Enjoying God Blog

Can a Christian be Demonized? Part Two

By: Sam Storms

In the previous article I explained and responded to the many arguments cited as to why a Christian cannot be demonized. In this article I examine the arguments and biblical texts that suggest a Christian can, in fact, be demonized. Arguments supporting the Demonization of Christians The Reality of Demonic Activity and Attack We begin with those passages that describe the reality of demonic activity and attack. Most of these texts fail to prove the thesis that a Chris...Read More ➔

Can a Christian be Demonized? Part One

By: Sam Storms

The internet has been abuzz of late over the question of whether a Christian can be demonized. In this and a subsequent article I will provide what I believe is a biblical answer to that question. Before proceeding, you may want to go back to the previous article in which I explained what it means to say that a person is demonized. Arguments for a Modified Demonization of Christians Several authors suggest that a believer can be demonized, but in a somewhat modified or...Read More ➔

What does it mean to be Demonized?

By: Sam Storms

Much is being written and said these days about demonic activity in relation to Christians. Specifically, can a Christian be demonized? This short explanation of what it means to be demonized (and the fact that the terminology of demon possession is nowhere found in the NT) is a prelude to the next two articles in which I address the question of whether or not a born-again Christian can be indwelt by a demonic spirit. Some of you are probably wondering why I have chosen...Read More ➔

Drenched and Dressed in the Holy Spirit

By: Sam Storms

I often find that Christians live largely in ignorance of who the Holy Spirit is and the relationship that he sustains to all who have come to faith in Jesus. There are two metaphors in the NT that portray how the Spirit relates to each of us, and I want to briefly explain them in this article. The first metaphor or image is found in the words of John the Baptist. In John 1:33 he declares that whereas he baptizes people in water, there is one coming after him who will b...Read More ➔

Are We Guilty of Over-Emphasizing the Spiritual Gift of Prophecy?

By: Sam Storms

Some readers of this blog and my books on spiritual gifts may be wondering if I’m placing too much of an emphasis on the spiritual gift of prophecy. I don’t believe I am, and here is why. First, we know from the events on the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2 that Peter, quoting the words of the OT prophet Joel, described the entire present church age in which we live as one that will be characterized by the gift of prophecy among all of God’s people. &ldq...Read More ➔

The Life and Legacy of J. I. Packer (an interview with Sam Storms)

By: Sam Storms

This article was originally published at the website of Crossway books (www.crossway.org) on July 18, 2020. Remembering Packer On July 17, 2020, J. I. Packer, the beloved Anglican author and theologian, went home to be with the Lord. Yet his life and ministry continue to impact the lives of countless Christians around the world, primarily through his many books and essays. In this episode, Sam Storms, author of Packer on the Christian Life, discusses Packer’s lif...Read More ➔

Divine Abundance Is More Than a Charismatic Hobbyhorse

By: Sam Storms

The language of extravagant blessing is thoroughly biblical—even if it’s sometimes abused. ANDREW WILSON|FEBRUARY 13, 2023 [My good friend, Andrew Wilson, has written an excellent article on divine abundance. With all the confusion in some charismatic circles about the so-called “prosperity” gospel, Andrew brings biblical insight to bear on an important topic.] Pentecostal and charismatic Christians love the theme of divine abundance. Hopefully...Read More ➔

Does the Bible Teach that there are Three Separate Gods?

By: Sam Storms

In a previous article I explained the perspective concerning the nature of God as expressed by Oneness Pentecostalism or what is also known as the Jesus Only movement. I won’t bother to repeat myself, but wish instead to explain why historic, orthodox Christianity has always affirmed what we refer to as Trinitarianism. Let me say from the start that this is an intellectually taxing topic. Augustine (d. 430 a.d.) famously said that if you try to understand the Trin...Read More ➔

7 Reasons Why the Gospel of John is So Special

By: Sam Storms

[I recently posted here on my website 70 sermon manuscripts that will take you verse by verse through the Gospel of John. Click on Resources at the top of the home page and then Articles. You’ll find the series on John in the left hand column. In view of my having preached through John, I found Michael Kruger’s article on seven reasons why the gospel of John is so special to be quite insightful and helpful. I think you’ll enjoy it.] “One of these...Read More ➔

Two Prophecies Concerning the Asbury Awakening

By: Sam Storms

I’ll bet that title caught your attention, didn’t it? Perhaps you immediately thought that the “prophecies” came in advance and spoke to the beginning of the awakening. No. In fact, they concern its end. Let me say from the start that I believe what has been happening at Asbury (and now at numerous other universities) is a true God-sent outpouring of the Spirit. I couldn’t care less what you call it: Revival? Awakening? Renewal? What’...Read More ➔

What is Revival—and is it Happening at Asbury?

By: Sam Storms

By Craig KeenerFebruary 16, 2023 “I thought you were praying for revival. What are you doing downstairs?” With those words, my wife summoned me from my basement last Wednesday evening, where I was working on a very long book and neglecting what was happening on the campus of Asbury University. I teach at neighboring Asbury Seminary. And if you’ve following the news, you know that people have been streaming to the university—and now the seminary&...Read More ➔

Thoughts on the Asbury Awakening

By: Sam Storms

February 14th, 2023 Dr. Timothy Tennent Something special happened last Wednesday in the chapel of Asbury University chapel. The Lord began to move in the lives of a group of students. These embers have now been fanned into flame and there is clearly a definite move of God in our midst. We should not spend too much time looking for human causality, though there have been many praying earnestly for years for this. It is first, last and foremost a tribute to the grace of...Read More ➔

Should We Be Baptized in Water More Than Once?

By: Sam Storms

Much is being said these days about being baptized, not so much for the first time, but for the second, perhaps even the third. This isn’t an issue that should cause division among Christians, but I must say that I don’t see anything in Scripture that refers to more than one baptism in water. Perhaps what we all need isn’t so much to be baptized a second time but rather to renew the commitment that we made the first time we were immersed in water. Here...Read More ➔

Complete Manuscript Series on Romans now available!

By: Sam Storms

I’m happy to announce that my entire verse-by-verse exposition of Romans is now available on the website. There are 65 sermon manuscripts for you to use. Click on Resources at the top of the home page, then click on Articles. Scroll down on the left side of the page until you see Romans (65). As is always the case with my material, you are free to copy and make use of these sermons in any way that you deem helpful to the body of Christ. Blessings! Sam...Read More ➔

My Interview with Dennis Metzler on Spiritual Gifts

By: Sam Storms

Here is the link to my interview with Dennis Metzler on spiritual gifts. Enjoy!...Read More ➔

Oneness Theology, or the “Jesus Only” theology of the United Pentecostal Church

By: Sam Storms

We need to give serious thought to our confession of God as Triune. You may not be aware of this, but there are some who profess to be orthodox evangelicals who deny the Trinity. They don’t simply lack knowledge of orthodox Trinitarianism. This isn’t a case of someone who simply confesses that they do not understand how there can be only one God who exists eternally as three co-equal persons. They hold to what has been called “Oneness” doctrine. T...Read More ➔

Will We Know Each Other in Heaven?

By: Sam Storms

This is a question I’m often asked, and the simple answer is Yes! But here is a more in-depth response from Richard Baxter in his book, The Saints’ Everlasting Rest. “Some people ask if we will know each other in heaven. Surely no knowledge will cease except that which implies our imperfection, and what imperfection can this imply? No, our present knowledge will be increased beyond belief. It will indeed be put away but only as the light of the candle ...Read More ➔

In Heaven We Will Sin No More!

By: Sam Storms

Oh, to be free from all sin! Will it ever happen? Yes, in heaven. Take in the words of Richard Baxter: “Therefore, Christian, never fear this: once you are in heaven, you will sin no more. Is this not glad news to you who have prayed, watched, and labored against sin for so long? I know if you had the choice, you would choose to be freed from sin rather than be made heir of all the world. Well, wait until then, and you will have your desire. That hard heart, those...Read More ➔

St. Simeon the Stylite and Living “Under Law”

By: Sam Storms

In a previous article I spoke about what it means to live “under grace” in the sense in which Paul used the phrase in Romans 6:14. But what does it mean to live “under law”? Perhaps a story from church history will provide an answer to our question. This is a story about an exceedingly odd Christian man. He is known to history as St. Simeon the Stylite. Simeon was born in 390 a.d. and died in 459. At the age of 13 he heard a sermon on the Beatitu...Read More ➔

Living Under Grace

By: Sam Storms

One of the more encouraging statements in Paul’s letter to the Romans is found in chapter six. There the apostle says this of born-again believers in Jesus: “For sin shall have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace” (Rom. 6:14). There is much to ponder in this verse, but I want to focus on the final phrase: “under grace.” What does it mean to live “under grace”? I suspect that more than a few of you, ...Read More ➔

12 Questions for the Would-Be Universalist

By: Sam Storms

MICHAEL MCCLYMOND [I am hearing more and more these days of professing Christians embracing the notion of universal salvation, the belief that ultimately all mankind, both believers and unbelievers, will be reconciled to God. Michael McClymond, who wrote the superb two-volume refutation of universalism, The Devil’s Redemption, poses a dozen questions for anyone who is tempted by this false doctrine.] No compassionate person delights in seeing other people suffer....Read More ➔

My Profound Appreciation for Jack Hayford

By: Sam Storms

Jack Hayford went to be with the Lord on January 8 at the age of 88. I never met him personally, but I greatly benefited from his ministry in three specific ways. Two ways that he helped me were by means of two of his many books: The Beauty of Spiritual Language: Unveiling the Mystery of Speaking in Tongues, and Majesty: God Enthroned in our Worship. Although I didn’t agree with everything in his book on tongues, his was one of the first books I read on the subjec...Read More ➔

“These are a few of my favorite things”

By: Sam Storms

Perhaps only for the second time, I’m using a line from the film, The Sound of Music, as the title to this article. Someone pointed out to me that John Piper recently posted an article in which he answered several questions about his favorite things in life, from movies to books to food to hobbies. I was asked if I might follow suit and list my own. So, here goes. Movies This one is really hard, as I have a long list of favorite movies. But I’ll limit mysel...Read More ➔

Myths and Misconceptions about Hell

By: Sam Storms

In the wake of Elon Musk’s recent declaration that he doesn’t mind going to hell since most people will be there with him, I thought it wise for us to revisit the many myths and misconceptions that people have about eternal punishment. The reality of hell and eternal punishment is not a popular topic, even among Christians. Part of the problem is that the nature of hell has been horribly distorted in our culture and portrayed as an experience that is far fro...Read More ➔

#1: “You are not your own”: Living as Slaves of Christ: Romans 1:1-7 (1)

By: Sam Storms

I’ve grown accustomed to people charging me with exaggeration whenever I speak about Paul’s letter to the Romans. After you hear what I have to say, you may join the choir of those who insist I’ve gone too far. So here it is. Paul’s letter to the Romans, quite simply, is the single most important and influential piece of literature ever written.Read More ➔

#2 Christianity is Christ!: Romans 1:1-7

By: Sam Storms

If you were to sit down over coffee or lunch with an unbelieving friend or co-worker and they asked the question, “What is Christianity?” how would you answer? I hope you wouldn’t point to a building with a steeple, as if a physical structure defines what Christianity is all about. And I hope you wouldn’t point to any individual, even one as godly as the Apostle Paul or Billy Graham. My hope and prayer is that you would say, “Well, that’s easy. Christianity is Jesus Christ!” Here is how John Stott put it:Read More ➔

Reagan and Musk have no Fear of Hell: Should They?

By: Sam Storms

There’s an old commercial making fresh rounds on TV these days. It features Ron Reagan, son of the late president, Ronald Reagan. In the commercial, first aired in 2014, Reagan urges everyone to join with him in the promotion of an organization known as Freedom from Religion. Not freedom “of” religion, but freedom “from” it. He happily embraces atheism as his chosen perspective on the existence of God. But most amazing of all is that at the ...Read More ➔

#3 I am Eager to Preach the Gospel to you in Oklahoma City: Romans 1:8-15

By: Sam Storms

Rome. It is only one word, and yet it evokes an entire world of history, drama, and political intrigue. One cannot speak the word without thinking of the Coliseum and the Catacombs, not to mention the many Caesars: Julius, Octavian, Augustus, and Tiberias. The pomp and circumstance of Rome, its social influence, military might, as well as its moral decadence, have made it perhaps the most famous city in all of human history, second only to Jerusalem. Read More ➔

#4 The Gospel and the Power of God Unleashed!: Romans 1:16-17

By: Sam Storms

I still vividly remember the first time I shared the gospel with another person, face-to-face. I had spoken at a couple of evangelistic rallies and shared my testimony about becoming a Christian. But this was the first time I sat across a table from one person and talked about Jesus. Read More ➔

#5 Will People Who Have Never Heard the Name of Jesus be Condemned?: Romans 1:18-23

By: Sam Storms

Last week we talked about the reality of shame when it comes to sharing the gospel with unbelievers. I related my own experience with a high school classmate who, by God’s grace, actually came to saving faith. But as I told you last week, I was afraid that he might ask me a question that I couldn’t answer. The fear of being challenged in a way that we feel inadequate to address often keeps Christians silent when they know they should speak. Read More ➔

#6 The Human Heart is an Idol Factory: Romans 1:18-25

By: Sam Storms

Have you ever wondered why there are so many non-Christian religions in the world? Have you ever wondered where they came from? How and why did they develop? Are they all simply variations of the truth or perhaps imperfect pathways to the one true God? What relationship, if any, do they sustain to biblical Christianity? And is it arrogant and judgmental of us to suggest that they are all in error and that Christianity alone embodies the truth about God and eternal life?Read More ➔

#7 “Contrary to Nature” What the Bible Says about Homosexuality and Transgenderism (Part One): Romans 1:24-27

By: Sam Storms

I face an immediate and unavoidable challenge in talking about homosexuality. In Romans 12:9 Paul exhorts us to “let love be genuine.” And in Romans 12:10 he commands us to “love one another with brotherly affection.” Here is the challenge. He also says in our passage in Romans 1 that some expressions of human sexuality are impure, dishonorable, contrary to nature, shameless, and deserving of eternal judgment. So, how can one be loving and yet say such things about homosexual conduct?Read More ➔

Best Books of 2022

By: Sam Storms

In the past I’ve gone beyond ten books for the year, but this time I’ve limited my list to the traditional ten. I hope you enjoy each one! (10) Deeper: Real Change for Real Sinners, by Dane Ortlund (Wheaton: Crossway), 186 pages. In something of a sequel to his best-selling book, Gentle and Lowly, Dane Ortlund, my former student at Wheaton College and son of one of my close friends, Ray Ortlund, has written a superb and accessible explanation of the way Chr...Read More ➔

#8 “Contrary to Nature” What the Bible Says about Homosexuality and Transgenderism (Part Two): Romans 1:24-27; Genesis 1:27; Matthew 19:4-5; 1 Corinthians 6:9-11

By: Sam Storms

Last week we examined what the Bible says about homosexuality, both in the OT and primarily in Romans 1 in the NT. Today we turn our attention to two topics. First, I want to say a few words about the so-called “transgender” movement. Second, I want us to think deeply about the practical implications of how to live consistently with what the Bible says on these two highly controversial subjects.Read More ➔

#9 This is What Happens when People Hate God: Romans 1:28-32

By: Sam Storms

In his acceptance speech for the Templeton Prize for Progress in Religion in 1983, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn addressed the reason for the Russian Revolution that resulted in the slaughter of 60 million people. After spending fifty years studying this question, Solzhenitsyn summarized his conclusion with this statement: “Men have forgotten God; that’s why all this has happened.”Read More ➔

#10 The Justice and Kindness of God: Can Both Be True?: Romans 2:1-5

By: Sam Storms

To the extreme frustration of most preachers, sermons are frequently forgotten moments after they are delivered. I ought to know, I’ve preached my fair share of truly forgettable sermons!Read More ➔

#11 So, is Salvation by Faith or by Works?: Romans 2:6-11

By: Sam Storms

There is no more important question for anyone to ask and answer than this: How might I be forgiven of my sins and reconciled to God, my Creator? I’m not suggesting that we don’t face other challenging issues in life. For some, it may be about which political party one should align with, or perhaps whether one should remain independent. I know many parents who feel the most pressing question right now concerns the education of their children: home school? private school? public school? Or perhaps some other option I haven’t considered.Read More ➔

Good News of Great Joy!

By: Sam Storms

And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: y...Read More ➔

#12 The Day when the Secrets of our Souls will be Judged: Romans 2:12-16

By: Sam Storms

I can’t begin to tell you how often people challenge me, either in the form of a question or a protest, that goes something like this: “How can God be just when so few people have access to the Bible? How can God possibly be good and fair if he condemns people for failing to believe something they never heard?” “I can understand why God would hold the Jewish people during the time of the OT accountable for their sins. They had the Law of Moses. They knew what God’s will was. They knew what he demanded and commanded, so their disobedience is certainly deserving of judgment. But what about the rest of the world that didn’t have the privilege of reading God’s law or the opportunity to obey it?” “How can God fairly judge all people when everyone has differing levels of access to God’s will and ways? Wouldn’t it be unfair for him to judge someone who grew up in remote regions of the Sudan by the same standard that he judges someone who grew up in OKC?” Read More ➔

Do the Christmas stories in Matthew 2 and Luke 2 contradict each other?

By: Sam Storms

A question that people often ask is how the visit of the wise men in Matthew 2 fits in with story of Luke 2? You will recall that the wise men came to Jerusalem asking about the impending birth of the “king of the Jews” (Matt. 2:2). Herod got wind of this and enlisted the wise men to go to Bethlehem, find this child, and then report back to him. The wise men went to Bethlehem and found the baby Jesus with his mother Mary in what Matthew calls a “house&r...Read More ➔

#13 The Horrors of Hypocrisy: Romans 2:17-29

By: Sam Storms

I assume that most of you have heard of Ravi Zacharias, a world-famous and widely published Christian apologist. I heard him speak in person for the first time at a conference where I was also speaking in Orlando, Florida, back in the early 1990’s. I was astounded by his range of knowledge. He displayed what appeared to be a photographic memory as he cited at length, without notes, extensive quotations of famous individuals. He was articulate, energetic, passionate, and many, to this day, attribute their Christian faith to his influence. His books sold more than 2,000,000 copies.Read More ➔

When was Jesus born?

