d.) and Augustine in the west (354-430 a.d.) no church father ever suggested that any or all of the charismata had ceased in the first century. And even Augustine later retracted his earlier ce...Read More ➔
Spiritual Gifts in Church History (1)
3By: Sam Storms
Spiritual Gifts in Church History (1)
By: Sam Storms
The question I want to answer in this and several subsequent articles is this: “If the spiritual gifts of 1 Corinthians 12:7-10 are valid for Christians beyond the death of the apostles, why were they absent from church history until their alleged reappearance in the twentieth century?” My answer follows. 1) They were most decidedly not absent. They were at times less prevalent, but the same could be said about the presence of signs, wonders, and miracles in...Read More ➔
A Call for Theological Courage
3By: Sam Storms
A Call for Theological Courage
By: Sam Storms
On April 5, 1986, a terrorist attack was launched on the La Belle discothèque in West Berlin, Germany, an entertainment venue that was popular among United States soldiers. A bomb placed under a table near the disk jockey's booth exploded at 1:45 a.m. killing three people and injuring around 230 people, including 79 American servicemen. It was soon determined, beyond any doubt, that Libya was responsible for the bombing. After several days of diplomatic talks wi...Read More ➔
Tornadoes, Tsunamis, and the Mystery of Suffering and Sovereignty
52By: Sam Storms
Tornadoes, Tsunamis, and the Mystery of Suffering and Sovereignty
By: Sam Storms
I’m inclined to think the best way to respond to the tragedy that struck our community today is simply to say nothing. I have little patience for those who feel the need to theologize about such events, as if anyone possessed sufficient wisdom to discern God’s purpose. On the other hand, people will inevitably ask questions and are looking for encouragement and comfort. So how best do we love and pastor those who have suffered so terribly? I’m not cert...Read More ➔
Revival and its effects on the Human Body
By: Sam Storms
Revival and its effects on the Human Body
By: Sam Storms
Many argued that the revival known as the First Great Awakening couldn’t be of God because of the way people responded both physically and emotionally. Jonathan Edwards insisted that as long as we are careful to monitor the state of one's mind and moral conduct, insisting that such be in conformity with Scripture, "our fears and suspicions arising from extraordinary bodily effects seem wholly groundless" (Some Thoughts Concerning the Present Revival of Religion in ...Read More ➔
Much Rather Better!
1By: Sam Storms
Much Rather Better!
By: Sam Storms
When we left off in the last article we were considering how Paul regards dying as gain. This is highlighted yet again in Philippians 1:23b with his use of the word “depart” – “My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.” It’s interesting that he doesn’t say “die,” but “depart.” This word was often used of an army striking camp and moving on into battle; they would fold up their ten...Read More ➔
Do "miracles" continue but not the "gift" of miracles?
1By: Sam Storms
Do "miracles" continue but not the "gift" of miracles?
By: Sam Storms
I often hear cessationists insist on a distinction between miraculous “gifts” of the Spirit, which they contend have ceased, and “miracles,” which they are happy to acknowledge continue even into the present day. That is to say, they deny that the “gifts” are valid but are open to the possibility that God can perform miracles if he so chooses throughout the course of church history. Let me say two things by way of response to this. Fi...Read More ➔
With Christ!
By: Sam Storms
With Christ!
By: Sam Storms
I can understand Paul saying that for him and for us “to live is Christ” (Phil. 1:21a). But how is it that death can be viewed as anything but a horrible end to a wonderful life? How can death be anything other than the shattering of hopes and dreams and the end of one’s life work? How can it possibly be viewed as “gain” (Phil. 1:21b) over life? Be assured of this: Paul is not saying he is dissatisfied with life or that he desires to be don...Read More ➔
Revival and Excessive (?) Singing
1By: Sam Storms
Revival and Excessive (?) Singing
By: Sam Storms
Believe it or not, some in New England in the 18th century questioned the reality of the revival known as the First Great Awakening based on the tendency of people to sing all the time! Jonathan Edwards thinks he knows the basis for this objection. It arises from their doubts about the authenticity of the work of revival as a whole. These critics "doubt of the pretended extraordinary love and joys that attend this work, and so find fault with the manifestations of them....Read More ➔
The Provision of the Spirit and Prayer
3By: Sam Storms
The Provision of the Spirit and Prayer
By: Sam Storms
In Philippians 1:19-20 Paul wrote, “for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death.” As the apostle endured the hardship of imprisonment in Rome (or in Caesarea, as some believe), he anticipates that in response ...Read More ➔
Revival without excess?
2By: Sam Storms
Revival without excess?
By: Sam Storms
During the First Great Awakening many insisted they would rather wait until a revival came in which no excesses or fanaticism or stumbling blocks were present. To which Edwards replied: "If they wait to see a work of God without difficulties and stumbling-blocks, it will be like the fool's waiting at the river side to have the water all run by. A work of God without stumbling-blocks is never to be expected. . . . There never yet was any great manifestation that God ma...Read More ➔
To live is Christ, to die is Gain!
By: Sam Storms
To live is Christ, to die is Gain!