By: Sam Storms

The Christmas story begins with a brief historical note in Luke 2:1-2. The emperor Caesar Augustus who issued this decree was in fact the grand nephew of Julius Caesar, which is to say that his mother (Atia) was the daughter of Julia, Julius Caesar’s sister. It’s amazing how often people get caught up in the debate over when Jesus was actually born. In order to answer this question, we need to understand the nature of our calendar. In a.d. 525 Pope John I a...Read More ➔

#14 Objection Overruled!: Romans 3:1-8

By: Sam Storms

By God’s grace, I’ve only been called to serve on a jury once. It was in Dallas in 1983. As it turned out, the accused had already pled guilty. Our task was to assess the appropriate punishment. In order to make our job possible, the assistant District Attorney of Dallas County rehearsed for us the evidence against the man and called several eyewitnesses to the stand to testify concerning the heinous and high-handed character of his crime. I’ve thought often since that day that we were, perhaps, too severe in the punishment meted out. Read More ➔

Seven Gifts from God (A Christmas Meditation)

By: Sam Storms

Christmas, for some, can be an especially discouraging time of year. One often hears of those suffering from “seasonal depression” or the “holiday blues” as they contemplate the loss of a loved one, a failed marriage, unemployment and the financial pressure of being unable to provide gifts for their family, or perhaps a child who simply won’t come home. But I have good news for you today! You have a reason to rejoice that far exceeds the co...Read More ➔

#15 You Have Spiritual Cancer. It’s Terminal. But There is a Cure!: Romans 3:9-20

By: Sam Storms

Most of you will not know the name of Dr. Marvin Knight, but he served for many years as the orthopedic surgeon for the Dallas Cowboys professional football team. Those of you who are old enough to remember, can probably envision in your mind a tall man wearing a huge cowboy hat lumbering out to the middle of the field to check up on a player who had just been injured during the game. That was Dr. Knight. I saw him dozens of times on TV treat injured Cowboy players before I ever met him in person.Read More ➔

#16 The Vocabulary of Salvation: Romans 3:21-26

By: Sam Storms

If you were to ask me who, in my opinion, was the most frustrated and pathetic man ever to appear on TV, I would immediately point the finger at Hamilton Burger. Many of you are too young to know anything of Hamilton Burger, as he appeared regularly as the District Attorney on the TV show, Perry Mason, which ran from 1957 to 1966. I refer to Burger as frustrated and somewhat pathetic because he never won a single case against Mason, the defense attorney. He suffered one crushing defeat after another. It certainly wasn’t for lack of effort or skill. Burger would amass before the court what he believed was irrefutable and convincing evidence against Mason’s client, the accused. Read More ➔

#17 Why God’s Demonstration of His Glory and Justice is the Most Loving Thing He Could Do: Romans 3:21-31

By: Sam Storms

Do you remember the famous story told by Hans Christian Anderson concerning the Emperor and his clothes? According to the tale, a group of very clever con men approached an Emperor offering to weave for him a rare and costly garment that would be unlike any other garment in the world. This garment would have the marvelous, indeed, the magical capacity of revealing to the Emperor all the fools and idiots in his kingdom. Because of the special quality of the threads, the garment could be seen only by the wise. It would be invisible to all fools and morons.Read More ➔

#18 Is Acceptance with God by Achieving or by Believing?: Romans 4:1-12

By: Sam Storms

When I was in seminary a group of professors and students went into the streets of downtown Dallas to take a survey. They approached the people on the street with two questions:Read More ➔

#19 Trusting our God who is Able to do what He has Promised!: Romans 4:13-25

By: Sam Storms

Donald Grey Barnhouse was for many years the pastor of the Tenth Presbyterian Church in downtown Philadelphia. He died in 1960. During the time when he was actively in ministry, he was asked to address a combined meeting of several civic clubs in a certain city. After speaking on the gospel, a friend whispered in his ear: “Dr. Barnhouse, that man over there is a prominent businessman who always tries to trick our guest speakers. I just thought I’d warn you in advance.”Read More ➔

#20 The Spiritual Harvest of Justification: Romans 5:1-11 (1)

By: Sam Storms

The founder and first President of Dallas Theological Seminary was Lewis Sperry Chafer. He died in 1952. When I was a student there we were required to read most of his 7-volume Systematic Theology. Virtually every theological issue was addressed in those seven volumes, some of which I disagree with.Read More ➔

#21 Overwhelmed by the Flood Waters of God’s Love: Romans 5:1-11 (2)

By: Sam Storms

I don’t know if you have picked up on this over the years that I’ve been senior pastor here at Bridgeway, but one of the primary things that I have tried to do is to prepare you for suffering. I know that sounds strange, but there is a reason for it. Suffering, more than anything else in life, poses the greatest threat to our belief in God’s goodness. When stuff happens, painful, distressing, discouraging stuff, our instinctive reaction is to blame God either for causing it or for not intervening to make it go away. When that happens, we take offense at God. We become bitter and resentful, and our faith starts to dwindle and weaken. Read More ➔

The United Methodist Church and Homosexuality

By: Sam Storms

As I’m sure you are aware, there is a massive exodus underway in the United Methodist Church. Literally hundreds of churches (perhaps more than a thousand by now) have voted to withdraw from the denomination because of the ever-increasing debate about whether homosexual behavior is sinful and whether ordained clergy can officiate at so-called “same-sex” weddings. Yesterday, December 11, 2022, in our local newspaper (The Oklahoman), there appeared an ar...Read More ➔

#22 The “Much More” Love of God: Romans 5:1-11 (3)

By: Sam Storms

Have you ever read a passage of Scripture and immediately recognized yourself in the text? I do, every time I read Romans 5:6-11. You may wonder how that could be, given the fact that the personal name of “Sam Storms” does not appear in it. Oh, but I’m there. I’m there, writ large. I am the one who is “weak.” I am the one who is “ungodly.” I am the “sinner.” I am God’s “enemy.” Read More ➔

#23 Two Men, Two Deeds, Two Destinies: Romans 5:12-21

By: Sam Storms

Romans is known for many things, one of which is that more than a few scholars consider it to be the most theologically complex and challenging book in the Bible. That being the case, it is worth asking: “What specific passages in Romans give it this reputation?” Some of you who are familiar with Romans might point to Romans 7. Others would argue that Romans 9 is the most challenging chapter. But I believe it has to be Romans 5:12-21. Read More ➔

#24 Three Times Saved!: Romans 6:1-14 (1)

By: Sam Storms

Why did God become a man? Why did the transcendent, majestic Lord of the universe, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, condescend to become a human being in the person of Jesus Christ? Why did he suffer humiliation and rejection from his own creation, ultimately to die naked and beaten upon a Roman cross? Why did Jesus Christ come into this world?Read More ➔

#25 Dead to Sin and Alive to God: Romans 6:1-14 (2)

By: Sam Storms

There quite simply is no more pressing, practical issue for every one of us than how to gain victory over the temptation and sin that we encounter each day of our lives. Those temptations are many and varied, ranging from pornography to deceitfulness to selfishness to theft to lying to lust to irrational outbursts of anger to adultery, jealous, envy, and so on. I’m sure if I provided you with an even more extensive list of the challenges we face every day, most if not all of you would at some point raise your hand and say, “Yeah, that’s me. You nailed it. That’s my struggle. That’s my sin.” Read More ➔

#26 Are You God’s Slave or Sin’s Slave?: Romans 6:15-23

By: Sam Storms

I want to tell you a story about an exceedingly odd Christian man. He is known to history as St. Simeon the Stylite. Simeon was born in 390 a.d. and died in 459. At the age of 13 he heard a sermon on the Beatitudes of Jesus from Matthew 5. He immediately cast himself down at the door of a monastery, begging to be granted entry. He lay there several days and refused to eat or drink. He grew accustomed to eating only on Sundays. Read More ➔

“What is a woman?”

By: Sam Storms

[An insightful article by Carl R. Trueman.] Carl R. Trueman | Even our dictionaries are unclear now As the most perplexing and intractable question of the hour for our cultural elites seems to be “What is a woman?”, it is interesting to see that the Merriam Webster Dictionary has provided them with some help. This comes in the form of an addition to its definition of “girl,” one meaning of which we are now told is “a person whose gender id...Read More ➔

#27 Your Life Matters to God: Romans 7:1-13

By: Sam Storms

I’ve been profoundly affected these past few weeks by something in Paul’s language here in Romans 7. I didn’t at first give it much attention, as I was focused on trying to make sense of what he says about the law and our relationship to it. But there it was, in Romans 7:4. Read More ➔

#28 The War!: Romans 7:14-25

By: Sam Storms

Can anyone who just heard the text we read from Romans 7 honestly say, “I can’t relate to that? I don’t recognize myself in what Paul says. I’ve never experienced this internal battle with indwelling sin. I don’t know what the apostle means when he describes himself as wanting to do one thing only to discover that he does its opposite. I can’t relate to his description of himself as doing the very things he hates while failing to do the things he loves.”Read More ➔

What Does It Mean To Be Winsomely Reformed?

By: Sam Storms

October 12, 2022 Michael Kruger [This article by my friend, Michael Kruger, is one that all need to read and heed.] There’s been a lot of discussion in the last year (and the last week) of what it means to be winsomely reformed. And, sadly, the loudest voices have been undeniably against the idea of being winsome. It has been critiqued as wishy-washy, a failed cultural strategy, or as an expression of weakness rather than strength. While this is certainly an imp...Read More ➔

#29 The Two Most Glorious Words a Sinful Soul Can Hear: Romans 8:1-4

By: Sam Storms

What are the two most glorious words that a sinful soul can hear? What are the two most encouraging and heartwarming words that I could speak to you today? What two words have more power to lift you out of depression than any others? What two words can put your fears to rest and deliver you from anxiety and doubt? What two words do each and every one of you here today need to hear from God? No condemnation!Read More ➔

#30 The Holy Spirit is in Us, and We are in the Holy Spirit: Romans 8:5-13

By: Sam Storms

When I was a sophomore at the University of Oklahoma, the Christian apologist Josh McDowell arrived on campus and spoke at the student union. If you’ve ever heard McDowell speak, you know that he is incredibly articulate and persuasive. He spoke that night on a wide range of topics, but focused primarily on the gospel of Jesus Christ. The many facets of that gospel which we have been examining thus far in Romans were addressed.Read More ➔

#31 Abba! Father!: Romans 8:14-17

By: Sam Storms

I’m often blessed by reflecting on the many ways in which the Bible portrays our relationship with God. There are all sorts of illustrations and metaphors and vivid word pictures that in one way or another describe who we are. For example, in the OT the people of God are an army, of which God is the commander-in-chief. Numerous times, in both the OT and NT, we are described as sheep, with God as our shepherd. We are also portrayed as a building or a temple, of which Jesus Christ is the cornerstone. On several occasions we are portrayed as a body, of which Jesus is the head. Read More ➔

#32 The Great Disproportion: Romans 8:16-18; 2 Corinthians 12:1-6

By: Sam Storms

In reading your Bible, have you ever felt as if a verse of Scripture suddenly seemed to leap off the page and smack you upside the head with a thud. And it hurts! When I say, it hurts, I mean that it is a sudden jolt to the system. It’s a bit scary. It’s unnerving. It may be downright painful to your soul. You read it and say to yourself, “I wish I hadn’t read that. My life and emotional stability in general would have been much better off had I never seen this statement.” Read More ➔

#33 Everyone and Everything is Groaning (even God): Romans 8:18-27

By: Sam Storms

I hardly need to remind you of the devastating and destructive power of what we call nature or the material creation. In the past few months, we have witnessed Hurricane Ida, as well as ravaging fires throughout the western United States, accompanied by record-breaking high temperatures. As I recall, one day this summer it reached 130 degrees in Death Valley. Read More ➔

What's going to happen 30 seconds after the Rapture?

By: Sam Storms

That was the title to an article that appeared at the Christian Post a couple of weeks ago. I’m quite sure that it caught the attention of many who then read it with unbridled joy. If you’re wondering what the cause of their joy might be, the answer was clear: escape from the wrath of God. Before I give you my answer to the question in this title, let me say a brief word about “escape from the wrath of God.” Those who argue for a pretribulational...Read More ➔

#34 Spiritual Help for Weak People: Romans 8:26-27

By: Sam Storms

Yet another survey of professing Christians was recently conducted. And once again the results are terribly disappointing. The survey was conducted by the Cultural Research Center of Arizona Christian University in its recently released American Worldview Inventory, an annual survey that evaluates the worldview of the U.S. adult population. Conducted in February, the survey included a nationally representative sample of 2,000 adults. What did the survey reveal? Some 62% of self-identified born-again Christians contend that the Holy Spirit is not a real, living being but is merely a symbol of God’s power, presence or purity.Read More ➔

#35 The Most Powerful and Precious Promise in the Bible: Romans 8:28-30

By: Sam Storms

I don’t know if you have noticed this, but in the past few years I seem to have introduced quite a few of my sermons with a long list of all the tragedies, trials, and devastating events in our world. I’ve talked about earthquakes and tsunamis and hurricanes and pandemics and racial division and economic hardships and recurring diseases and raging wildfires and military conflicts and political upheaval, and countless other issues we face each day. Read More ➔

Do You Live in Fear of Divine Judgment?

By: Sam Storms

Richard Baxter takes up a topic that often plagues the souls of many Christians. Notwithstanding the gloriously reassuring promise that “there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 8:1), many live in fear that they will suffer the condemnation that Christ Jesus has already endured and exhausted in himself on the cross. So, Baxter writes: “Who will bring any charge against God’s elect (Rom. 8:33)? Will the law condemn us? No!...Read More ➔

#36 The Unbreakable, Golden Chain of Salvation: Romans 8:28-30

By: Sam Storms

Churches and denominations throughout history have often argued and divided over a number of issues, such as: (1) the role of women in ministry leadership, (2) the timing of the rapture, be it before, during, or after the so-called tribulation, (3) water baptism: is it for infants of believing parents or only for those who have come to personal faith in Jesus Christ, and (4) the question of miraculous gifts of the Spirit: did they cease with the death of the apostles in the first century, or do they continue into the present day? Read More ➔

#37 The Incalculable, Insurmountable, Sin-Killing, Soul-Preserving Love of God: Romans 8:31-39

By: Sam Storms

I have a guaranteed answer to one of the most pressing questions you will ever ask. I have a remedy for what may well be the greatest fear in your heart. The question and the fear are the same: Will God’s love for me one day dissipate and disappear? Is there a limit to his love? Is it even remotely possible that one day he will simply grow tired of me and give up? The answer is a resounding, No!Read More ➔

#38 The Most Unusual Intercessory Prayer in the Bible: Romans 9:1-5

By: Sam Storms

I sometimes wish the Bible were like Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary. Although it would lose its literary flare and beauty, at least we would have precise definitions for all the doctrines of the faith. We could look up under “T” the Trinity and find an inspired definition. Or we could turn to “S” and discover the definition of salvation. Read More ➔

#39 It is All because of Him who Calls: Romans 9:6-13

By: Sam Storms

Today, unlike most Sundays, I’m going to forego any form of introduction to the sermon. The depth and complexities and challenges of our passage today requires as much time as possible. So let’s jump into the deep end of the theological pool right from the start.Read More ➔

#40 Arguing with God, or, the Clay that Complained: Romans 9:14-23

By: Sam Storms

E. D. Hirsch, Jr., was professor of English at the University of Virginia for many years. As far as I know, he is still alive at the age of 93. His most famous book was titled, Cultural Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know. Hirsch is convinced that there are certain facts and information that are foundational to literacy. He has in mind dates, events, people, and ideas with which you should be conversant if you hope to function properly in American culture.Read More ➔

The Comfort in Knowing that Christ will Return!

By: Sam Storms

Can you imagine what life now would be like if we had no assurance that Jesus will return to consummate his kingdom? Here is how Baxter addressed this issue in The Saints’ Everlasting Rest. “Imagine, fellow Christian, what would we do if our Lord did not intend to return? What misfortune! But will he really leave us among wolves (Acts 20:29), in the lions’ den (Dan. 6), among a generation of serpents (Matt. 23:33), and here forget us? Would he buy us a...Read More ➔

#41 The Ultimate Remedy for Racism (and other Important Issues): Romans 9:24-33

By: Sam Storms

The issue of race and the potential it has to divide and disrupt the life of our culture at large and the church in particular has, perhaps, never been so much in evidence as it is today. On numerous occasions in the past, I’ve explained how the division and racial hostility between Jew and Gentile threatened the very existence of the early church. You may also recall the strategy that Jesus gave the disciples for how the gospel of the kingdom would be spread, and simultaneously provided them and us with a remedy for racism. He said in Acts 1:8, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”Read More ➔

#42 Prayer and Predestination are Friends, not Enemies: Romans 10:1-4

By: Sam Storms

Today we are going to dig deeply into the subject of prayer, or should I say the “mystery” of prayer. All of us, without exception, struggle to pray. Some attribute their failure to pray to the busyness of life: “I just don’t have time,” so they say. Others don’t pray because it so often seems rather one-sided, as if I’m doing all the talking and I struggle to believe that anyone is listening. Then there are those who have become disillusioned when requests they have brought to God for years remain unanswered to this very day.Read More ➔

“Your Everlasting Comfort”: The Promised Security of the Love of God

By: Sam Storms

Richard Baxter speaks directly to the fear of many that perhaps God’s love for us is temporary or conditional or will, for some unexplained reason, ultimately die. In his classic work, The Saints’ Everlasting Rest, he seeks to silence this fear once and for all. “Know this, believer, to your everlasting comfort, that if these arms have once embraced you, neither sin nor hell can ever pluck you from them (John 10:28-29). The sanctuary is inviolable and ...Read More ➔

#43 The Riches of God are for All who Believe: Romans 10:5-13

By: Sam Storms

I’m sure you have come to expect a special message on the Sunday before Christmas, and this year will be no exception. But that doesn’t mean we won’t be in Romans. After considerable thought and prayer, I honestly couldn’t think of a passage of Scripture more suited to Christmas than Romans 10:5-13. Think about it. Christmas is the glorious good news that God has sent his Son to save his people. This is what the angel said to Joseph when he discovered that Mary was pregnant: Read More ➔

#44 Go!: Romans 10:14-21

By: Sam Storms

I’ve got a story to tell you. It concerns a young lady by the name of Jackie. From the age of eight she repeatedly heard in her heart the simple exhortation, “Go.” Jackie lived in England, together with her identical twin sister and parents. She graduated from the Royal College of Music in London with a specialization in playing the oboe. At the age of 22 she still couldn’t shake the voice that had beckoned her for so many years. With what appeared to be such a vague sense of calling, no missionary organization would sponsor her. She finally decided to follow the advice of a pastor named Richard Thomson, who told her, in so many words, to take a slow boat to China and pray that God would tell her when to get off. Read More ➔

#45 A Remnant, Chosen by Grace: Romans 11:1-10

By: Sam Storms

I want to ask all of you a question today, but I don’t expect you to shout out your answer. Here it is. What single event in the last 75 years has had the greatest impact on the Christian church? The impact doesn’t have to be a good one. It may be, but it might also be damaging. Read More ➔

#46 And in This Way, all Israel will be Saved: Romans 11:11-32

By: Sam Storms

Last week I shared with you my opinion that the single most influential event in the last 75 years, as far as its impact on the Christian church is concerned, was the formal establishment of the modern state of Israel in 1948. There are many today who would share my opinion, but they do so for different reasons. Some believe that Israel’s emergence as an independent nation is important because it is the fulfillment of biblical prophecy, and may very well be a sign of the soon return of our Lord Jesus Christ.Read More ➔

#47 rOH!mans: Romans 11:33-36

By: Sam Storms

If you were to conduct a wide-ranging survey that asked, “What’s wrong with the Church in America?” I am quite certain that a variety of answers would be given. I have no intention of listing them all. Instead, I have one answer of my own. It may strike you as odd when you first hear it, but bear with me. The greatest problem in the contemporary church is that people are bored with God. They aren’t so much offended with him or confused by him. They are simply bored.Read More ➔

Do You Think You can Overlove God?

By: Sam Storms

Have you ever thought about the incredible privilege granted to us to love God? More than that, how often do you reflect on the depths of God’s love for you? Today we continue our meditations on Richard Baxter’s incredible book on heaven, The Saints’ Everlasting Rest, and reflect on the reality of being loved by Love himself. “What a great favor it is that God will give us leave to love him, that he will graciously allow himself to be embraced by...Read More ➔

#48 Moved by the Mercies of God: Romans 12:1-2

By: Sam Storms

I don’t think it is an exaggeration to say that at no other time in the experience of the church in the 21st century has there been such an urgent, vital need for Christian holiness as there is right now. It grieves me to say this, but hardly a day passes that I don’t either hear or read of another scandal, some scurrilous bit of news, be it financial or sexual or in some way related to spiritual abuse or bullying. And I’m not talking about what goes on in Hollywood or Las Vegas or on Wall Street. I’m talking about the professing Christian church. The effect of it all is to cast an ever-lengthening shadow over the integrity and purity of the evangelical body of Christ.Read More ➔

#49 You Have a Spiritual Gift: Now Use It!: Romans 12:3-8

By: Sam Storms

One would be hard-pressed to identify a more controversial subject in Scripture than that of spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy. So, today we will closely examine Paul’s list of gifts here in vv. 3-8 and spend most of our time on defining what prophecy is and how it operates in the local church.Read More ➔

How Memory in Heaven will Serve to Increase our Joy!

By: Sam Storms

Today we continue our meditations on Richard Baxter’s incredible book on heaven, The Saints’ Everlasting Rest. Baxter here reflects on the role that memory will play in our experience of heaven. Rather than bring sadness or regret, it will only serve to highlight the majesty of what is ours in heaven. “To compare past with present things must surely raise in the soul an inconceivable esteem and sense of its blessed condition. To stand at that height wh...Read More ➔

#50 What Does Christian Love Look Like?: Romans 12:9-16

By: Sam Storms

On the eve of his crucifixion, sometime during the observance of that last Passover meal with his disciples, our Lord said something of profound significance, something the implications of which not even his disciples fully understood at the time. “By this,” Jesus said, “all people will know that you are my disciples, if . . .” (John 13:35).Read More ➔

#51 God and Getting Even: Romans 12:17-21

By: Sam Storms

If a person didn’t know anything about human nature, he might look at all of us today and conclude that we have very little in common. We don’t all look alike, dress alike, walk or talk alike. Well, maybe in Oklahoma we all talk alike, but you get my point. Each of us has his or her own distinctive personality, unique likes and dislikes, all of which might lead someone to think that we are fundamentally different from one another.Read More ➔

#52 Is Capital Punishment Supported by the Scriptures? A Biblical Analysis of a Contentious Debate: Romans 13:1-7 (1)

By: Sam Storms

In October of 2021, a survey of some 500 registered voters in Oklahoma revealed that 64% favor the death penalty, with 41% strongly in support of it and 23% somewhat in favor of it. 23% of those polled oppose the death penalty. 13% said they were undecided. We may soon find out if these percentages are accurate, as Democratic State Representative Mauree Turner has filed legislation for the 2022 session that would create a state question to be voted on to determine if the death penalty should be retained. Twenty-three states have already abolished the death penalty.Read More ➔

What Is the Difference between God’s Discipline and God’s Punishment?

By: Sam Storms

[Here is the transcript of a brief interview that I did with Crossway. It is based on my book, A Dozen Things God Did With Your Sin (and three things he’ll never do).] November 10, 2022 God Doesn’t Repay Sin There are things God will never do with our sin—one of which is that he will never repay us. He will never count it against us. It's interesting when you contrast this with human behavior. We are very good at repaying people for their sins. We mi...Read More ➔

#53 God, Government, and Taxes, in a Time of Social Unrest: Romans 13:1-7 (2)

By: Sam Storms

It’s been many years since this incident occurred, but I can still remember the story of Joan Andrews, a small, soft-spoken Roman Catholic. On March 26, 1986, she entered an abortion clinic in Pensacola, Florida, and attempted to damage a suction machine used to perform abortions. She was arrested, charged, and convicted of criminal mischief, burglary, and resisting arrest without violence. The prosecution asked for a one-year sentence, but the Judge gave her five years. She was taken to the Broward Correctional Institute, a tough maximum security women’s prison where she was placed in solitary confinement. She served 2 ½ years of her sentence.Read More ➔

#54 Wake Up! Get Dressed! And Live Each Day Clothed in Christ Jesus!: Romans 13:8-14

By: Sam Storms

This is one of those special paragraphs in God’s Word that is so rich and thick and abundantly overflowing with truth that it will take all my time to unpack it for you. So, I’m going to forego any formal introduction and jump immediately into the deep end of the pool. There are three primary areas of focus for us today. First, I want to address an issue that comes up in the light of Paul’s exhortation not to “owe” anyone “anything” (v. 8a). Second, I want to explore what it means to love one’s neighbor as oneself and how doing so is a fulfillment of the law of God. Third, we will look at the urgent exhortation of Paul in vv. 11-14 that we “put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh to gratify its desires” (v. 14).Read More ➔

When the Blessings of Heaven Threaten to Blow your Mind!

By: Sam Storms

Today we continue our deep dive into Richard Baxter’s classic work, The Saints’ Everlasting Rest, as edited and abridged by Tim Cooper. “This rest,” says Baxter, “contains as the highest part our deepest enjoyment of God the highest good. And here, reader, do not be surprised if I am at a loss. When I know so little of God, I cannot know much of what it is to enjoy him. When I know so little of my own soul while it is here in this tabernacl...Read More ➔

#55 The Weak, the Strong, and the Challenge of Christian Liberty Romans 14:1-12

By: Sam Storms

One of the foundational pillars on which Bridgeway Church is built is the divine inspiration and absolute authority of Holy Scripture. To put it bluntly: when the Bible speaks, we listen. But what should the Christian do when the Bible does not speak? Every issue on which the Bible does speak, it speaks infallibly. But the Bible does not speak on every issue. It is not an encyclopedia of ethics. What, then, are we to do when issues arise on which the Bible remains silent? How is a Christian to act on matters not directly addressed in Scripture, especially when they cause conflict and division in the church? That is what Romans 14 is all about.Read More ➔

#56 Never Become a Slave to Your Own Freedom, or How the Strong should relate to the Weak: Romans 14:13-23

By: Sam Storms

Virtually every moment of every day every Christian is forced to make decisions or choices between alternative courses of action. Often these decisions are of little if any moral consequence: decisions such as what to wear to work, where to eat lunch, which of many differing cars one should purchase, and so on. Other decisions, however, are of great moral consequence. They are decisions that affect not only ourselves but also the people around us. These are the decisions we do not take lightly. As Christians, our first course of action is to turn to the Bible, for we know that in his written Word God has provided us with inspired, infallible, authoritative guidance to help us make the right choice in any given situation.Read More ➔

The Incomprehensibly Glorious, but Real Blessings of Heaven for the People of God

By: Sam Storms

Are you ready to die? I trust you aren’t put off by that question. I’m not asking if you want to die right now, although reading what Paul wrote in Philippians 1:19ff. appears to suggest that if the decision were up to him, he would prefer to die and be with Christ. So, let me ask again: are you ready to die? If the answer is No, it may well be due to your failure to understand what awaits the believer on the other side of life in this world. Have you given ...Read More ➔

#57 Welcoming and Pleasing Others to the Glory of God: Romans 15:1-7

By: Sam Storms

Today, I want us to start at the end of our passage, rather than at its beginning. We read in v. 7, “Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.” Here we are not only told what to do, but why. The end game, as it were, is made explicit. We are to strive in God’s grace to be a hospitable people, and the reason why is so that God may be glorified. Now, how did Paul get there? What led him to this conclusion, and how does it affect the way we approach life together here at Bridgeway Church?Read More ➔

#58 Abounding in Hope with all the People of God: Romans 15:8-13

By: Sam Storms

There are numerous things that mattered greatly to Paul, a reflection of what matters greatly to God. It is God who placed these burdens on the apostle’s heart that he in turn might place them on ours. Now, what “burdens” do I have in mind? What one critically important “thing” weighs so heavily on Paul that he would repeatedly call on us to embrace? Read More ➔

#59 Are Signs, Wonders, and Miracles for Today?: Romans 15:18-19

By: Sam Storms

Here in Romans 15:18-19 Paul mentions four important truths to account for the success of his evangelistic ministry. He refers to the primary instruments by which he successfully led pagan Gentiles to believe the gospel. First, Paul points to the “word” he proclaimed. He verbally declared the truth of who Jesus is and what he did. Second, his ministry was also characterized by “deeds.” This could conceivably include everything he did, be it acts of mercy or generosity or compassion or serving the poor. But the more likely reference is to the “signs and wonders” that he was enabled to perform, which is the third expression of his evangelistic ministry. Fourth, he accomplished all this, both word and deed, signs and wonders, “by the power of the Spirit of God.”Read More ➔

#60 The Providence of God, the Personal Paul, and his Love for the Romans: Romans 15:14-29

By: Sam Storms

All of us will admit, I am sure, that Romans is the most complex biblical letter when it comes to deep theological truths. It stretches the mind and confronts and challenges our personal theological preferences more so than any other NT book.Read More ➔

#61 Partnering with God through Prayer to Shape the Course of History: Romans 15:30-33

By: Sam Storms

I’ll be the first to admit that prayer is one of the more perplexing mysteries in the Christian life. Why does God repeatedly encourage us to pray? If God wants to accomplish some goal for his own glory, why doesn’t he just do it? Why does God tell us that if we hope to experience certain blessings, we must first ask for them? Does prayer really make a difference? Does prayer change things? Can we expect God to do for us apart from prayer what he tells us in Scripture he will do for us only through prayer? These are important and challenging questions, and there is hardly a more helpful and instructive passage in Scripture where answers can be found than right here in Romans 15:30-33. Read More ➔

To Whom was the Land Promised and for Whom will it be Ultimately Fulfilled? Or, Does the Current Secular State of Israel have a Biblical Claim on the Land?

By: Sam Storms

I’ve been asked on countless occasions the question posed in the title to this article. Space does not allow a lengthy and detailed response, so let me sum up what I believe the Bible says in five short points. (1) From the original covenant promise to Abraham, the land has been a central feature of God’s purpose for his people. Genesis 15:18, “On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, ‘To your offspring I give this land, from the ...Read More ➔

#62 Women in the Life of the Church: Romans 16:1-5a

By: Sam Storms

Today, as we inch ever closer to the conclusion of our time in Romans, I want to address an issue that I’ve rarely mentioned on Sunday mornings. It seems only wise that before I step down as Lead Pastor that I articulate as best I can what we believe the Bible says about women in the life of the church, and more specifically, women in the life and ministry of Bridgeway. So, buckle your seat belts, and let’s see what Romans 16 and the rest of the NT have to say on this topic.Read More ➔

#63 Rome and Bridgeway: Diverse Spiritual Families: Romans 16:1-16

By: Sam Storms

Whenever I come across a passage in the Bible like Romans 16, I can’t help but think about what Paul said in 2 Timothy 3:16-17. I’m sure you know that text quite well, but let me shine a light on it again today:Read More ➔

When You and Scripture Disagree, Who Wins?

By: Sam Storms

I have often written about the diminishing presence in the professing church of what might be called the “functional authority” of Scripture. Most professing Christians contend that they believe in the “authority” of the Bible in some vague sense of the term. But when it comes to how the Bible actually “functions” to exert its authority over our beliefs and behavior, well, that is another matter. Let me give you one example from histo...Read More ➔

#64: Separating from Smooth Talking Heretics and Stomping the Devil Beneath our Feet: Romans 16:17-23

By: Sam Storms

Perhaps never before, during the last 2,000 years, has there been such a vitriolic, venomous attack launched against the Christian church as we see today. I know this sounds a bit grandiose and maybe even a bit melodramatic, but consider a few undeniable facts.Read More ➔

#65: Strength for Weak People through the Gospel of Him Who is Able! Romans 16:25-27

By: Sam Storms

My first sermon in Romans was early in October of 2020. Here we are, nearly two years later, concluding our study of the single most important letter in the single most important book in the world. It has taken us 65 weeks to get here, but I trust that you have found it to be a blessing and an encouragement in your Christian experience.Read More ➔

Is it Okay to Pray a Curse on My Enemies? (Psalm 5)

By: Sam Storms

The so-called imprecatory psalms have always posed a problem for Christians who wonder if it is permissible for them to pray a curse or ask for judgment on the unbelieving of the world. I’ve written extensively on this in my book, More Precious Than Gold: 50 Daily Devotions on the Psalms (Crossway). Yesterday (October 27), Crossway published a short article by C. John Collins addressing this question in light of Psalm 5. Here is the portion of the psalm that Colli...Read More ➔

Christians and the Recreational Use of Marijuana

By: Sam Storms

A few years ago, when I was preaching through Proverbs, I address the question of whether or not Christians should make use of marijuana for recreational purposes. Last week, Joe Carter of the Gospel Coalition wrote an excellent article explaining why his answer is No. I urge you to read it here. Below is the summation of the reasons why I agree with Carter. These comments are taken from my sermon on the subject. As most of you know, this past November (2013) the citiz...Read More ➔

The Outrage of Jesus

By: Sam Storms

October 06, 2022 / by: D. A. Carson Expressions of Grief Today it is considered good form to weep discretely, dab tears and turn away, to be quiet and subdued. We go into a mortuary, and our voices go down to a whisper as we talk quietly. We might well consider it good taste to let the bereaved family member go to the tomb in peace and privacy. But in many cultures in the world, including the Jewish culture in the first century, that was simply not the way it was. They...Read More ➔

Two Truths You Must Believe When You Feel Stuck in Your Sin

By: Sam Storms

[The following brief article is adapted from my book, A Dozen Things God Did With Your Sin (and three things he’ll never do), and appeared on October 1st at the Crossway blog.] See Your Sin, Break the Cycle There are certain people who are just stuck in this seemingly endless cycle of sin. Oh, I feel conviction. Oh, I confess and repent and I receive forgiveness. And then the next day it happens all over again, and they are in this seemingly endless cycle. There ...Read More ➔

Did God Change His Mind about Judging the Ninevites?

By: Sam Storms

Many people are confused by what happened with the Ninevites because of the way Jonah 3:9-10 has been translated by some versions of the Bible: “Who knows,” asks the king of Ninevites? “God may change his mind and turn from his fierce anger, so that we may not perish. When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God changed his mind concerning the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it” (Jonah 3:...Read More ➔

The Countless Reasons why the Only Wise God is deserving of All Glory Forevermore

By: Sam Storms

When Paul, in Romans 16:27, refers to God as “the only wise God” (cf. 1 Tim. 1:17) he doesn’t mean that there are a bunch of other gods that are foolish and only our God is wise. No. There is only one God, and he is infinitely wise. He knows precisely what to do in every situation. He is never caught scratching his head, trying to decipher which of multiple options is the most effective way to achieve some goal he has in mind. When you think back over R...Read More ➔

Complete 70-Part Series on the Gospel of John now Available!

By: Sam Storms

I’m pleased to announce that my verse-by-verse study of John’s gospel is now available here at www.samstorms.org. These studies are the complete manuscripts of my sermon series at Bridgeway Church in Oklahoma City. If you’ve ever wanted to read and understand John’s gospel, I trust that this series of studies will be a blessing to you. Click on Resources at the top of the Home page, and then click on Articles. The Gospel of John series is located...Read More ➔

The Gospel is for the Evangelization and Salvation of the Nations

By: Sam Storms

In Romans 16:26 Paul explicitly declares that it is the “command of the eternal God” (v. 26) that we take the glorious, good news of the gospel to every tribe and tongue and people and nation. In other words, evangelism and mission are not optional! If you wonder why here at Bridgeway we have devoted at least 12% of our income to missions, both local and global, both to church plants and ministries that make the gospel known around the world, here is the answ...Read More ➔

The Gospel is the Source of Strength for Weak People

By: Sam Storms

I fear we often have an unrealistic image of the Apostle Paul. We tend to think of him as if he were some combination of a Navy Seal and a Super-Hero. And yet, Paul knew what it was like to experience human weakness. When he described his ministry in the city of Corinth he said that he was with them “in weakness and in fear and in much trembling” (1 Cor. 2:3). I don’t need to tell any of you what it is like to feel weak and inadequate and overwhelmed. B...Read More ➔

Our God is Able!

By: Sam Storms

As most of you know by now, I concluded my sermon series on Romans on August 21st. The final three verses of Romans are a glorious summation of the greatness and glory of our God. In this brief article I simply want to highlight what Paul says about the ability or power of God. I trust you have noticed in Scripture how often the ability or power of God is emphasized and extolled. I often think of the question Jesus asked the two blind men in Matthew 9. “Do you bel...Read More ➔

1) That You May Believe! John 1:1-5; 20:30-31

By: Sam Storms

Last year, Ligonier Ministries in Florida conducted their annual theological survey among professing Christians. The results were shocking and disturbing. Read More ➔

2) No Longer a Slave: I am a Child of God! John 1:9-13

By: Sam Storms

If you don’t know this about me by now, you should be aware of the fact that I don’t do well in the presence of surgical procedures or detailed descriptions of bodily functions or our internal organs. As a result, I was not in the room for the birth of either of our daughters. I know that in today’s world it is expected that fathers be present when their wives give birth, but I come from a slightly older generation. After all, the doctor needed to focus on Ann and our newly-born babies and not on trying to revive me from having passed out on the floor!Read More ➔

3) The Mystery of All Mysteries John 1:14-18

By: Sam Storms

There are so many things in this world of ours that I don’t understand that I often wonder if I understand anything at all. I don’t understand how an ugly, slimy little caterpillar can become a beautiful, graceful butterfly. I don’t understand how a rectangular box in my house can transform electrical impulses into a movie or sporting event of remarkable color and sound. I don’t understand how typing on the keyboard of my laptop produces letters and words and images on the screen in front of me. I don’t understand why all of us have an appendix. Do you understand where the end of the universe might be? Can you explain gravity? How does the human brain work? Why is there something rather than nothing? Since this is Mother’s Day, I suppose I should ask: How does a baby not drown or suffocate in its mother’s womb? And while we’re at it, who really shot President John F. Kennedy?Read More ➔

4) The Fullness of Christ Overflowing to You and to Me! John 1:14-18

By: Sam Storms

When you hear the word “glory”, what comes first to mind? Perhaps it is the pomp and festivities surrounding a royal wedding, such as that between Prince Harry and Megan Markle last year. Or maybe the first thing that comes to mind is the Presidential Inauguration here in the U.S. Or does “glory” evoke images of a world-class athlete standing on the podium at the Olympic Games as he/she receives a gold medal for having set a world record?Read More ➔

“What is a woman?”

By: Sam Storms

[An insightful article by Carl R. Trueman.] Carl R. Trueman | Even our dictionaries are unclear now As the most perplexing and intractable question of the hour for our cultural elites seems to be “What is a woman?,” it is interesting to see that the Merriam Webster Dictionary has provided them with some help. This comes in the form of an addition to its definition of “girl,” one meaning of which we are now told is “a person whose gender id...Read More ➔

5) The Lamb of God, Atonement, and Baptism in the Spirit John 1:19-34

By: Sam Storms

Humility is not easy to define. It’s even more difficult to experience in one’s life! The apostle Paul has perhaps given us the best working definition of humility in Romans 12:3, where he writes:Read More ➔

6) “He brought him to Jesus” John 1:35-51

By: Sam Storms

We all know that Jesus is the central figure in all of Scripture. In fact, he is the central figure in all of human history. We’ve already seen this in John 1. John the Apostle has made it clear that the Son of God is eternal. He never began to be but has always been and always will be. He is God. He is the Creator of all things. He is the source of understanding and intelligence. The only reason we know anything at all is because of the enlightening work of the Son of God, whom John calls the “Word” (John 1:1). He is the reason we have been born again and adopted into the family of God. And at a point in time, centuries ago, this Word literally became flesh in the person of Jesus, without at any time ceasing to be God (John 1:14).Read More ➔

7) Water, Wine, and Wonders! John 2:1-12

By: Sam Storms

It comes as no surprise to me that there is a wide variety of opinion among Christians concerning the nature and frequency of miracles. Let me explain what I mean.Read More ➔

8) The Poison of Commercialized Religion John 2:13-25

By: Sam Storms

[The place of the Temple cleansing/judgment in John’s gospel needs to be addressed. Matthew, Mark, and Luke all place the record of Jesus cleansing the Temple at the conclusion of their gospel accounts, during the final week of Jesus’ life, only days before his crucifixion. But John describes it as occurring at the very beginning of our Lord’s public ministry, some three years earlier than what we find in the synoptic gospels. One of two explanations is given for this. Some believe that John has moved the story to the beginning of Jesus’ ministry for literary and theological purposes. It isn’t uncommon for the gospel writers to rearrange the chronology of certain events in order to make a theological point. Perhaps that is what John has done. But it is unclear what that theological point would be. Most believe, on the other hand, that Jesus entered and cleansed the Temple twice, once at the beginning of his public ministry, which is the event that John describes here in chapter two of his gospel, and a second time, some three years later, at the close of his ministry, just prior to his crucifixion. Therefore, Matthew, Mark, and Luke describe the second of the two Temple cleansings. Although we can’t be absolutely certain, I think the weight of evidence points to two cleansings, not one.]Read More ➔

9) Why You Must Be Born Again John 3:1-15

By: Sam Storms

A major corporation in America recently re-structured its management team and embraced a new mission statement. This corporation then declared: “We are born again!” Because of urban renewal efforts, city leaders declared that the south side of Chicago has been “born again”! Civic leaders in Boston said much the same thing about its west end. In fact, you hear similar claims being made about virtually every movement, political party, educational institution, and most individuals when they make some life-altering decision. There is simply no escaping the fact that the world at large has co-opted the language of being “born again” from Christians and in doing so has thoroughly corrupted the true meaning of the term.Read More ➔

10) Immeasurable Love, Unending Life: John 3:16-21

By: Sam Storms

I found myself this past week asking a question as I prepared for today: “How does one preach on a biblical text already known by virtually everyone in the world? What can one say that hasn’t already been said? How do I prevent people from mentally checking out because of their frustration at having to listen to yet one more sermon on a passage they committed to memory decades ago?” Honestly, I don’t know. I don’t have a good answer. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to skip over John 3:16 and pretend that all of you know everything that can be known about what is probably the most famous verse in all the Bible.Read More ➔

11) A Case Study in “Teeter-Totter” Theology John 3:22-30

By: Sam Storms

Most of what we find in the Bible is designed to comfort and encourage us. But there are a few texts that are deliberately designed to frighten us. By “frighten” I mean they are there to wake us up and shake us up.Read More ➔