By: Sam Storms
Paul’s reference to “life” and “death” at the close of Philippians 1:20 triggers in him an urge to comment on the attitude he has toward both. It can be summed up in 8 powerful words: “To live is Christ. To die is gain.” The options before us all are clear: either “to depart and be with Christ” (v. 23) or “to remain in the flesh” (v. 24). On the one hand, “to remain in the flesh” or to continu...Read More ➔
Revival and the "Affections"
By: Sam Storms
Revival and the "Affections"
By: Sam Storms
Some during the First Great Awakening (18th century) insisted that it was improper and unbiblical for pastors to preach in such a way that their people were moved and stirred. Edwards' response to this criticism is simple and to the point: "I don't think ministers are to be blamed for raising the affections of their hearers too high, if that which they are affected with be only that which is worthy of affection, and their affections are not raised beyond a propo...Read More ➔
When Dying is Gain
By: Sam Storms
When Dying is Gain
By: Sam Storms
I think it was John Piper who said it, but even if not I still agree: The art of living well comes from knowing that dying is gain. Contrary to what many may think, that is not morbid. In fact, there is nothing quite as exhilarating and life-giving and joy-filled as pondering death. At least that’s true for the Christian. For most people, death remains a mystery, a dreaded, unexplored black hole in the future that threatens in the present to suck out of one’...Read More ➔
Cautious Observations on the Existence of Evil
3By: Sam Storms
Cautious Observations on the Existence of Evil
By: Sam Storms
In the endless dialogue on why a good and powerful God would permit the existence of evil, no one has provided a more cogent and biblical explanation than Jonathan Edwards. It may not answer all our questions; in fact, it even raises a few new ones. But my sense is that this is as close as we’ll ever come to understanding in small measure a mystery that is ultimately beyond our grasp. That being said, let me set forth a few cautious observations about the existenc...Read More ➔
When God puts himself "under the power of his people"
By: Sam Storms
When God puts himself "under the power of his people"
By: Sam Storms
Jonathan Edwards saw a direct cause and effect relationship between the faithful and fervent prayers of God’s people and the authenticity of heaven-sent revival. "When God has something very great to accomplish for his church, 'tis his will that there should precede it the extraordinary prayers of his people; as is manifest by Ezek. 36:37, 'I will yet for this be inquired of by the house of Israel, to do it for them'; . . . And 'tis revealed that when God is abo...Read More ➔
Revival: don't judge the present by the past
2By: Sam Storms
Revival: don't judge the present by the past
By: Sam Storms
One of the objections Jonathan Edwards often heard during the course of the First Great Awakening was that if the “revival” in New England were real it would conform to revivals in the past. His response is instructive: "What the church has been used to, is not a rule by which we are to judge; because there may be new and extraordinary works of God, and he has heretofore evidently wrought in an extraordinary manner. He has brought to pass new things, stran...Read More ➔
What does it mean to be "Reformed"? (9)
1By: Sam Storms
What does it mean to be "Reformed"? (9)
By: Sam Storms
We’ve finally come to the conclusion of this series of articles on what it means to be Reformed. Here is number 10. (10) To be Reformed means that you are a compatibilist. Many insist that God’s exhaustive foreknowledge of everything that comes to pass is incompatible with genuine human freedom of choice. If God knows everything from eternity past, all things will necessarily come to pass in precisely the way known by God. And necessity is incompatible with...Read More ➔
Revival: when God puts the pedal to the metal
By: Sam Storms
Revival: when God puts the pedal to the metal
By: Sam Storms
Jonathan Edwards wrote extensively on the nature of genuine, heaven-sent revival. During the First Great Awakening he mentioned that one of the characteristics of revival is that God accelerates and intensifies his normal manner of work. He writes: "God has also seemed to have gone out of his usual way, in the quickness of his work, and the swift progress his Spirit has made in his operations on the hearts of many. It is wonderful that persons should be so suddenly and y...Read More ➔
What does it mean to be "Reformed"? (8)
6By: Sam Storms
What does it mean to be "Reformed"? (8)
By: Sam Storms
Although it may sound strange to many of you, consider what I believe to be the inescapable fact that (9) only the Reformed can consistently and sincerely pray for God to save souls. Here is J. I. Packer again: “You pray for the conversion of others. In what terms, now, do you intercede for them? Do you limit yourself to asking that God will bring them to a point where they can save themselves, independently of Him? I do not think you do. I think that what you ...Read More ➔
How far is too far?
By: Sam Storms
How far is too far?
By: Sam Storms
When it comes to how far is too far in pre-marital sexual activity: “I’ve never heard a Christian couple regret all they didn’t do before they were married” (Kevin Deyoung, The Hole in our Holiness, 114)....Read More ➔
What does it mean to be "Reformed"? (7)
By: Sam Storms
What does it mean to be "Reformed"? (7)
By: Sam Storms
The eighth dimension of a Reformed faith is the shortest of our posts, but is not for that reason less important than the others. (8) To be Reformed means that you will always resist the temptation to become pragmatic or manipulative in your evangelistic outreach. J. I. Packer explains: "While we must always remember that it is our responsibility to proclaim salvation, we must never forget that it is God who saves. It is God who brings men and women under the sound ...Read More ➔
Churchless Christianity?