Why I Am An Amillennialist

By: Sam Storms

Before I begin let me say with all sincerity that the debate over the millennium is a secondary issue. It should never divide Christians. What unites us is our common confession that Jesus is coming back! Let that be the basis for our unity. My departure from premillennialism was gradual and came as a result of two discoveries as I studied Scripture. In this article I will only deal with one. My change came about as I devoted myself to a thorough examination of what the...Read More ➔

12) The Spirit-Filled Life of Jesus (and yours and mine too) John 3:31-36

By: Sam Storms

In his book, Rediscovering Holiness, J. I. Packer makes the point that being a Christian is largely concerned with living our lives as Jesus lived his. Therefore, says Packer, Christians are to:Read More ➔

13) Is God’s Pursuit of his own Glory an Act of Megalomania? John 4:1-26

By: Sam Storms

Jesus is bushed. He’s tuckered out. He’s bone-tired from his journey. He’s hot, thirsty, and hungry. It’s high noon and the disciples have nothing to eat. So while they go shopping for lunch, Jesus sits down at a well to drink. It is here that he decides to enlist yet one more person into the ranks of those who will worship the Father. But it isn’t just any person. It isn’t a recent graduate of the local theological seminary. It isn’t a respectable businessman or a housewife with three kids, a cat and a dog. He chooses to speak with a person who, in the opinion of the ancient world, has already struck out. This person is a Samaritan. Strike One! This person is a woman. Strike Two! This woman is sexually immoral. Strike Three!Read More ➔

14) Intellectual Light, Spiritual Heat, and the True Worship of the True God John 4:1-42

By: Sam Storms

Last week we spent all our time unpacking the significance of what Jesus said in John 4:23. In his conversation with the Samaritan woman at the well, he told her that God is seeking people to worship him in spirit and in truth. That’s the sort of statement that will either offend you and make you angry and cause you to turn and run away from God, or it will fill you with joy and delight and excitement as you realize that in your worship of God you find your greatest heart happiness and soul satisfaction. But I don’t won’t to preach last week’s message again, so today we turn our attention to the story as a whole.Read More ➔

15) Deciphering the Mysteries of Healing John 4:46-5:17

By: Sam Storms

Does the subject of divine healing ever confuse you? I’m almost embarrassed to ask that question, because everyone answers in the same way: Yes! And I’m not sure I trust those who say No. I agonize over the question of why one person is healed and another is not, why some healings are instantaneous and total while others are gradual and partial. Does it strike you as odd, as it does me, that notwithstanding a multitude of prayers a Christian suffers and dies while a non-Christian recovers and lives without the aid of so much as one prayer? Do you find it baffling, as I do, that on occasion those who sin the most suffer the least, and those who sin the least seem to suffer the most?Read More ➔

16) The Inescapable Imperative of Honoring Jesus as God John 5:18-29

By: Sam Storms

Even though the Jehovah’s Witnesses have stopped ringing my doorbell, they will on occasion leave at my front door a copy of their magazine published by The Watchtower Society. It is very easy for undiscerning or uninformed people to think that the Jehovah’s Witnesses are a Christian group who confess Jesus as Lord. After all, the magazine several times will refer to the knowledge of Jehovah and everlasting life “through Jesus Christ.”Read More ➔

Pleased to Praise

By: Sam Storms

This brief article by John Piper was the key to my becoming a Christian Hedonist. Read and ponder it closely. Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you! (Psalm 67:3, 5) Why does God demand we must praise God? C.S. Lewis: Just as men spontaneously praise whatever they value, so they spontaneously urge us to join them in praising it: “Isn’t she lovely? Wasn’t it glorious? Don’t you think that magnificent?” The Ps...Read More ➔

17) Witness for the Defense: Indisputable Testimony Concerning the Deity of Jesus John 5:30-47

By: Sam Storms

Last week we looked at the most amazing claim that any human being ever made concerning himself. We listened as Jesus of Nazareth, carpenter and itinerant preacher, claimed to be equal in power, dignity, deity, and glory with God the Father. It is one thing for a man in a mental institution to claim to be Napoleon or for a woman to insist she’s Amelia Earhart. But Jesus claimed to be God. He claimed to be the long-awaited Messiah, foretold and foreshadowed in the OT Scriptures.Read More ➔

18) The Bread of Life Never Grows Stale John 6:1-15, 25-35, 48-51

By: Sam Storms

I’ve told one particular story a number of times over the years, but for whatever reason it remains vividly impressed on my mind. It’s almost as if it were yesterday, even though it took place on January 5th, 1976. I can still recall everything I heard, where I was standing, the cold of that winter night, and what I was thinking as Ann and I stood outside in the parking lot as we watched the fire creep closer and closer to our apartment. I learned a lot about myself that night, and it wasn’t pretty. Read More ➔

“In the end, we are all losers”

By: Sam Storms

At least, that’s the opinion of Irish actor Gabriel Byrne. In the August 19, 2022, issue of The Week Byrne reflects on the pain of his childhood and the sexual abuse he suffered. Here is what Byrne said about his perspective on life and death:  “One of the things I realize as I get older is that part of reconciling oneself to life is the acceptance that we lose everything: we lose parents, we lose friends. And eventually we get to the stage where we l...Read More ➔

19) Truly, You are the Son of God! John 6:16-21; Matthew 14:22-33; Mark 6:45-52

By: Sam Storms

I realize those words of the medieval mystic, Bernard of Clairvaux, sound a bit dated and more than a little cheesy to some of you, but stay with me as I use them to make a point. “Jesus, the very thought of Thee, with sweetness fills my breast.”Read More ➔

20) Three Impossibilities and the Sovereignty of God in Salvation

By: Sam Storms

Churches often divide over certain theological issues, such as the role of women in ministry and leadership, charismatic gifts, water baptism (infant baptism vs. believer’s baptism), and matters related to eschatology or the end times (the timing of the rapture, the role of Israel, etc.)Read More ➔

21) “Eating” and “Drinking” for Eternal Life: John 6:47-59

By: Sam Storms

I am constantly amazed by the lengths to which people will go, and the sacrifices they will make, in an effort to cleanse their consciences of the stain and guilt of sin. One example of this is the Ganges River and the pagan beliefs concerning its alleged cleansing and purifying powers. Read More ➔

22) If not to Jesus, to whom will you go? John 6:60-71

By: Sam Storms

I wonder if you’ve ever given much thought to how much of our lives is spent trying to avoid offending people. I thought about it this week, and I was amazed at the steps we take to be as inoffensive as possible. Most of it goes back to the way our parents raised us.Read More ➔

23) When the Spirit Flows out like Rivers of Living Water: John 7:37-44

By: Sam Storms

We are going to do something different today as we come to John 7. It is a long chapter of 52 verses. But I have decided that we will focus in on the most important section in the chapter and spend only this one week in our study of it. The reason for this will soon become evident.Read More ➔

24) “Go, and sin no more”: John 7:53-8:11

By: Sam Storms

I don’t often take time to address some of the more technical issues regarding the trustworthiness and integrity of the Bible, but our text today is unique and calls for some additional comment.Read More ➔

25) When Man is Big and God is Small, or Vice Versa: John 8:12-30

By: Sam Storms

Jesus was never one for ambiguity. When something of eternal importance needed to be said, he said it in no uncertain terms. He pulled no punches. He cut no corners. He was rigidly opposed to compromise. And this is nowhere seen more clearly than when it came to his identity. If people left the presence of Jesus confused about who he was and what he claimed, it was their own hard-heartedness and spiritual blindness that must be blamed.Read More ➔

Nancy Heche is a Model of Faith and Perseverance

By: Sam Storms

By now you have certainly heard the news that the actress, Anne Heche, has died after driving her car at 90 mph into the home of an unsuspecting individual in Los Angeles. Anne was 53, and leaves behind two sons, Homer (age 20) and Atlas (age 13). Anne’s mother, Nancy, and Anne’s older sister, Abigail, have become two of my wife’s and my closest friends. We first met them in 1998 when they attended a conference we hosted in Kansas City. Something click...Read More ➔

26) Freedom! John 8:31-36

By: Sam Storms

For the Christian, freedom may be experienced in any number of ways: freedom from the world and the pressure to conform to its ways; freedom from the fear of being rejected by those whose expectations we don’t meet; freedom from allegiance to anyone other than God; freedom from selfish preoccupation with what others think of us. Freedom! What a wonderful word.Read More ➔

27) The Five Marks of a True Disciple, or Who is a Christian and how might we know? John 8:31-47

By: Sam Storms

I can’t think of a time in history when there was as much confusion about what it is to be a Christian as there is in our day.Read More ➔

28) Yes, We Die, and, No, We Don’t: John 8:48-59

By: Sam Storms

At precisely this time of year, every year without fail, newspapers, magazines, and numerous TV documentary shows provide a list of the more notable figures, both male and female, who died in the past twelve months.Read More ➔

29) I Once was Blind, but Now I See: John 9:1-41

By: Sam Storms

I’m asking you to do something today that may strike you as odd, but bear with me. I want all of you to close your eyes and not to open them until I tell you to do so. Now, try to envision in your mind what it’s like to be blind from birth. How would it feel never to have seen anything? Not the words on the pages of your Bible. Not the shoes on your feet. Not the smile on a friend’s face. Nary a star in the sky above. Nothing. Just darkness. It’s a terrifying thought, but try. Read More ➔

30) The Good Shepherd and his Love for “his own”: John 10:1-21

By: Sam Storms

As far as the world was concerned, and based on its standards by which “success” is measured, “Steve” had every reason to be miserable. After all, he wasn’t particularly attractive physically speaking. He wasn’t gifted athletically. He was of average intelligence and held down a job that paid him just enough to get by.Read More ➔

31) Safely Secured in the Gracious and Great Grip of God: John 10:22-30

By: Sam Storms

As all of you know, there are theological differences among those who call themselves evangelicals. By “evangelical” I mean those who affirm the fundamental and foundational truths of Christianity, such as the inspiration and authority of the Bible, the deity, virgin birth, sinless life, and substitutionary death of Jesus, the bodily resurrection of Jesus, the reality and necessity of being born again, salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, and of course his second coming at the close of human history.Read More ➔

32) Do You Believe This? John 11:1-48, 55-57; 12:9-11

By: Sam Storms

I’m happy to say today that Jesus and I share at least one thing in common: neither of us likes funerals. But, then again, I’ve never met anyone else who does enjoy funerals, with the exception of the mortician! Read More ➔

“I Am Who I Am”

By: Sam Storms

On September 8, 2012, John Piper preached a sermon entitled, “I Am Who I Am” based on Exodus 3:13-15. I mention it today because I’ve been greatly perplexed, indeed, somewhat haunted by the question, “Why is God?” There is a lot wrapped up in that question, such as: Why is there God rather than no God? Why is the God who is, good? Where did this God come from? These are mind-blowing questions, and the answers aren’t easily available. B...Read More ➔

33) Worship and the Worth of Jesus: John 12:1-8

By: Sam Storms

The portrait of Jesus that the four gospels have sketched for us is truly stunning. Jesus, described by his enemies as the friend of sinners, was uninhibited in the presence lepers and unafraid to confront demonic spirits. He was unembarrassed by prostitutes and unimpressed by religious leaders. He is unoffended by your weaknesses, undeterred by your sin, and unashamed to call you his own. How do you respond to someone like this? Matt Redman asked the question in the lyrics to one of his songs: “What can be said, what can be done, to so faithful a friend, to so loving a King?”Read More ➔

34) When Hating is Loving: John 12:20-26

By: Sam Storms

If you look up the word “paradox” in Webster’s dictionary you will find this definition: “a statement that is seemingly contradictory or opposed to common sense, and yet is perhaps true.”Read More ➔

35) The One Prayer God Always Answers: John 12:20-36

By: Sam Storms

I’ll be the first to admit that prayer can often be quite frustrating. Why is it that sometimes God says “Yes” and at other times “No” and in most cases, “Wait”? It can be frustrating and confusing to watch as one person receives an answer and another does not. There are numerous other unanswered questions about prayer that I could mention, but let me come to my primary point: There is one prayer to which God is always quick to say, “Yes!” Read More ➔

36) Holy, Holy, Holy! John 12:37-43; Isaiah 6:1-10

By: Sam Storms

There was an old and godly man named Simeon who would often linger in the Temple in Jerusalem, because “it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ” (Luke 2:26). When Mary and Joseph brought the baby Jesus to the Temple, along with the appropriate sacrifice, Simeon took him into his arms and blessed God.Read More ➔

37) Sovereign Love on Bended Knee: John 13:1-11

By: Sam Storms

Picture yourself in the most painful situation imaginable. Your finances are in a shambles, your health is deteriorating daily, and you are all alone. No one seems to care how you feel. You have a splitting headache, the house is an unmitigated mess, and tomorrow has all the signs of being worse than today . . . and the telephone rings. Sure enough, it’s that one person in your life who never calls or seems to care until they need something from you. And today, of all days, you’re in no condition to give. How would you react?Read More ➔

38) It Takes God to Believe God; John 13:1-5; Ephesians 3:14-21

By: Sam Storms

Today is the second message in our new series in John 13-17 that we are calling, Last Words. That is to say, we are looking at what has also been called The Farewell Discourse of Jesus, the concluding words of instruction and encouragement that Jesus gave to his disciples on the night on which he was betrayed by Judas Iscariot. Some have referred to these five chapters as The Upper Room Discourse because that is where they gathered to celebrate the last supper. Read More ➔

39) Jesus is the Servant and We are the Served: John 13:1-20

By: Sam Storms

If someone were to ask you what it is about Christianity that makes it unique among the many world religions, how would you answer them? What is it about the Christian faith that sets it apart and in doing so helps to confirm its truthfulness? What is it about Christianity that makes it so appealing? Read More ➔

John Owen on Limited Atonement

By: Sam Storms

One of the more challenging books I have read in my life, a book, in the reading of which I found myself actually learning how to think, is John Owen’s (1616-83), The Death of Death in the Death of Christ. It has long been recognized as the most persuasive biblical and theological defense of definite atonement. The latter is the doctrine that it was only for the elect of God that Jesus suffered and died and exhausted the wrath that we deserved. I seriously doubt i...Read More ➔

40) The Treachery of Judas Iscariot and the Sovereignty of God over Sin: John 13:1-32

By: Sam Storms

This may sound a bit strange, but there are some things in the Bible that are not so much to be understood as they are to be trusted. Here’s what I mean. The Bible is meant for our instruction. God moved on the hearts and minds of its authors over a 1,500 year period to record his revelation of what is true and right and good. In doing so, we also have in the Bible a revelation of what is false and wrong and evil. The Bible is there for God’s people to lead us into what we should believe and how we should behave. And for that we should be eternally grateful.Read More ➔

41) What’s New about the “New” Commandment? John 13:34-35

By: Sam Storms

You may not be familiar with the name Tertullian. I don’t of anyone who has named their child after him. Tertullian lived and ministered in the early years of the third century a.d. He was one of the greatest of the early church fathers and was actually the first man to use the word “Trinity” to describe the nature of God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.Read More ➔

42) Jesus Christ: The Cure for Troubled Hearts: John 14:1-11

By: Sam Storms

I had originally planned on beginning today with a question, until I realized it was a silly question, the answer to which is always, “Yes.” But just because it is a silly question and everyone will always respond with the same answer, doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be asked. So here goes: “Do you ever find yourself troubled in heart?” Read More ➔

43) Doing the (Miraculous) Works of Jesus: John 14:12

By: Sam Storms

Is it ok to pray for a miracle? To hope for a miracle? To seek God for a miracle? For many years I thought it was unspiritual to desire or seek for any spiritual gifts, especially those of a more overt miraculous nature. I had been taught it was an indication of immaturity to seek signs in any sense, that it was a weak faith, born of theological ignorance, that it was only the biblically illiterate and emotionally unstable people who prayed for healing or a demonstration of divine power. One author I read actually said that to desire miracles is sinful and unbelieving! But then I noticed Acts 4:29-31, which records this prayer of the church in Jerusalem:Read More ➔

Books OR Prayer, or, Books AND Prayer?

By: Sam Storms

On October 4, 1911, at the autumn conference of Princeton Theological Seminary, Professor B. B. Warfield delivered an important message to the students of what was at that time one of America’s finest evangelical institutions. It was titled, “The Religious Life of Theological Students.” But please don’t read this as if it were intended solely for seminary students. Every Christian, whether pastors or average church members, must resist the temptat...Read More ➔

44) The God Who Supplies the Spirit, or Miracles Re-Visited: John 14:12; Galatians 3:1-5

By: Sam Storms

What precisely is a miracle? What events in life would qualify as miracles? When you make a trip to Penn Square Mall on the day before Christmas and discover that the parking lot is not only completely full but has spilled out onto the grassy median and even across the street, do you pray for a miracle? And when you then make one more loop through the parking lot only to discover that a spot has suddenly opened up for you directly in front of the store where you planned on shopping, do you regard that as having happened by direct intervention from God? Was that a miracle?Read More ➔

45) “In Jesus’ Name”: Magical Incantation or Pathway to Power? John 14:13-14

By: Sam Storms

There are numerous reasons why non-Christians struggle to believe the Christian faith. I won’t burden you by listing them. But when it comes to Christians themselves, believers in Jesus, there are typically only two. If you should ask a born-again-justified-by-faith-in-Jesus-man-or-woman what their greatest struggle is when it comes to Christianity, they will most likely point to one of two thiRead More ➔

46) The Joy and Power of Friendship with the Holy Spirit: John 14:15-24

By: Sam Storms

"The Holy Spirit has long been the Cinderella of the Trinity. The other two sisters may have gone to the theological ball; the Holy Spirit got left behind every time. But not now. The rise of the charismatic movement within virtually every mainstream church has ensured that the Holy Spirit figures prominently on the theological agenda. A new experience of the reality and power of the Spirit has had a major impact upon the theological discussion of the person and work of the Holy Spirit" (Alister McGrath).Read More ➔

The Transgender Fantasy. What I Wish Every Pastor Knew

By: Sam Storms

Article by Andrew T. WalkerProfessor, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary Pastors have no shortage of issues that they are called up to address in their ministries. The pressure to be an expert on every new issue can be daunting when thinking about everything else on the pastor’s plate. Most pastors need fewer burdens, not more. But when issues of what it means to be human surface — and this is at the center of the debate over transgenderism — it...Read More ➔

47) So, You Say You Love Jesus? John 14:15-24

By: Sam Storms

We live in a rather odd season in the history of the church of Jesus Christ. What isn’t odd or strange is the spread of new and unbiblical doctrines. That, sadly, is something of a commonplace in church history. There always have been and always will be people who profess to know Christ and claim to believe in the authority of the Bible who promote false teachings, some of which are undeniably heretical. Read More ➔

48) Hope for the World in the Words of Jesus: John 14:25-31

By: Sam Storms

I can’t begin to tell you how many times during the course of a normal week that someone asks me, in an obviously distressed and confused tone of voice: “Sam, what’s wrong with our world? What is happening? Is there any hope at all?”Read More ➔

49) The Vine, the Branches, and Abiding in Jesus: John 15:1-11

By: Sam Storms

Last week I came across an article (www.mattmoore.org, “Is Your Heart Good Soil?”) that instantly captured my attention. The author confessed both his “sadness and terror” as he thought about the departure from Christianity on the part of several of his close friends. “One moment they appeared to be joyfully walking with God,” he writes, “and then out of nowhere — to my shock and horror — they began trampling all over his Son . . . . I'm not talking about just a little backsliding or a bit of stumbling. These guys and gals flat out rejected Jesus. Today, they proudly admit that they couldn't care less about the biblical realities of sin, judgment, or God's gracious offer of redemption. They are utterly finished with Christianity.”Read More ➔

Beni Johnson, Wife of Bethel Church’s Bill Johnson, Has Died (Healing – Part Three)

By: Sam Storms

So, if God still heals, why doesn’t he always heal? Why wasn’t Beni Johnson healed? I don’t have all the answers to this question (no one else does either). But here are a few things to consider. God loved the Apostle Paul. Yet God sovereignly orchestrated his painful thorn in the flesh and then declined to remove it, notwithstanding Paul's passionate prayer that he be healed. We are not apostles. Yet, as his children, no less so than Paul, God loves u...Read More ➔

50) The Pursuit of Happiness: John 15:11; Psalm 1

By: Sam Storms

Blaise Pascal, a 17th century French philosopher and mathematician, once said, and I quote: “All men seek happiness. This is without exception. Whatever different means they may employ, happiness is their end. The reason why some go to war and others avoid it, is the desire for happiness. . . . This (happiness) is the motive of every action of every man, even of those who hang themselves” (Pensees, no. 425).Read More ➔

51) Was Jesus a Christian Hedonist? John 15:11; 16:24; 17:13

By: Sam Storms

There was a time when I thought the verb “enjoy” and the noun “God” should never be used in the same sentence. I could understand “fearing” God and “obeying” God, even “loving” God. But “enjoying” God struck me as inconsistent with the biblical mandate both to glorify God, on the one hand, and deny myself, on the other. How could I be committed above all else to seeking God’s glory if I were concerned about my own joy? My gladness and God’s glory seemed to cancel each other out. I had to choose between one or the other, but embracing them both struck me as out of the question. Worse still, enjoying God sounded a bit too lighthearted, almost casual, perhaps even flippant, and I knew that Christianity was serious business.Read More ➔

Beni Johnson, Wife of Bethel Church’s Bill Johnson, Has Died (Healing – Part Two)

By: Sam Storms

In the previous article I spoke about the nature of healing gifts in the life of the local church. In this second article I want to focus on the question of faith and its relationship to healing. If I have enough Faith, will I always be Healed? When it comes to the relationship of our faith to physical healing, Christians will often gravitate to one extreme or the other. Some argue that the sort of faith God honors by granting us healing is altogether devoid of doubt. ...Read More ➔

52) What a Friend We Have in Jesus! John 15:12-17

By: Sam Storms

I’ve had the privilege in life to know a good many so-called “famous” people. I hesitate to say this because it may sound like name-dropping, something I deplore. The fact that God has providentially orchestrated my life so that I have had the opportunity to become friends with famous and quite successful Christians has nothing to do with me. It says nothing about me. So I mention this only to draw attention to the fact that no earthly acquaintance or friendship can come remotely close to the glory and honor and joy of being friends with Jesus. His is the only name worth dropping!Read More ➔

53) When the Beloved of God are Hated by the World: John 15:18-16:4

By: Sam Storms

The author of the book of Hebrews said something in chapter five of his letter that is extraordinarily relevant to the lives of Christian men and women today. He said that “solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil” (Heb. 5:14). By “solid food” he means the deep things that God has revealed to us. A lot of Christians would prefer never to be challenged or stretched when it comes to biblical truth. They much prefer to be constantly fed with a liquid diet of revealed truth. They don’t want the meat of the word. Sometimes it’s hard to chew, and at other times even harder to swallow.Read More ➔

Beni Johnson, Wife of Bethel Church’s Bill Johnson, Has Died (Healing – Part One)

By: Sam Storms

Actually, the title to this article is incorrect. Although Beni Johnson is no longer alive on this earth, she is very much alive in the presence of her Savior. But I trust all of you know that. Now, to the main point of this brief article. Although they are doing their best to hide their true feelings, cynical internet bloggers and rigid cessationists are speaking out concerning Beni Johnson’s passing. They preface their comments with denials that they are being i...Read More ➔

54) Why the Spirit Inside You is Better than Jesus Beside You: John 16:5-15

By: Sam Storms

Let me be clear right from the start. I stole the title for today’s message from the sub-title to J. D. Greear’s book, Jesus Continued: Why the Spirit Inside You is Better than Jesus Beside You. It’s an excellent book that I recommend you read. Even if you don’t get around to reading it, I suspect that the sub-title will surely capture your attention. Is it really true that having the Holy Spirit live inside us forever is actually better than walking and talking in the physical presence of Jesus at our side?Read More ➔

55) Enjoying the Joy that Lasts Forever: John 16:16-24

By: Sam Storms

I despise the term, Indian-giver. If you look it up in Webster’s Dictionary it is defined as “a person who gives something to another and then takes it back.” I was happy to discover that the Concise Oxford English Dictionary doesn’t even include a listing for the term. I don’t know where it came from or when it was first coined, but it is derogatory of Native Americans and perhaps even racist. It suggests that an “Indian” is by nature the sort of individual who cannot be trusted when he gives you something because he is just as likely to take it away without cause or justification. So let’s dispense with the term altogether.Read More ➔

56) A Wide Open Window into the Heart of Jesus: John 17:1-5

By: Sam Storms

On a somewhat regular basis, young married couples will come to me and ask my advice about how they might learn to pray together. Often, it is either only the husband or the wife who comes and complains that his/her spouse remains silent when the other prays aloud. For any of you to whom this applies, please don’t take offense or feel any shame. Ann and I struggled with this for several years early on in our marriage. I couldn’t understand why Ann was so reluctant to pray in front of me, and it was only after quite a few years that I discovered the reason: she didn’t entirely trust me with her heart and her deepest desires and fears.Read More ➔

57) Knowing God: The Eternal Life of the Elect: John 17:1-5

By: Sam Storms

Last week I indicated to you that there are four glorious truths found in the opening five verses of John 17. We looked at the first two of them last Sunday. The first is found in v. 1 where Jesus affirmed the absolute sovereignty of God the Father over his life and the time of his death. This we see in his words, “Father, the hour has come.” The second truth is stated both in v. 1 and again in vv. 4-5. There we were given a glimpse into the love of God for his people. I won’t repeat myself again today, but let me simply sum up the second of these two glorious truths by saying this.Read More ➔

58) The Loving-Kindness of our Keeping King: John 17:6-19

By: Sam Storms

Is there a unifying theme to the extended prayer of Jesus in John 17? I mentioned to you in an earlier message that John 17 ought to be called “The Lord’s Prayer” insofar as it is a prayer that he himself actually prayed. What we typically call the Lord’s Prayer is found in the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 6:9-15. But there is one thing in that prayer that Jesus never could and never would have prayed. Jesus instructs his disciples to pray: “Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors” (Matt. 6:12). But Jesus had no sin, he had no debts, he committed no trespasses that needed to be forgiven. So the prayer in Matthew 6 is the “Lord’s Prayer” only in the sense that it contains his instruction on how you and I are supposed to pray.Read More ➔

59) The Mysterious Nature and Evangelistic Power of Christian Unity: John 17:20-23

By: Sam Storms

Most people in this room was either not yet born or far too young to remember the momentous events of 1948. This was the year that witnessed the formation of what is known as The World Council of Churches. The driving force behind the establishment of this organization was a desire for Christian unity. Read More ➔

60) The Unfathomable Love of God and Seeing the Glory of Christ: John 17:20-26

By: Sam Storms

I know some of you don’t like your jobs. And I can understand why. You struggle to get up each day and return to a task that either bores you or wears you out or feels unproductive. But you do it anyway because you know that God honors hard work and you know you have an obligation to pay your bills and you know that others depend on you. I say this because I want to say Thank You to everyone at Bridgeway. Thank you for paying me to do something that I enjoy more than anything else in the world. I’m never bored with what I do. I never struggle to get up each day and resume my responsibilities as senior pastor of this church. I get worn out on a fairly regular basis, but that’s largely because I’m getting old. Sometimes I feel unproductive because I don’t see the fruit or results in some people’s lives that I had hoped to see. But aside from that, I can’t begin to imagine doing anything else than what I do. So, thank you!Read More ➔

Understanding Spiritual Warfare great deal on Kindle!

By: Sam Storms

From today through August 1, you can get my book, Understanding Spiritual Warfare: A Comprehensive Guide (Zondervan) on Kindle for only $3.99. Here is the link. Blessings!...Read More ➔

Did Jesus Descend into Hades to give Lost Souls a Second Chance to be Saved?

By: Sam Storms

Anyone who has studied 1 Peter knows that chapter three, verses eighteen through twenty-two are the most challenging to interpret. Many have concluded from this passage, wrongly in my opinion, that during the time between his death and resurrection Jesus descended into hades and preached the gospel to lost souls in order to give them a second chance to be saved. But is that really what Peter is saying? In my opinion, no. Here is the text. (18) For Christ also suffered...Read More ➔

61) Jesus in Gethsemane: The Paradox of a Supplicating Savior: John 18:1-11

By: Sam Storms

Before we dive into the deep end of our Lord’s experience in the Garden of Gethsemane, you need to understand that he did it for you. You need to come to grips with the remarkable and mysterious truth that what motivated Jesus to persevere through the pain of Gethsemane was his love for you. Knowing what was in the heart of Jesus will make all the difference in the world when you turn to understand, make sense of, and appreciate what he did.Read More ➔

62) Peter’s Denial of Jesus and the Look of Love: John 18:15-18, 25-27; Luke 22:61-62

By: Sam Storms

The anguish of Gethsemane is over. Jesus has pressed through, submitting his will to the will of his Father. He will drink the cup that is prepared for him, the cup of God’s righteous wrath and judgment against those for whom Jesus soon will give himself as a substitute on the cross.Read More ➔

63) The Torture and Trials of Jesus

By: Sam Storms

There are a number of things in this world that make my blood boil. Like you, I become enraged when I hear of a child being abused, or perhaps of a wife being physically assaulted by her husband. My reaction when I hear of a vulnerable and elderly widow being scammed out of what little money she has provokes only a slightly less intense anger in my heart.Read More ➔

64) Which “Son of the Father” Do You Want Me to Release?

By: Sam Storms

As I was studying and preparing this week to preach on this passage that concerns Jesus and Barabbas, it struck me that most non-Christians are likely to be perplexed as to why we would spend so much time and energy talking about something that happened 2,000 years ago. I suspect that even a few believers might wonder about that as well. After all, our country is in one of the worst financial crises in its history. Swept up in this Covid-19 pandemic, everything we’ve come to expect day in and day out has changed. Countless people have filed for bankruptcy and untold numbers of small businesses will likely never re-open. Read More ➔

Are You Afraid of Dying?

By: Sam Storms

That is a question all of us need to ask. More important still, we need to answer it honestly. J. I. Packer wrote an article titled, We’ll Be Truly Alive on Our Third Birthday, that should put to rest your fear of death. Entering Eternity My baptism looks on to my third birthday. What is that? It is the day entered from eternity in God’s private calendar, as my first two birthdays were, on which my heart is due to stop beating. When or how it will happen I...Read More ➔

65) There They Crucified Him: John 19:16b-30; Mark 15:16-32

By: Sam Storms

Aside from a few notable biblical exceptions such as Enoch and Elijah, all people die. I suppose I should also include as exceptions to that otherwise unbreakable law the final generation of Christians who will be alive when Jesus returns. But, again, aside from these obvious and unusual exceptions, the law of life is that all people die.Read More ➔

66) They Laid Jesus There: John 19:31-42; Mark 15:42-47

By: Sam Storms

As you know, there are significant differences between ancient forms of capital punishment and our modern approach to the issue. Today, every effort is made to sanitize the execution of a criminal. Elaborate steps are taken to ensure that his or her death be as painless and inoffensive as possible.Read More ➔

67) “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep, to gain what he cannot lose” John 20:1-18; Mark 16:1-8

By: Sam Storms

Wheaton College graduate and missionary Jim Elliot is most widely known for having lost his life trying to bring the gospel to the Auca Indians in the rainforest of Ecuador. If Elliot is known for anything else, it is the statement he made that largely accounts for why he was willing to sacrifice his own life for the sake of this Indian tribe. Said Elliot: “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep, to gain what he cannot lose.”Read More ➔

A Complementarian Case for Women as Pastors

By: Sam Storms

The evangelical world has been abuzz over whether or not it is biblical for a woman to be called a pastor. This came to a head once again at the recent annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention in Anaheim, California. A few years ago, I wrote an article defending the notion that women may rightly be referred to as pastors. I revisit that issue in this article. As you might expect, many pushed back hard against my argument. In addition to the original post, I here...Read More ➔

68) The Impartation of Peace and Power: John 20:19-23

By: Sam Storms

I have a confession to make. There have been times in my Christian life when I’ve felt intimidated by the Great Commission (Matt. 28:18-20). When I think about the command of Jesus that we are to “go”, I worry that I might not have the required courage to obey. When I hear him tell us to “make disciples of all nations” and to “baptize” them, I feel profoundly inadequate. And when he exhorts us to “teach” others to observe or obey everything he has commanded, I realize that such applies equally to me. I am responsible not simply to “teach” others to obey but also to do so myself.Read More ➔

69) “Doubting” Thomas or “Devoted” Thomas? John 20:24-31

By: Sam Storms

Aside from Judas Iscariot, who betrayed our Lord into the hands of his enemies and later committed suicide, the apostle who has had to endure the greatest assault on his character is Thomas. What do we know about this man, and why should we care? Do his life and experience and relation to Jesus have anything of practical value for us today? The answer, I assure you, is Yes!Read More ➔

70) The End of the Story is only the Beginning: John 21:1-25

By: Sam Storms

Some who study John’s gospel suggest that we should simply ignore this final chapter. It doesn’t seem to fit with the rest of the gospel account of the life and ministry of Jesus. They insist that there is very little, if anything, of spiritual or practical value in these verses. I disagree. And I believe that once you look closely at them with me, you will also agree that there is much for us to learn here.Read More ➔

Four Compelling Reasons I Am Pro-Life, by Tim Counts

By: Sam Storms

By Tim Counts / June 25, 2022 The overturning of Roe v Wade after 63 million pre-born babies have been killed in our nation is birthing new dialogue. We are not only discussing it with our children, we are explaining to them why we are pro-life. It is simply a matter of time before a relative or neighbor or co-worker brings up the topic of abortion with you or you see an opportunity to talk about why you are pro-life. While much more could be said, these four reasons I ...Read More ➔

How Long, O Lord?

By: Sam Storms

The psalms come to us in a variety of spiritual colors. Some are glorious, green, glad-hearted hymns of praise. Others are filled with bright blue, unrelenting gratitude. There are psalms of confidence, of remembrance, wisdom psalms, kingship psalms, and even the crimson of imprecatory psalms that call for God’s judgment against the wicked. But nothing can compare with the dismal grey of the psalms of lament. These psalms are “the polar opposite of the hymn ...Read More ➔

Listen to me discuss my new book on the Laymen’s Lounge

By: Sam Storms

Here is the link to a recent podcast interview I did with The Laymen’s Lounge. The focus of the discussion was my new book, A Dozen Things God Did with Your Sin (and Three Things He’ll Never Do) (Crossway). I think you’ll enjoy it....Read More ➔

30 Reasons Why I am an Amillennialist (Part Two)

By: Sam Storms

As noted in the previous article, I conclude my book, Kingdom Come: The Amillennial Alternative, by describing what I call a cumulative case for amillennialism. This “cumulative case” entails 30 reasons why I find amillennialism to be the most cogent and convincing and biblical of all eschatological systems. In the previous article I set forth the first 15 of the 30. Here today I explain the remaining 15 reasons. (16) A careful reading of Acts 15 also reinfo...Read More ➔

30 Reasons Why I am an Amillennialist (Part One)

By: Sam Storms

In my book, Kingdom Come: The Amillennial Alternative, I conclude by describing what I call a cumulative case for amillennialism. This “cumulative case” entails 30 reasons why I find amillennialism to be the most cogent and convincing and biblical of all eschatological systems. In this article and one to follow I will set forth those 30 reasons. (1) Amillennialism best accounts for the many texts in which Israel’s OT prophetic hope is portrayed as bein...Read More ➔

Hypocrisy!

By: Sam Storms

I love to watch professional golf. Nothing in this article should be taken as a commitment on my part to cease following and enjoying the game. But the hypocrisy of some who comment on recent developments is on vivid display these days. Let me explain. In case you hadn’t heard, there is a new professional golf tour launching soon, to be known as LIV (the LIV golf tour was actually formed in 2020). The “LIV” isn't an acronym, but simply stands for the R...Read More ➔

Can a Christian Commit the Sin unto Death? Part Four

By: Sam Storms

“If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask, and God will give him life – to those who commit sins that do not lead to death. There is sin that leads to death; I do not say that one should pray for that” (1 John 5:16-17). Physical Death The interpretation of Benjamin B. Warfield is one deserving of careful attention. Warfield agrees with Marshall on two points. The “brother” is a Christian, and it is pos...Read More ➔

Pentecost!

By: Sam Storms

Yesterday was Pentecost Sunday. My Redeemer Church in New York invited me to record a sermon on the significance of Pentecost for Christians today. Here is the link to it. I hope and pray you find it helpful and encouraging. Blessings, Sam...Read More ➔

Another Pentecost Sermon!

By: Sam Storms

Yesterday I was in Peoria, Illinois, preaching at Northwoods Community Church. They asked me to speak on Pentecost Sunday on the subject of spiritual gifts. Here is the link to it. You can fast forward to the 32-minute mark to pick up where I began. Blessings, Sam...Read More ➔

Can a Christian Commit the Sin unto Death? Part Three

By: Sam Storms

“If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask, and God will give him life – to those who commit sins that do not lead to death. There is sin that leads to death; I do not say that one should pray for that” (1 John 5:16-17). Thus far we’ve looked at two views of this passage. The first argued that the “sin” in question is apostasy, or the loss of salvation. The second view argued that the “sin&rd...Read More ➔

Can a Christian Commit the Sin unto Death? Part Two

By: Sam Storms

“If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask, and God will give him life – to those who commit sins that do not lead to death. There is sin that leads to death; I do not say that one should pray for that” (1 John 5:16-17). In the previous article we looked at the view which says this “sin” is apostasy, the loss of salvation. In this second article in the series, we look at the view which says it is blasphe...Read More ➔

Can a Christian Commit the Sin unto Death? Part One

By: Sam Storms

“If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask, and God will give him life – to those who commit sins that do not lead to death. There is sin that leads to death; I do not say that one should pray for that” (1 John 5:16-17). Whenever we hear words like, “There is sin that leads to death,” we instinctively ask, “Have I committed it?” Let’s be honest: statements like this in Scripture are sca...Read More ➔

Christ has Welcomed You!

By: Sam Storms

I recently preached Romans 15:1-7 and was powerfully impacted by a statement that many carelessly overlook. In his appeal for Christians, both the “strong” and the “weak”, to accept, receive, and love each other, Paul grounds his exhortation in the fact that “Christ has welcomed you.” He writes: “Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God” (Rom. 15:7). He is, of course, addressing C...Read More ➔

The Great Tribulation: Past or Future?

By: Sam Storms

There is an on-going disagreement among Christians as to the nature and time of the so-called Great Tribulation mentioned by Jesus in Matthew 24:21. There he says: “For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be” (Matt. 24:21). Many insist that this “great tribulation” (v. 21a) cannot refer to the events of 70 a.d. when the Romans armies sacked Jerusalem and des...Read More ➔

An Evening of Eschatology

By: Sam Storms

As many of you know, several years ago I participated in a panel discussion with John Piper, Doug Wilson, and Jim Hamilton on the subject of eschatology. It was a two-hour event that was hosted at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis. A few weeks ago I was invited to do something similar at Frontline Church here in OKC. The major difference is that I was the only participant. I presented the various schools of thought on eschatology for about 50 minutes and then answ...Read More ➔

The Central Message of My Book, The Singing God

By: Sam Storms

For as long as he can remember, the little boy had heard people talking about the Great King. Everywhere he went, he listened with rapt attention as they spoke of how big he was and how beautiful and strong. The mere thought of meeting the King would set his heart pounding within his chest. His mouth would dry up and his palms became sweaty. Still, he knew that if he could only see this Great King, his questions would all be answered, his fears forever relieved and his l...Read More ➔

Is Killing your Unborn Baby a “Sacred” Right?

By: Sam Storms

“Sam, why do you use such inflammatory language?” The answer is simple: I want to be inflammatory. I also use it because that is the language being employed by pro-abortion advocates. Consider this one statement from John Fetterman, the Lt. Governor and U.S. Senate candidate from Pennsylvania: “Let’s be clear: The right to an abortion is sacred.” I took the time to look up the word “sacred” in the Oxford English Dictionary....Read More ➔

What are the “Greater Works” in John 14:12, and Who performs them, and When?

By: Sam Storms

Whenever the subject of the miraculous or the spiritual gift of miracles is raised, people immediately turn to the words of Jesus in John 14:12. There he spoke to his disciples, saying: “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father” (John 14:12). Most of the interpretations of John 14:12 are driven by the perceived disparity people feel betw...Read More ➔

Why Andrew Brunson never heard from God in prison

By: Sam Storms

[On Sunday, December 12, 2021, Andrew and Norene Brunson were at Bridgeway Church here in OKC and shared their story. It was a powerful time, to say the least. In the wake of that event, I thought you would be blessed to read this interview with the Brunsons.] September 7, 2021 by Lindy Lowry in Europe / posted at www.opendoorsusa.org on 4/23/22. For 735 days, we prayed for him. With each court hearing and each delayed verdict, we poured out our hearts and voices for A...Read More ➔

The Christus Victor theory of the Atonement. Whence the Victory?