By: Sam Storms
Churchless Christianity?
By: Sam Storms
“In more than a decade of pastoral ministry I’ve never met a Christian who was healthier, more mature, and more active in ministry by being apart from the church. But I have found the opposite to be invariably true” (Kevin DeYoung, The Hole in our Holiness, 132). May I add this one thought? In nearly four decades of pastoral ministry I've found it to be even more invariably true!...Read More ➔
What does it mean to be "Reformed"? (6)
By: Sam Storms
What does it mean to be "Reformed"? (6)
By: Sam Storms
The fifth feature of a Reformed view of God and life takes an interesting turn. (5) To be Reformed means you humbly receive suffering as a gift of God’s grace no less so than you do the blessing of salvation. Many are inclined to protest the notion that persecution is in any sense “from God” (see Phil. 1:28). After all, don’t pain and oppression and rejection and slander mean that God doesn’t care about us anymore? Far from it, says Paul, ...Read More ➔
What does it mean to be "Reformed"? (5)
By: Sam Storms
What does it mean to be "Reformed"? (5)
By: Sam Storms
Here is the fourth characteristic feature of being Reformed. (4) To be Reformed means that you affirm the necessity and passionately pursue the use of God’s ordained means as much as you celebrate and confidently rest in the certainty of his ordained ends. Here we’ll consider the role of prayer in 2 Corinthians 1:10-11 and its utter and absolute necessity in the achievement of God’s ordained purposes. Paul writes: “He delivered us from such a de...Read More ➔
The Mark of the Beast
1By: Sam Storms
The Mark of the Beast
By: Sam Storms
Today’s (5-4-13) headline of the Life section of my local newspaper (The Oklahoman) could hardly be missed: “Marks of the Beast? Scanners prompt biblical concerns.” The related headline also declares: “Technology renews questions on end time, ‘mark of the beast’” (by Carla Hinton). The article mentions a local woman who “said she was concerned that biometric palm scanners used by her hospital employer to collect patient in...Read More ➔
Penal Substitution: Central and Saving!
1By: Sam Storms
Penal Substitution: Central and Saving!
By: Sam Storms
One often hears that penal substitution is merely one model or theory of the atonement and thus should not be elevated as central to defining the way in which we are saved and reconciled to God. One author appeals to an analogy with golf. Just as Phil Mickelson, for example, would never think of playing in the U.S. Open with only a putter or a nine-iron, neither should we portray the saving work of Christ as if penal substitution were all there is to his sacrifice on th...Read More ➔
What does it mean to be "Reformed"? (4)
By: Sam Storms
What does it mean to be "Reformed"? (4)
By: Sam Storms
We’ve come to the third characteristic feature of those who identify themselves as Reformed. (3) To be Reformed means that you have sufficient confidence in divine providence that you will always look for the divine setup in every human setback. One of the greatest challenges we face as Christian men and women is the threat to our confidence in the goodness of God when circumstances turn bad. Therefore one of the greatest needs we have is the faith to believe tha...Read More ➔
Able to do what a Good God demands
By: Sam Storms
Able to do what a Good God demands
By: Sam Storms
“Don’t think of Christianity as having to do what a peevish God wants. Think of it as now being able to do what a good God demands” (Kevin DeYoung, The Hole in our Holiness, 112)....Read More ➔
Homosexuality, the NBA, and the Morality of Making Moral Judgments
37By: Sam Storms
Homosexuality, the NBA, and the Morality of Making Moral Judgments
By: Sam Storms
The news has been filled all this week with the announcement by professional basketball player Jason Collins that he is gay. Here in Oklahoma City, the local paper quoted several athletes who expressed their opinion (4-30-13). One came from the Thunder’s Kevin Durant, a professing Christian. I like Kevin Durant. By all accounts he’s not only a superb basketball player but a fine human being. But I wish he had given more thought to his response to Collins&rsqu...Read More ➔
Jonathan Edwards: A Dozen Recent Books
2By: Sam Storms
Jonathan Edwards: A Dozen Recent Books
By: Sam Storms
Aside from the biblical text itself, nothing has influenced me more than the writings of Jonathan Edwards. He is truly my favorite dead person (although, of course, he is very much alive in the presence of Christ)! In the course of my study of Edwards I’ve made it something of a hobby (an expensive one at that!) to obtain as many of the secondary works on his theology as my budget will allow (and oftentimes the budget is simply ignored; o.k., it’s always igno...Read More ➔
What does it mean to be "Reformed"? (3)
By: Sam Storms
What does it mean to be "Reformed"? (3)
By: Sam Storms
We are now ready to move on to the second thing entailed by the use of the word “Reformed.” (2) To be Reformed means that you attribute your salvation to God and God alone: from its inception at the time of the new birth, through the progressive sanctifying influence of the Spirit during the course of one’s Christian life, to its consummation at the moment Christ returns and we are finally and fully glorified. There are countless texts that affirm thi...Read More ➔
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