By: Sam Storms

In a March 21, 2022, article on the Christianity Today on-line website, Bonnie Kristian wrote a piece entitled, “What Atonement Theories Tell Us About Our Politics.” I’m not concerned today with the “political” dimension to her article. My focus is her endorsement of Christus Victor. She rightly points to the risen Christ, whom we celebrate at Easter, and then asks the question: “But how did our salvation take place, exactly?” S...Read More ➔

Prophetic Gifting, Proper Grammar & Possible Tattoos

By: Sam Storms

Here is the link to an interview I did with the Expositor’s Collective. We cover a lot of ground on a variety of topics. I hope you enjoy it....Read More ➔

“Imagine”! Then again, don’t! In spite of what John Lennon Says and Sings

By: Sam Storms

Julian Lennon, now 59 years old, John Lennon’s son, promised long ago that he would honor his father by never singing the song, “Imagine.” He recently changed his mind. I’m not concerned with his reasons for this. My focus is the song itself. Haunting in its melody, so soothing in many ways, and yet profoundly misguided and incoherent, please don’t join Lennon and others in imagining the sort of world he proposes. I’m sure you know it...Read More ➔

One of the Most Overlooked Arguments for the Resurrection

By: Sam Storms

April 13, 2022 Michael Kruger Well, soon it will be Easter. That wonderful time of the year when we remember (and celebrate) the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. But, not all will be celebrating. There are many that find Easter to be a senseless holiday—apart from, perhaps, the joys of Sunday brunch or chocolate eggs. After all, it is argued, we all know that people don’t rise from the dead. And there are no reasons to think it happened in the case of ...Read More ➔

What Kind of Church is Bridgeway?

By: Sam Storms

On April 7, 2022, Trevin Wax posted a fascinating and informative article on the Gospel Coalition website in which he identified and described the many different Christian denominations in the U.S. He briefly described their history, their form of governance, their theology, and other unique features that set them apart from one another. This got me thinking about my church, Bridgeway, here in Oklahoma City. People often ask me, “What kind of Church is Bridgeway?&...Read More ➔

The Unifying Power of Singing

By: Sam Storms

By Andrew Wilson | Thursday 29 July 2021 Corporate singing is back, even if it remains cloth-covered in many churches (including mine), and reintroducing it to people who have not sung for nearly eighteen months is vitally important. Why? A couple of nights ago I had the chance to speak to our worship team, and I tried to answer that question, specifically by explaining why song is such a unifying expression of worship. Singing unites five things which are often separat...Read More ➔

My Podcast on Spiritual Gifts with Steve Greene

By: Sam Storms

I recently recorded a podcast with Steve Greene of Charisma Podcast. The focus of our discussion was my book, Understanding Spiritual Gifts: A Comprehensive Guide (Zondervan). I think you will enjoy it. Here is the link....Read More ➔

Adam and Eve and Evangelical “Options”

By: Sam Storms

Today a book review was posted on the Christianity Today website that calls for a very brief response. The book is, When Did Sin Begin? Human Evolution and the Doctrine of Original Sin. Its author is Calvin University physics professor Loren Haarsma. According to the review, Haarsma outlines various evangelical proposals for harmonizing human evolution and original sin. “Drawing from a dozen recent books on the subject, Haarsma runs through the four main options.&r...Read More ➔

Gender Questions Should Send Us To Scripture

By: Sam Storms

An Article by Tom Schreiner, January 14, 2022 Many questions have recently been raised about complementarianism. We are keenly aware of the many stories of pastoral and spousal abuse—some of whom are noted complementarians. Such stories make many people wonder if complementarianism is simply a form of power grab, an attempt to hold onto male authority in order to exercise their selfish will. Cultural questions have been raised as well. Is the complementarian visi...Read More ➔

Knowing God. A Reader’s Guide to a Christian Classic

By: Sam Storms

[First published at www.desiringgod.org on March 19, 2022] Article by Sam Storms Theocentricity is a big and imposing word that simply means “God-centered.” To be theocentric means that God himself is the core of all you believe, and the governing, gravitational force of all you do. And in my judgment, no one in recent memory more readily embodied this perspective on life more than the late J.I. Packer (1926–2020), especially in his classic work, Know...Read More ➔

The Madness of March Madness

By: Sam Storms

[It’s time for my annual rant about the madness, the lunacy, the stupidity, if you will, of March Madness, in particular, the annual ritual in which a national champion in college basketball is determined on the basis of a single-elimination tournament. Many of you have read it before, so feel free to move on to other things. But if you missed it, you need to read it.] If you aren’t a fan of college basketball here in the U.S., stop reading and go about your...Read More ➔

Bonhoeffer on the meaning of love

By: Sam Storms

“Nothing can be more cruel than the tenderness that consigns another to his sin. Nothing can be more compassionate than the severe rebuke that calls a brother back from the path of sin.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Life Together: The Classic Exploration of Christian Community (New York: Harper & Row, 1954), 107....Read More ➔

There is No Such Thing as the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Bill

By: Sam Storms

[The following article was written by Michael Brown and is well worth your serious consideration.] By MICHAEL BROWN Published on March 11, 2022 When you’re on the side of truth, you can present the facts as they are without manipulation, exaggeration, or distortion, since those facts will speak for themselves. But when you’re hiding something or trying to obfuscate, facts are your enemy. That’s the case with the misrepresentation of Florida’s re...Read More ➔

The Importance of the Spiritual Gift of Prophecy in the Life of the Local Church

By: Sam Storms

Some may be wonder if it’s possible to place too much of an emphasis on the spiritual gift of prophecy. I’m sure there are some churches that focus on this one spiritual gift in an inordinate way, perhaps to the neglect of other gifts of the Spirit and disciplines of Christian living. Having said that, let’s consider the way in which the NT portrays this one gift. First, we know from the events on the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2 that Peter, quoting the ...Read More ➔

Links to podcasts concerning my book, A Dozen Things God did with Your Sin

By: Sam Storms

Here are links to a couple of podcasts I did on my new book. This one is with The Ridley Institute and this one is with Susie Larson. Enjoy!...Read More ➔

What does Paul mean in Colossians 2:18 when he speaks of “the worship of angels”?

By: Sam Storms

Paul issues a stringent warning about those who are engaged in the “worship of angels” (Col. 2:18b). This is a notoriously controversial statement due to the ambiguity of Paul's words. I'll try to briefly explain the options for its interpretation. On the one hand, it could refer to the worship that the angels themselves offer to God (cf. Revelation 4-5). If so, the false teachers were claiming to be extraordinarily spiritual because their worship of God was...Read More ➔

Eternal Union and Experiential Communion: So What’s the Difference?

By: Sam Storms

In this short video I explain the difference between our eternal union with Christ and our experiential communion. It is a vitally important distinction that all Christians must understand. ...Read More ➔

Why We Struggle to Grasp What God Has Done with Our Sin – Part Five of my Interview with Matt Tully of Crossway

By: Sam Storms

Matt Tully Maybe there’s a Christian listening right now who has his/her theology straight and buttoned down and would affirm with you the idea of the perseverance of the saints—the idea that once we’re saved by trusting in Christ for salvation, God has forgiven our sins and he will not lose us. Nothing will jeopardize our salvation. We have that eternal union. But they maybe look at their own lives—their continuing struggle with sin—and th...Read More ➔

Sickness is an Enemy

By: Sam Storms

By Michael Brown / January 21, 2022 [This is a fascinating and controversial article posted a few weeks ago by Michael Brown.] There are wonderful, godly people who are sick. And there are terrible, ungodly people who are healthy. So, being sick or healthy, in and of itself, is not a proof of divine blessing or divine judgment. That being said, there is absolutely no question that the Bible sees sickness and disease as negative, destructive forces. And all of us, intui...Read More ➔

Why We Struggle to Grasp What God Has Done with Our Sin – Part Four of my Interview with Matt Tully of Crossway

By: Sam Storms

Matt Tully What would you say to the Christian listening right now who says, I believe that. I believe what you’re saying about Christ’s work on my behalf and how I am cleansed. Intellectually I get that, but I just struggle with my feelings. I do wake up every morning and my mind just automatically goes to this thing in the past that I feel like defines me and it haunts me. Is that just something that they’re going to have to struggle with for the res...Read More ➔

Is Joy in Christ Possible When All I See Is My Sin?

By: Sam Storms

Here is a short video on this topic....Read More ➔

Why We Struggle to Grasp What God Has Done with Our Sin – Part Three of my Interview with Matt Tully of Crossway

By: Sam Storms

Matt Tully I want to return back to that Etch A Sketch metaphor that you used a few minutes ago. I think it’s powerful because we know that with an Etch A Sketch, once you shake that thing and turn it upside down, it’s gone. There’s no undo button, unlike maybe a computer today where anything you do can be brought back with a quick shortcut. I wonder if people might be thinking, Does that metaphor work with God? This fits in with another one of the thi...Read More ➔

Why We Struggle to Grasp What God Has Done with Our Sin – Part Two of my Interview with Matt Tully of Crossway

By: Sam Storms

Matt Tully That’s a good moment to take a big step back, and I want to talk about sin. I know it’s a very basic concept that probably all of the believers listening right now would think, I know what that is. I know how to define that. But I think it’s worth taking that step back and actually trying to understand those terms a little bit more comprehensively. I have three questions that I was wondering if you could answer. First, What is sin? How would...Read More ➔

Why We Struggle to Grasp What God Has Done with Our Sin – Part One of my Interview with Matt Tully of Crossway

By: Sam Storms

Below is Part One of the transcript of a podcast I recorded with Matt Tully of Crossway Books on my new book, A Dozen Things God Did with Your Sin (and three things he’ll never do). The book is now available for purchase at Amazon. I will follow up with Parts Two through Five every few days. Matt Tully Sam, thank you so much for joining me again on The Crossway Podcast. Sam Storms I’m glad to be back. I’ve been looking forward to this. Matt Tully ...Read More ➔

How Can An All-Knowing God Not Remember My Sin?

By: Sam Storms

[This article was published at the Crossway blog on January 18, 2022. It is an adaptation from one of the chapters in my new book, A Dozen Things God did with Your Sin (and three things he’ll never do).] Does God Ever Forget? Can an all-knowing, omniscient God ever truly forget? Is it not an essential element in being God that nothing ever slips his mind? Could God ever not remember? In Isaiah 43:25 we hear God declare of himself, “I, I am he who blots out...Read More ➔

Miracles Are Outlasting the Arguments Against Them

By: Sam Storms

[You may recall that Craig Keener’s book, Miracles Today, was my number one book of 2021. Here is an interview of him from Christianity Today, January 24, 2022.] New Testament scholar Craig Keener investigates contemporary accounts of “signs and wonders,” while suggesting that many grounds for skepticism are behind the times. In the halls of the academy as well as on the street, there is no more controversial aspect of the Bible than its accounts of m...Read More ➔

If My Sins Are Fully Forgiven, Why Must I Confess My Sins Daily?

By: Sam Storms

I answer this question in this short video that I recorded for Crossway Books. They have recently published my book, A Dozen Things God did with Your Sin (and three things he’ll never do), from which the content of this video was taken....Read More ➔

God’s Way of Dealing with Sin vs. Our Way

By: Sam Storms

[The following is an article of mine published at the Crossway blog. It is an adaptation from my new book, A Dozen Things God did with Your Son (and three things he’ll never do).] God’s Way of Dealing with Sin vs. Our Way Consider for a moment how we “deal” with others. We keep fresh in our minds their injustices toward us. We nurture the memory of their faults and failings. We never let them forget what they did and we often make sure others ar...Read More ➔

The Only Way We Can Overcome the Debilitating Power of Shame

By: Sam Storms

Here is a brief video of me describing the effects of shame on the soul and how we can overcome its paralyzing power....Read More ➔

5 Myths about Sin

By: Sam Storms

By Sam Storms [This article was published at the Crossway blog on January 20, 2022] The Nature of Sin Sin is deceptive, both in its capacity to tempt us to follow its lead and in the way it confuses and clouds our thinking. It is the latter and sin’s many myths that I want to address in this article. Myth #1: The sin of unbelief is not so serious as to warrant eternal condemnation. What should we say when a person lives what appears to be a civil and faithful ...Read More ➔

A Dozen Things God Did With Your Sin (and three things he’ll never do)

By: Sam Storms

My new book from Crossway, A Dozen Things God Did With Your Sin (and three things he’ll never do), 224 pages, is now available at Amazon and in bookstores. I’ll have more to say about it in the coming days, but for now here are a few endorsements for it. “Sam Storms has written a wonderful book on the cross of Jesus and how to live in the power of God’s forgiveness.” Jack Deere, Associate Professor Emeritus of Old Testament, Dallas Theolog...Read More ➔

Biblical Mysticism

By: Sam Storms

Starting later this week I will be devoting my twice-weekly podcast to the subject of mysticism. Four episodes are forthcoming. There is a lot of confusion and misrepresentation when it comes to mysticism, and I will do my best to dig down deeply into precisely what it means and how it has been expressed in the life of the church. So perhaps we should begin with a definition. Mysticism cannot in any way be conceived as a movement for the simple fact that it is, by defi...Read More ➔

Three (among untold countless) Glorious Blessings of Salvation

By: Sam Storms

As glorious as it is that we are “saved” from divine judgment and wrath, it is more glorious still to consider what we are “saved” for or to. In other words, what blessings or privileges or gifts do we receive when we believe and are justified, when we confess and are saved? Paul mentions three in particular in Romans 10:11-12. First, we have the absolute, unassailable, rock-solid, blood-bought assurance that we will never “be put to shame&...Read More ➔

My New Book is Now Available for Pre-Order!

By: Sam Storms

A Dozen Things God Did with Your Sin (And Three Things He'll Never Do) from Crossway By Sam Storms What Did God Do with Your Sin? Every Christian has experienced days or even seasons of feeling extreme guilt over past or present sins, thinking that God is angry or disgusted with them—sometimes even wondering if they’re truly saved. This often happens when believers fixate on their sins while forgetting what Christ has already done on their behalf at the cr...Read More ➔

Do You Pray for Lost Souls? If so, How?

By: Sam Storms

I assume that you, like Paul, pray fervently for the salvation of close family members or colleagues at work. In Paul’s case, they were the many Jewish men and women of his day who had openly and persistently denied that Jesus was the Messiah. He expressed his profound and persistent sorrow and grief over their lost condition back in Romans 9:1-3. In Romans 10:1 he declares unashamedly that his “heart’s desire and prayer to God” is “that the...Read More ➔

The Word became Flesh – A Christmas Meditation on the Most Breathtaking Verse in the Bible

By: Sam Storms

“The Word became flesh” (John 1:14) Let's think for a moment of the beauty of Jesus as revealed in the act of incarnation. For some of you that’s a new and unfamiliar word. It may sound esoteric, but without it we are a hopeless people. Without it Jesus is nothing to us and we are nothing to him. So what exactly do I mean by the word "Incarnation"? The idea is found in several texts which speak of Jesus as "coming in the flesh" (1 Jn. 4:2; 2 Jn. 7), b...Read More ➔

Best Books of 2021 – Part Four

By: Sam Storms

Finally, the fourth and last installment in this series of articles talking about the best books of 2021. It was difficult deciding which books would make it into the top five. The first fifteen that I’ve already listed in previous articles could easily have made the final five. But enough, already. Here they are. (5) The Glory Now Revealed: What We’ll Discover about God in Heaven, by Andrew M. Davis (Baker Books, 232pp.). I know that there have been numero...Read More ➔

Sam Storms on Spiritual Warfare at the Bible Gateway Blog

By: Sam Storms

I recently participated in an interview with Bible Gateway on the subject of spiritual warfare. The entire episode is now posted here. I think you will enjoy it. Blessings! Sam...Read More ➔

Best Books of 2021 – Part Three

By: Sam Storms

This is the third installment of four in my series on the best books of 2021. As I noted in the previous articles, there were so many great books published this year that I couldn’t keep it to only ten. So here are numbers 10-6. (10) The Plurality Principle: How to Build and Maintain a Thriving Leadership Team, by Dave Harvey (Crossway, 192 pp.). I so greatly appreciated this book by Dave Harvey that I agreed to write the Foreword to it. Few books on local church...Read More ➔

Did Jesus Exist Before Christmas?

By: Sam Storms

That may sound like a strange question to ask, but such was the title of an article I recently read. 63% of church-going Christians said Yes, which means that 37% said No. When the survey included all American adults, only 41% believe Jesus existed before his birth in Bethlehem. So, let’s get this straight. What I’m about to say may at first sound heretical, but be patient with me. No, Jesus, the human being who walked the earth, died on a cross, and was rai...Read More ➔

Best Books of 2021 – Part Two

By: Sam Storms

This is the second installment of four in my series on the best books of 2021. As I noted in the previous article, there were so many great books published this year that I couldn’t keep it to only ten. So here are numbers 15-11. (15) Shadows and Substance: The Truth About Jewish Roots and Christian Believers, by Neil Silverberg (Trilogy Christian Publishers, 253 pages). When Neil Silverberg contacted me earlier this year with a request to read his manuscript, I ...Read More ➔

Best Books of 2021 – Part One

By: Sam Storms

2021 may turn out to be the best year for new books in recent (or even distant) memory. As I sat down to compile my list, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the list far exceeds the typical ten best books that I have selected in previous years. And I now know why. The Covid-19 pandemic! If there is one good thing that came from the pandemic it is that many of us were confined to home for a considerable period of time and had ample opportunity to write more than...Read More ➔

Did Joshua Really Make the Sun Stand Still?

By: Sam Storms

How big is your God? Is he big enough to create the universe and uphold it by the word of his power and providentially govern its direction and bring about the consummation of all things in precisely the way that he planned? Or do you worship and love and serve a tiny god, a pygmy god, a diminutive deity, a wee little god who easily fits in your back pocket or in a box of your own making, a so-called god who is unsure of himself and can’t guarantee that anything he...Read More ➔

My appearance on the Susie Larson show to discuss Spiritual Warfare (again!)

By: Sam Storms

I think I’ve been on the Susie Larson radio program three times now. This episode is a deeper dive into the subject of spiritual warfare. Enjoy!...Read More ➔

My Struggle with Impatience

By: Sam Storms

It’s time for a personal confession. There are times, more than I’d like to admit, when I get extremely impatient. In most of those instances, I feel entirely justified in my reaction to people that stand in the way of my getting somewhere on time or who do something that I regard as inexcusable that disrupts my schedule. It was last Friday morning, November 12th. I was in a hurry to get some errands accomplished before making my 9 a.m. appointment to have t...Read More ➔

Did Jesus Christ have a Fallen, Sinful Human Nature?

By: Sam Storms

That the Son of God assumed or took on human flesh in what we call the Incarnation is beyond dispute. But what kind of “flesh” did the Son of God assume unto himself when he became human? Was it fallen, sinful flesh, like yours and mine? Or was it unfallen flesh, devoid of the inherent sinful impulses that we all experience? In other words, were the temptations that Jesus encountered (Heb. 4:15) entirely external to himself, or did he resist promptings and te...Read More ➔

Unpacking and Rejoicing in the Most Powerful and Precious Promise in the Bible (7)

By: Sam Storms

As glorious and wonderful and reassuring as Romans 8:28 is, it’s important to know that it is not universal in its application. Paul specifically says that God orchestrates all things for the good of those who love him and are called according to his purpose. No unbeliever, no non-Christian can have any assurance that any good will come from any “thing” he/she experiences. Of course, Paul is not suggesting that God is sovereign only over that portion o...Read More ➔

Best Arguments for the Continuation of all Spiritual Gifts

By: Sam Storms

I recently recorded an episode with Remnant Radio in which I presented the best and most persuasive arguments for the continuation of all the spiritual gifts. You can watch it here....Read More ➔

Unpacking and Rejoicing in the Most Powerful and Precious Promise in the Bible (5) and (6)

By: Sam Storms

As we turn our attention once again to Romans 8:28, note well that Paul does not say all things are good, but that God is more than capable of causing them to work together for good. Nowhere does the Bible suggest that things like disease or poverty or pain are good things. God is not saying to us in this text, “Hey, those bad things aren’t really all that bad.” God doesn’t minimize or trivialize your hurts and the harm that comes your way. Neith...Read More ➔

The Video Series of My Book, Understanding Spiritual Gifts: A Comprehensive Guide, is Now Available

By: Sam Storms

Earlier this year I recorded 18 video sessions on my book, Understanding Spiritual Gifts. This is a great resource to use in home Bible studies, community groups, Sunday School classes, and other venues. Each of the sessions ranges from 18-30 minutes in length. Here is a description of what you’ll find. In this 18-session video study on the spiritual gifts, Sam Storms addresses the many bizarre and misleading understandings of the miraculous gifts of the Spirit an...Read More ➔

Unpacking and Rejoicing in the Most Powerful and Precious Promise in the Bible (4)

By: Sam Storms

What precisely are the “things” that Paul is talking about? Does he really mean “all” things? Every “thing”? No exceptions? Yes. What an awesome God we have who could embrace within his providential design all things, both great and small, both good and bad! You are probably familiar with the illustrations I’m about to use, but they are still relevant and helpful. The many events in our lives, both good and bad, both instructive...Read More ➔

Unpacking and Rejoicing in the Most Powerful and Precious Promise in the Bible (3)

By: Sam Storms

Today we come to the third truth in Romans 8:28. But we have a problem. All along I’ve been saying that “God” causes or works all things together for our good. But the ESV translation doesn’t contain the word “God.” It simply says, “all things work together for good.” The NASB version includes a reference to God. So which is it? There are good Greek manuscripts that support both the exclusion of the word “God” a...Read More ➔

Unpacking and Rejoicing in the Most Powerful and Precious Promise in the Bible (2)

By: Sam Storms

In the first of this series of articles on Romans 8:28 we looked at Paul’s confident declaration, “we know.” Today we move to examine the second of seven “pearls” of truth that comprise this text. I have said on numerous occasions that almost as important as what Paul or any other biblical author says is what they don’t say. Nowhere is that more evident than here in Romans 8:28. Observe closely that Paul does not say, “And we k...Read More ➔

Unpacking and Rejoicing in the Most Powerful and Precious Promise in the Bible (1)

By: Sam Storms

In the past few years we’ve all been confronted with a long list of tragedies, trials, and devastating events in our world. We’ve witnessed earthquakes and tsunamis and hurricanes and pandemics and racial division and economic hardships and recurring diseases and raging wildfires and military conflicts and political upheaval, and countless other issues. It’s fascinating to observe how these sorts of events turn everyone into theologians! We all feel co...Read More ➔

More on My Experience with Tongues, Prophecy, and Healing

By: Sam Storms

Here is yet one more podcast I did that covers such topics as speaking in tongues, the gift of prophecy, and divine healing. You can find it here. Sam...Read More ➔

My Journey

By: Sam Storms

If you would like to hear a somewhat detailed narrative of my spiritual journey, especially as it relates to my embracing and experiencing the gifts of the Spirit, go to this link. I delivered this last week at the Pursuit Conference at Woods Edge Church in Houston. My time begins at around the 56 minute mark. Sam...Read More ➔

What is the Third Wave of the Holy Spirit?

By: Sam Storms

I read a blog post recently that took its comments from the Apologetics Index. The article was designed to identity the distinctive theological beliefs of what is known as The Third Wave. If you aren’t familiar with that terminology, it was originally coined by C. Peter Wagner. The First Wave of the Holy Spirit was the revival that occurred at Azusa Street in 1906, followed by the formation of several distinctive denominations that are typically referred to as Cla...Read More ➔

A Question for all Complementarian Cessationists

By: Sam Storms

Many of my closest friends are cessationists when it comes to the issue of spiritual gifts. I have only the highest regard for them and thank God daily for their contributions to the body of Christ. But I do have a question for them, a challenge, if you will. It concerns their insistence that, on the one hand, all NT prophecy was inspired, inerrant, and possessed the same authority as that of the apostles and, on the other, that women are prohibited from teaching men or...Read More ➔

A Threat to Whom? The Colossal Insensitivity of the Pro-Choice Mind

By: Sam Storms

The headline caught my eye: “Threat to Roe is a threat to women’s sports.” Oh, my. Say it ain’t so. Women’s sports are threatened by the possible reversal of Roe v. Wade. The article was in USA Today, September 21. It was written by Nancy Armour. Armour argues that if a woman does not have the right “to decide when or if to have children” it jeopardizes her potential for playing soccer or basketball or whatever sport she might c...Read More ➔

My Interview with Steve Greene on Spiritual Warfare

By: Sam Storms

Steve Green is the host of one of the more widely followed podcasts hosted by Charisma. He recently interviewed me about my book Understanding Spiritual Warfare: A Comprehensive Guide (Zondervan). You can link to it here, and of course you can purchase the book at www.amazon.com. Blessings!...Read More ➔

How does Hope Serve to Sanctify our Souls?

By: Sam Storms

The words of the apostle John in 1 John 3:2-3 are both inspired and inspiring. He tells us that if we put our hope in the return of Christ, in the prospect of seeing Jesus “as he is,” this will serve to purify or sanctify our souls. Here is the passage: “Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hop...Read More ➔

My Second Interview on Spiritual Warfare with Susie Larson and Faith Radio

By: Sam Storms

A couple of months ago, Susie Larson interviewed me regarding my new book, Understanding Spiritual Warfare: A Comprehensive Guide (Zondervan). It generated considerable interest, so she asked me to come back and do a second hour on the subject. The program aired live last Wednesday, September 8. Here is the link to it....Read More ➔

The God-Belittling, Self-Exalting, Hell-Deserving Wickedness of Unbelief

By: Sam Storms

The question is often asked: “Why is unbelief such a big deal? Why would someone’s failure to believe in Jesus Christ lead to eternal damnation?” It isn’t uncommon to hear something like this. “Sally is a really nice person. She’s faithful to her husband. She is a wonderful mother to her four children. She has never used profane language or committed a felony. She helps out her neighbors when they are in trouble. She serves weekly at ...Read More ➔

Buckle-up Pro-lifers. They will say anything to silence us

By: Sam Storms

September 3, 2021 Denny Burk at www.dennyburk.com [This article by Denny Burk is a must read. It’s not an enjoyable read, but you must read it.] The left is apoplectic about the shutdown of death-dealing abortion mills in Texas. Nothing is more catastrophic to them than that babies would no longer be subject to legal execution. And there is hardly anything they won’t say or do to get the abortionists back to the important business of killing the unborn. F...Read More ➔

Is Montanism Heretical?

By: Sam Storms

I often come across statements by cessationists to the effect that Montanism is heretical. Personally, I find this use of the word “heretical” to be historically misguided and unnecessarily inflammatory. A heretic is not simply someone who has a different understanding of secondary doctrines. Heresy is not simply a view of some biblical truth that you find objectionable. A heretic is not a Christian. Heresy is the denial of a foundational doctrine of Christia...Read More ➔

Rapture into the Third Heaven and Paul’s Thorn in the Flesh (Part Seven)

By: Sam Storms

Feeling weak today? Good. Yes, that’s right, good! I’m not talking about your weakness for chocolate or alcohol or your weakness for sexual lust or any such thing. The weakness I have in mind is not sin. It has nothing to do with your refusal to obey God or your propensity for jealous rage or greed or your disinclination to forgive someone who betrayed you. The apostle Paul would never boast in wickedness or gladly acquiesce to evil in any form (cf. 2 Cor. 1...Read More ➔

Rapture into the Third Heaven and Paul’s Thorn in the Flesh (Part Six)

By: Sam Storms

As noted in the previous article, there are four broad categories in which most of the interpretations of Paul’s thorn have fallen. We now turn our attention to the two most popular (and likely) views. Many take the view of Chrysostom, a famous preacher of the fourth century. He was the first to suggest that the thorn is simply a reference to all the enemies of the gospel who opposed and persecuted Paul during his evangelistic and theological labors. Alexander th...Read More ➔

Rapture into the Third Heaven and Paul’s Thorn in the Flesh (Part Five)

By: Sam Storms

It seems reasonable, does it not, that an experience of the magnitude Paul describes in 2 Corinthians 12:1-4 would serve to subdue and perhaps even eradicate sinful impulses from his soul? How could sin possibly continue to exert its influence in the heart of a person who saw and heard the things Paul did? Surely anyone who has been blessed with such a stunning privilege as was Paul would forever cease to sin. Surely anyone who heard such transcendently glorious things a...Read More ➔

Rapture into the Third Heaven and Paul’s Thorn in the Flesh (Part Four)

By: Sam Storms

Most people spend their lives worried sick that others will not think highly enough of them. So they disguise their weaknesses. They magnify their strengths. They labor not to give offense. Much of their personality and relational style is far from natural, but has been carefully crafted to elicit the approval and praise of those whose respect they covet. The apostle Paul, to say the least, was a bird of a different feather. One of his greatest fears was that people wou...Read More ➔

Rapture into the Third Heaven and Paul’s Thorn in the Flesh (Part Three)

By: Sam Storms

What are we to make of people who speak so casually (if not flippantly) about multiple heavenly visitations that involve conversations with angels, apostles, and even Jesus? Let me be clear about one thing. I have no biblical or theological grounds for concluding that Paul’s translation into the third heaven was a singular event in the history of the church, as if to suggest that no one else in any other era has ever experienced a similar encounter. But I’m ...Read More ➔

My Podcast with Acts 29 on Spiritual Gifts

By: Sam Storms

I recently recorded a podcast with Jeff Medders of the Acts 29 network. We talked extensively about the Holy Spirit and spiritual gifts. I think you’ll enjoy it. You can find it here....Read More ➔

A Defense of Singing Songs from Bethel and Hillsong

By: Sam Storms

Perhaps you saw an article that appeared online recently in which Mackenzie Morgan, a worship leader at Refine Church in Lascassas, Tennessee, announced that she and her church would no longer sing songs that come from Bethel Church in California or Hillsong Church in Australia. After examining some of the teaching from both Bethel and Hillsong, she concluded that to sing any song that originated with or was composed by someone from either of these local churches was dan...Read More ➔

Rapture into the Third Heaven and Paul’s Thorn in the Flesh (Part Two)

By: Sam Storms

As I read the Bible, I’ve often tried to envision myself in the position of certain characters, especially those who experienced profound supernatural encounters with the Lord. How would I have reacted? Would I have been puffed up with an inflated sense of my own importance? Or would I have felt crushed by the immediate disclosure of my own comparative insignificance? Or would I, preferably, have been so captivated by the brilliance of God’s glory that thinki...Read More ➔

Rapture into the Third Heaven and Paul’s Thorn in the Flesh (Part One)

By: Sam Storms

What are we to make of the many claims made by certain individuals that they have “visited” heaven and have seen and heard things of what life and experience are like there? I want to be careful in passing judgment on the sincerity and motivation of such people, but I think we can gain insight as to whether or not they are telling the truth by looking closely at one man’s undeniable “rapture” into the third heaven. With this in mind, I want...Read More ➔

Insecurity and Pastoral Bullies Re-Visited

By: Sam Storms

In a previous article I spoke of the danger of pastoral bullies in the local church (1 Peter 5:1-4). One of the factors that can often contribute to this approach to ministry is personal insecurity. I posted this article several years ago but thought it might be helpful for us to examine it one more time. Consider the dangers of an insecure pastor (of course, each of the following applies equally well to all Christians). Insecurity makes it difficult to acknowledge and...Read More ➔

Pastoral Bullies Re-Visited

By: Sam Storms

I don’t know closely you have followed several recent developments in the world of so-called “celebrity evangelical pastors,” but the plague of pastoral bullying seems to be reaching epidemic proportions. I don’t hear a lot these days of pastors being removed from their churches because of sexual immorality or financial embezzlement. That isn’t to say, it never happens. But I’m hearing more and more of highly visible, “celebrity&...Read More ➔

My podcast with Jennie Allen on Spiritual Warfare

By: Sam Storms

I recently recorded a podcast with Jennie Allen concerning my book, Understanding Spiritual Warfare: A Comprehensive Guide (Zondervan, 2021). You can access it here. ...Read More ➔

What is Critical Race Theory?

By: Sam Storms

It is virtually impossible to log onto any news website without seeing something said about Critical Race Theory. There is considerable debate about this subject that gives no signs of diminishing anytime soon. So, what is CRT? I’ve read numerous articles and explanations, but none better than the one by Greg Koukl that he posted on his website on July 1, 2021. The title to the article is, Critical Race Theory: Civil Rights Upside Down. You can read the whole thing...Read More ➔

My Hour-long Conversation with Susie Larson on Spiritual Warfare

By: Sam Storms

If you would like to listen to my conversation with Susie Larson of Faith Radio on the subject of spiritual warfare and my new book, Understanding Spiritual Warfare: A Comprehensive Guide (Zondervan), go here and scroll down a bit. This interview took place yesterday, Wednesday, July 8. Blessings, Sam...Read More ➔

Three Principles of the Christian Life

By: Sam Storms

One of my spiritual and theological mentors was Russ McKnight. Not many will have heard of that name, but Russ’s influence on me and numerous others, including a dozen or more men now in full time ministry, was monumental. Russ was a layman who served as an Elder at Metropolitan Baptist Church in Oklahoma City. I first met Russ in 1969 on the campus of the University of Oklahoma. Russ was teaching a Bible study on Romans every Saturday morning in the Student Union ...Read More ➔

Who and Whose are You?

By: Sam Storms

If there is one great and pressing need for every Christian, it is embracing who and whose we are as followers of Jesus. The apostle Paul had no hesitation in affirming that he is “a servant of Christ Jesus” (Romans 1:1). Although Paul might have appealed to his educational credentials, his reputation, his other literary works, or some special accomplishment to distinguish himself in the eyes of the first-century world, he is first and foremost a bondservant ...Read More ➔

Providence and the Counterintuitive Wonders of God

By: Sam Storms

It’s only one word, Providence, but it is indescribably rich and complex and challenging and comforting. It is also the title to John Piper’s most recent book (Crossway, 2020, 751pp.). Piper defines providence as God’s “purposeful sovereignty.” In other words, it is more than mere sovereignty. It is more than power or oversight. It is the way in which God directly and intentionally brings about his ultimate aim of glorifying himself. One o...Read More ➔

The Absurdly Ridiculous and Profoundly un-Christian Accusation of Heresy against the new President of the Southern Baptist Convention

By: Sam Storms

Last week was the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention in Nashville. Some 16,000 were present. I watched on-line most of the meeting, even though I am no longer affiliated with the SBC. My reason for writing this article is to respond to the accusation of heresy brought against Ed Litton, the new president of the SBC. I’ve never met Ed Litton. But he does not deserve the derogatory and derisive statements made about him by certain so-called “dis...Read More ➔

His Nearness to Us, Our Dearness to Him

By: Sam Storms

One of the more precious passages in all of Scripture to me is Psalm 16:11. Here David speaks of the presence of God and the inimitable pleasure and power that flood the soul of those who experience it. Knowing this ought to instill in us a ravenous hunger for intimacy with God. What surprises many is to discover the immense practical benefit of such desire. I first saw this in something said by the author of the epistle to the Hebrews. In the opening verses of chapter ...Read More ➔

Podcast on the Convergence of Word and Spirit

By: Sam Storms

I recently recorded a fairly long podcast with Craig Roters and his daughter Moriah, of Tucson, Arizona. Craig is the pastor of a Calvary Chapel local church. You can find the podcast here. I hope you enjoy it. Sam...Read More ➔

Was the Apostle Paul a Universalist?

By: Sam Storms

Some people have drawn a false and unbiblical conclusion from something Paul says in Romans 5:18. There the apostle says that “as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men.” Did you see that? “All men.” The conclusion some draw is that Paul is teaching universalism, the notion that when all is said and done, every single human being will be saved. Just as every single huma...Read More ➔

Spurgeon on the Eternal Security of the Believer

By: Sam Storms

Few theological issues are as fraught with as much controversy and rancor as that of the security of the believer in Jesus Christ. I continue to marvel at how energetic people are on both sides of this issue when it comes to defending their cherished view. Without delving into the subject in exegetical detail, I would like to cite the words of Charles Spurgeon. His zeal for the truth of eternal security is deserving of our careful and prayerful consideration. “I...Read More ➔

What is a Cult, and How Might We Know?

By: Sam Storms

The existence and influence of religious cults is not something of by-gone days. They still exist today and continue to exert a nefarious influence on many. But what is a cult? Often we answer that question by pointing to virtually any religious body, group, or sect that differs from us on some point of doctrine. But that is profoundly unhelpful, and horribly divisive. Several definitions of a cult are available to us by those who’ve studied them far more deeply t...Read More ➔

Savoring the Supremacy of Christ in the Aftermath of Pentecost Sunday

By: Sam Storms

Yesterday, May23rd, was Pentecost Sunday, the day on which the Holy Spirit was poured out on all flesh. The results and fruit of Pentecost are many: speaking in tongues, dreams, visions, prophecy, healing, and the salvation of 3,000 souls (Acts 2:41), among other glorious realities. But one more product of Pentecost and the coming of the Spirit is the exaltation of the supremacy of Jesus Christ. Jesus himself said that the Spirit will come to “glorify me” (J...Read More ➔

Revelation 3:10 and Seven Reasons why I don’t believe in a Pre-tribulation Rapture of the Church

By: Sam Storms

Will there be a “Rapture,” a moment in time when all living saints are resurrected and “caught up” both physically and spatially to meet Christ in the air? Yes (1 Thess. 4:13-18), but as you will soon discover, I believe this event is simultaneous with and inseparable from the Parousia or the Second Coming of Christ itself. Before I go any further into this issue, I need to make it clear that, in my opinion, the so-called “Great Tribulation...Read More ➔

Do “Miracles” continue but not the Spiritual “Gift” of Miracles?

By: Sam Storms

As we seek to answer this question, I direct our attention to Galatians 3:1-5. Here the apostle Paul clearly describes both the initial reception of the Spirit at the moment of salvation (v. 2) and the on-going supply and provision of the Spirit throughout the course of the Christian life (v. 5). The initial gift of the Spirit to the Galatians (and to us as well) is described in v. 2 – “Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law ...Read More ➔

“Love is Love!” Or is it?

By: Sam Storms

There is a new slogan that I regularly see emblazoned on T-shirts and on the bumper stickers of cars, and on placards held high at certain rallies. “Love is Love!” My first reaction, as you might guess, is to ask a question of the person promoting this philosophy: “Please, define ‘love’.” The answer in return would likely be something along the lines of: “I just did. I said, ‘love is love.’” Aside from the absu...Read More ➔

Pentecostals, Charismatics, and the Third Wave. Who Believes What? Part Two

By: Sam Storms

In the previous article we looked at the historical and theological origins of the classical Pentecostal movement and the many denominations it produced. But today we also hear of so-called Charismatics, as well as the Third Wave movement. How do these differ, or do they? The Beginnings of Neo-Pentecostalism or the Charismatic Movement Neo-Pentecostalism or as some prefer, the Charismatic movement, refers to the penetration of the Pentecostal experience into the mainli...Read More ➔

Pentecostals, Charismatics, and the Third Wave. Who Believes What? Part One

By: Sam Storms

I recently read an article on-line that referred frequently to people who identify as Pentecostal. In the same article reference was made to Charismatics, as if to suggest these two are one and the same. Although not mentioned by name in this article, people also are often heard referring to the Third Wave. What do these labels mean? To whom do they refer? It’s important that we know the difference, assuming there is any, among these three related groups of Christ...Read More ➔

The Life and Death of Jack Taylor

By: Sam Storms

I only learned on Monday morning that my friend, Jack Taylor, had passed away and entered the presence of his Lord and Savior, early Sunday morning, April 25. He was 87 years old. What a truly remarkable Christian man he was. Most of you probably don’t know him, but he was one of the more instrumental figures in bringing the power and ministry of the Holy Spirit into the lives Southern Baptists. I can’t remember when I first met Jack, but he would often visi...Read More ➔

Introduction to Understanding Spiritual Warfare: A Comprehensive Guide

By: Sam Storms

[My book, Understanding Spiritual Warfare: A Comprehensive Guide was released by Zondervan two weeks ago. Here is the Introduction to it.] Both the complexities of spiritual warfare and the controversies that it provokes have made me hesitant to write this book. It has taken several years for me to overcome my reluctance and finally to put words on a page. Two things in particular contributed to this decision. First, no matter how hard one may try, it is quite simply i...Read More ➔

Why Should April 18 Matter to You?

By: Sam Storms

In case you missed it, and I hope you didn’t, yesterday, April 18, 2021, was a massively significant anniversary. Of what, you ask? I’m glad you asked. Yesterday, April 18, 2021, was the 500th anniversary of what may well have been the most significant event in more than 2,000 years of church history. That may strike you as an outlandish statement, but I believe it may well be true. I’m sure we could identify other significant occasions and turning poi...Read More ➔

My Foreword to Dave Harvey’s book, The Plurality Principle

By: Sam Storms

My friend Dave Harvey has just released an excellent book on why and how churches should be led by a plurality of Elders. He asked me to write the Foreword to it. In fact, this week I’ve been in Indianapolis for the Gospel Coalition national conference where I sat on a panel with Dave and two other pastors to discuss this book. Here is the Foreword. I urge you to get the book and read it closely. Really? An entire book on why our local churches should be led by a ...Read More ➔

My new book, “Understanding Spiritual Warfare”, releases Today!

By: Sam Storms

Back in September of 2020, my book Understanding Spiritual Gifts: A Comprehensive Guide (Zondervan) was released. Today I’m pleased to let you know that the sequel, Understanding Spiritual Warfare: A Comprehensive Guide (Zondervan), is now available for purchase. Although the notice at Amazon says the release date is April 27, the book is already in stock and ready for shipment. Here are endorsements of it from Wayne Grudem, Matt Chandler, Michael Brown, and J. P. ...Read More ➔

The Foreword to my book on Spiritual Warfare by Dr. Clint Arnold

By: Sam Storms

There are a lot of books out there on spiritual warfare, but none are quite like this. I have been looking for one “go to” book that I could recommend to people on this important topic and this will be it. Sam Storms approaches spiritual warfare with the heart of a pastor, the skill of a biblical exegete, a sensitivity to the work of the Spirit, and the wisdom of a leader who has had significant experience in this arena. The result is a book that is truly we...Read More ➔

We Cannot Overestimate Heaven, or Lessons on Happiness from Jonathan Edwards

By: Sam Storms

[First published at www.desiringgod.org on Monday, March 29, 2021] One of the more destructive threats to the human soul and the purposes for which God created and redeemed us is boredom. We were not made for boredom. Our hearts are hardwired by God for delight and discovery and ever-increasing joy and satisfaction in all that God is for us in Jesus and in all that God has created and does. This is why boredom is the devil’s delight. It is his playground. He take...Read More ➔

My “Vision” of Redemption from Sin

By: Sam Storms

This past Sunday at Bridgeway we spent time in Romans 3:21-26, looking primarily at three words: justification, redemption, and propitiation. As a way of illustrating the truth of redemption, I retold the story of Hosea and Gomer in the OT. You may recall that Gomer was an unfaithful wife, indeed, she was a harlot, running from one adulterous lover to another. She eventually was sold into slavery and found herself on the auction block, available to the highest bidder. E...Read More ➔

Understanding Spiritual Warfare: A Comprehensive Guide

By: Sam Storms

My new book, Understanding Spiritual Warfare: A Comprehensive Guide (Zondervan), is now available for pre-order at Amazon. The book should be available in a couple of weeks. This is a sequel, of sorts, to my book Understanding Spiritual Gifts: A Comprehensive Guide, that came out in September of last year. Both books, around 350 pages, cover a wide range of issues related to our battle with Satan and the gifts of the Spirit. I’ll have more to tell you about the bo...Read More ➔

Check out my programs on Remnant Radio

By: Sam Storms

If you aren’t familiar with Remnant Radio, you should be. You can go to YouTube and type it in and find numerous excellent programs. I’ve appeared on Remnant Radio with Josh Lewis and Michael Rowntree several times. Below are links to the programs. The first is on spiritual gifts, the second on spiritual warfare, the third on eschatology, specifically amillennialism, and the fourth on speaking in tongues. Enjoy! Spiritual gifts  Spiritual Warfare Amil...Read More ➔

My “Vision” for Pastoral Ministry at Bridgeway Church

By: Sam Storms

Although most of the NT epistles were written to address unique circumstances and challenges in each city, there are at least two texts that I believe reflect the Apostle Paul’s “vision” for his ministry and for all the local churches in which he served. In Ephesians he articulates the purpose for God having gifted leaders in the local church. It was so that the saints would be equipped “for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Chris...Read More ➔

Announcing the Launch of My New Podcast

By: Sam Storms

I’m truly excited to let you know that I have just launched my new podcast with the title, Exploring Word and Spirit. If ever the church of Jesus Christ stood in need of a convergence between the life-changing truths of God’s written Word, the Bible, and the supernatural power of God’s Holy Spirit, it is now. For far too long Christians have given themselves to one to the exclusion of the other. We’ve been lied to. We’ve been told you can&rs...Read More ➔

Heaven is a World of Love

By: Sam Storms

Crossway has recently launched a series of short books under the heading, Crossway Short Classics. The most recent one is the essay by Jonathan Edwards, Heaven is a World of Love. They asked me to write the Foreword to it, which you will find below. I can’t think of anyone who was more productive during the course of his earthly life than Jonathan Edwards. One need only glance at the Yale University Press edition of his collected works to verify this as fact. And ...Read More ➔

A Tribute to Larry Crabb (1944-2021)

By: Sam Storms

Yet another of the more influential men in my life has gone to be with Jesus. I can’t begin to describe what Larry Crabb meant to me and my approach to pastoral ministry. Larry entered heaven on February 28, at the age of 77. I first met Larry in 1987. I was a deeply burdened pastor who had hit a wall, not knowing how to minister to the needs of people who were deeply wounded and hurting. I heard about a week-long seminar that Larry and Dan Allender were hosting a...Read More ➔

No. The Spiritual Gift of Prophecy is not the same as Preaching

By: Sam Storms

One of the arguments that I often hear from my cessationist friends is that the gift of prophecy is simply another way of referring to what we typically understand to be the preaching or teaching of God’s Word. When defined this way, the cessationist can affirm that “prophecy” is still valid today without having to acknowledge that the Holy Spirit is revealing truths to believers above and beyond (but never contrary to) what we find in Scripture. But i...Read More ➔

God Knows What You’re Thinking

By: Sam Storms

The gospel is, by definition, good news. But included in the good news of what happens when one believes is the bad news of what happens when one rejects Christ. That is why Paul says in Romans 2:16 that it is “according to” the gospel that God will judge people by Christ Jesus (v. 16). This judgment will expose “the secrets of men,” the hidden thoughts, fantasies, wicked plans and ulterior motives of all humanity. That God’s judgment will ...Read More ➔

Are we Supposed to Forgive God?

By: Sam Storms

I’m hearing more and more these days about the purported therapeutic value in “forgiving God.” For those who have suffered greatly, healing comes, at least in part, when we are enabled by God’s grace to forgive those who have sinned against us. On occasion we also hear of the importance of forgiving “ourselves” (which, I must confess, strikes me as lacking biblical sanction; but that is for another time). What concerns me most is when ...Read More ➔

Could Certain Kinds of Abuse also be Grounds for Divorce and Remarriage?

By: Sam Storms

Two years ago, I sat with my good friend Wayne Grudem in his home in Phoenix as we talked about his research into the subject of divorce and remarriage. In his excellent book, Christian Ethics: An Introduction to Biblical Moral Reasoning (Crossway, 2018), for which I wrote an endorsement, he argued for the traditional view that divorce and remarriage were permissible (but never mandatory) on the grounds of adultery and abandonment. Wayne shared with me that his view was...Read More ➔

What Happens when Revival Comes?

By: Sam Storms

Everyone, it seems, has their own definition or description of revival. Here I want to identify ten features of biblical revival. Among the many who have influenced my thinking on this topic, I have to mention J. I. Packer, on whom I am greatly dependent. This week at Bridgeway we embark on four days of prayer and fasting. There are many things for which we are praying and seeking God, chief among which is a revival of his people and his church. So, here is what happens ...Read More ➔

Another Example of Blatant Hypocrisy and Utter Moral Inconsistency

By: Sam Storms

Every so often the blatant hypocrisy and utter moral inconsistency of certain political figures in our country is more than I can take. Today I want to share with you the most recent case in point. I do not write this in order to indict any political party or person, but simply to point out how blind and irrational some people can be, especially when it comes to the issue of abortion. In an article in USA Today on Friday, January 29, several people were objecting to the...Read More ➔

A Word in Response to Sarah Silverman

By: Sam Storms

In a video posted to social media on Friday, January 8, in a clip from her weekly podcast, the secular Jewish comedienne and actress Sarah Silverman claimed that there is no hell. She said that she wanted to alleviate the fears of those who believe in eternal punishment. “If you’re in the range of my voice right now,” said Silverman, “and you’re someone who believes [in] and fears hell, let me release you of that fear right now. There is no ...Read More ➔

Some Thoughts on the “failed” Prophecies concerning Donald Trump and the 2020 Election

By: Sam Storms

What are we to make of the many “failed prophecies” of Trump’s election to a second term? That was the question asked of me on Friday by a religion reporter from the New York Times. Her article should be published sometime this week. There are several things that I said in response. First, why is everyone making such a big deal of this? No one prophesies with 100% accuracy. The apostle Paul said that in this present age we prophesy “in part&rdquo...Read More ➔

Should we take Covid-19 Vaccines that contain the Cells of Aborted Babies?

By: Sam Storms

I hope that all of you regularly listen to the Ask Pastor John podcast at www.desiringgod.org. In a recent episode he addressed a question that many are asking, the question posed in the title to this post. Piper’s response is clear and persuasive. I urge you to read it carefully. Let me make four kinds of observations, and hope and pray that these will give some guidance to our thinking and our feeling and our acting. And I think all three of those really matter,...Read More ➔

The Three Most Encouraging Biblical Words for 2020 and 2021

By: Sam Storms

This past Thursday, the day after the horrible events that took place in our nation’s capital, I shared with our entire staff at Bridgeway what I believe are the three most important words from the Bible as we leave behind 2020 and enter into 2021. Those three words aren’t what you would expect. They aren’t, “God is love,” although he certainly is. They aren’t, “Christ is risen,” although he certainly is. They are three si...Read More ➔

Beholding the Glory of Christ in Scripture in 2021

By: Sam Storms

Many of you are already well on your way to reading through the Bible in 2021. Like every other year, you’ve heard the call: “Let’s read through the Bible together this year.” Sadly, though, the resolve to read lasts for about a month or two. Then life’s demands and the pressures of each day suppress the commitment we earlier made. How can we not let that happen again this year? I want to suggest that our failure to maintain our pledge to r...Read More ➔

A Review of “Operating in the Courts of Heaven”, by Robert Henderson, Part Two

By: Sam Storms

Robert Henderson has written a series of books defending his thesis about the nature and power of prayer. My review is limited to the first and foundational book in this series, Operating in the Courts of Heaven (2014). Should I discover that in those subsequent volumes he reverses or corrects what was written in the first volume, I will write whatever retractions are required. Before I finish my review of Henderson’s first book, I need to say something about pray...Read More ➔

A Review of “Operating in the Courts of Heaven”, by Robert Henderson, Part One

By: Sam Storms

I don’t enjoy writing critical reviews. But sometimes it is necessary. I was alerted to this book by Robert Henderson some time ago, and the book itself was published in 2014. Evidently its influence is beginning to spread. You’ve often heard the expression, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” That’s probably a good policy to follow. But in this case my judgment was formed not by the cover of the book but by its sub-title, which honest...Read More ➔

The Epiphany of Grace and Glory

By: Sam Storms

You may find it rather strange that I have chosen to write about the Second Coming of Jesus Christ during that time of year when everything and everyone are focused on the First Coming of Christ. But I have two very good reasons for doing so. My first reason is personal. I can’t recall a time in my life when I have so deeply and passionately longed for the return of Christ as I have in 2020. At times, the feeling has been overwhelming. It’s even been so inte...Read More ➔

Think You Know the Christmas Story? Here are Five Common Misconceptions

By: Sam Storms

[My friend, Michael Kruger, President of Reformed Theological Seminary in Charlotte, NC, has written an excellent analysis of certain beliefs about Christmas that you need to hear.] Bah, humbug. That’s probably one of the most well-known lines in literary (and now, cinematic) history. Everybody immediately recognizes the curmudgeonly voice of Ebeneezer Scrooge as he pours cold water all over our Christmas spirit. And his point is still made today by some, albeit...Read More ➔

My interview with Steven Bancarz

By: Sam Storms

I was recently interviewed by Steven Bancarz on my book, The Singing God. You can access it on YouTube here....Read More ➔

Christmas sale of “Understanding Spiritual Gifts: A Comprehensive Guide”

By: Sam Storms

Understanding Spiritual Gifts is on sale this week! Get the softcover for 50% off bit.ly/2KpFABi or the eBook for $3.99 amzn.to/39ZFueu. Deals end December 21st. ...Read More ➔

Best Books of 2020

By: Sam Storms

The time has come once again for me to identify what I consider to be the best books of 2020. This year’s list is an odd assortment. Although most on the list are works of deep theological reflection, there are a couple that you may find a bit out of place for someone like me. That is especially the case with my selection for best book of the year. So, let’s get started. (10) How to Read Theology for All Its Worth, by Karin Spiecker Stetina (Zondervan Academ...Read More ➔

Rejoicing that our God is Able

By: Sam Storms

“Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases” (Psalm 115:3). When was the last time you thanked God simply for being able? I can’t imagine anything more disheartening and depressing than believing in a God who lacks the power to fulfill his purposes, whose energy wanes in the heat of battle or whose strength diminishes in a moment of crisis. Good intentions notwithstanding, if God can’t carry out his plans and can’t fulfill his g...Read More ➔

Personal Integrity in an Age of Corruption

By: Sam Storms

Both leading up to the election and in its wake, we have heard countless voices complaining about corruption and deceit. Regardless of which candidate you preferred, there is no escaping the fact that corruption and dishonesty and self-serving deceitfulness are rampant in our world. But does it matter? Is it all that big of a deal? The psalmist answers: “O LORD, who shall sojourn in your tent? Who shall dwell on your holy hill? He who walks blamelessly and does ...Read More ➔

The Fragrance of Gratitude

By: Sam Storms

I can’t see as well as I used to, especially without my glasses. There are times when I don’t hear everything going on around me. And I must admit that I have a finicky sense of taste. But I’m proud to say that I have a marvelous sense of smell. And believe it or not, so too does God! Of course, I’m speaking anthropomorphically when I say that God has a perfect sense of smell. And few things smell as good to him as gratitude. In the book of Levi...Read More ➔

Spiritual Warfare on Remnant Radio

By: Sam Storms

I recently did an hour-long interview with Remnant Radio on spiritual warfare. You can link to it here. We cover a wide array of topics related to spiritual warfare, in anticipation of the publication of my book, Understanding Spiritual Warfare: A Comprehensive Guide. This will be released by Zondervan in April, 2021....Read More ➔

Edward Snowden: Why the President should Grant him a Full Pardon

By: Sam Storms

News broke a few months ago that President Trump was giving serious consideration to granting a pardon to Edward Snowden. Some of you may not recognize that name, so let me give you a brief summation of why he is important. At 22 years of age, Snowden got his first top secret clearance from the NSA. Less than a year later he was at the CIA, working as a systems engineer “with sprawling access to some of the most sensitive networks on the planet” (Permanent R...Read More ➔

The Sovereignty of God in 2020

By: Sam Storms

Few things are more controversial among Christians than the sovereignty of God. Is God truly sovereign over everything, including calamity, natural disasters, death, and demons, or is his sovereign control restricted to those things we typically regard as good, such as material blessing, family welfare, personal salvation, and good health? This is an especially relevant question for pastors and biblical counselors who regularly seek to help those who have suffered great...Read More ➔

The Abominable “Equality Act”

By: Sam Storms

The following is an excerpt from an article by Rod Dreher at the website https://www.theamericanconservative.com/dreher/ October 29, 2020 Joe Biden said today that if he’s elected (and assuming he has a Democratic Senate behind him), he will sign the Equality Act within the first hundred days. I believe him, too. This is an issue that the Democratic Party is united on. The only reason it’s not the law now is because the Republican Senate would not pass it. ...Read More ➔

I’m Voting!

By: Sam Storms

In my recent article where I interacted with John Piper’s comments on the current election, I hinted that I was giving serious consideration to voting for neither Trump nor Biden. Whereas I still believe that this is a legitimate option for Christians, I have decided that it is not a legitimate option for me personally. I’m not saying for whom I’m voting, but I’m voting in the presidential election. I simply cannot justify, to the satisfaction of ...Read More ➔

A Word of Encouragement

By: Sam Storms

At the close of John Piper’s recent controversial article on the election, he had this word of counsel to pastors and church leaders. I hope you find this helpful. I certainly did. It seems especially appropriate in our current season when circumstances outside of our control have been imposed so forcefully on us. I know that all those who serve in ministry roles feel frustrated in not being able to do what we think needs to be done. But seize this opportunity. Don...Read More ➔

A Brief Reflection on John Piper’s Recent Article concerning the Presidential Election

By: Sam Storms

Most of you are aware that I regard John Piper as one of my dearest friends. We’ve known each other for over 35 years and I’ve had the privilege of sitting on the board of Desiring God and partnering with John in the advance of what we call Christian Hedonism. He has also exerted a tremendous, life-shaping influence on me theologically. What follows is not designed to disagree with the substance of what he wrote in his article. You can read the article here....Read More ➔

When God Calls You His Beloved

By: Sam Storms

In Romans 1:7 Paul describes those to whom this remarkable letter is addressed. He refers to them as those “who are loved by God.” You may not think that anyone else cares anything at all for you. I don’t believe that’s true, but you may be convinced that it is. Satan is trying to convince you that it is true. He wants you to feel excluded, unloved, uncared for, and unnoticed by others. You aren’t. But hearing me reassure you probably won&r...Read More ➔

“You are not your own” (living as slaves of Christ)

By: Sam Storms

The apostle Paul had never been to Rome. He knew only a handful of believers there. So one might reasonably think that he would introduce himself to the church in that city by pulling out his resume and reeling off a list of accomplishments: inspired letters that he had written, signs and wonders he had performed, famous people that he knew, or perhaps that he alone had been translated into the third heaven and given the privilege of seeing things that are too glorious t...Read More ➔

The Remarkable, Christ-Exalting Life of My Mother

By: Sam Storms

Doris Tsianina Storms was born on April 12, 1920. She entered into glory on October 3, 2020. Her life spanned more than 100 years, and she lived every minute of it to the glory of her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Mom’s early life was unimaginably challenging. In the midst of the Great Depression her parents separated, but never divorced. Her father was a kind and loving man, but an alcoholic. My grandmother had no choice but to put my mother and her three younger...Read More ➔

Why Did God Heal Me? Lessons from an Unexpected Miracle

By: Sam Storms

By Darren Carlson [This article first appeared at www.desiringgod.org] January 12, 2019, was just another day in pain. For nearly four years, my body had betrayed me. Unexplained headaches. Numbness. A broken metabolism. The need for a two-hour nap every afternoon. And worst of all, significant digestive problems that made it impossible for me to stand up for longer than twenty minutes. I was forced to alter local travel plans, stop preaching, stop coaching youth sport...Read More ➔

The Ruthless Pursuit of Holiness

By: Sam Storms

Do you strive for holiness, or is your approach to Christian living one of laid-back passivity, a let-go-and-let-God philosophy? In his introduction to the spirituality of Jonathan Edwards, Kyle Strobel argues that “for the believer, this striving is not for salvation, but from within salvation. Furthermore,” building on Edwards’s understanding, “the nature of holiness leads one to desire more and more of it – communion with God satisfies e...Read More ➔

Was Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, Genuinely Converted to Saving Faith in the God of Israel?

By: Sam Storms

In the previous article we looked briefly at the strange case of Nebuchadnezzar who appears to have been disciplined by God with a case of boanthropy. The discipline apparently worked, as the King lifted his eyes to heaven and experienced the restoration of reason (Dan. 4:34). He proceeded to bless God, praise and honor him. Is this an indication that he experienced a change of heart and had trusted God for forgiveness? This would appear to be the case, especially in li...Read More ➔

250 Theological Essays at the Gospel Coalition

By: Sam Storms

As you may know, I serve as a member of the Council of The Gospel Coalition. Today came the announcement of a series of 250 articles covering virtually every important theological and doctrinal subject. I had the privilege of writing five of these essays. They are all easily accessible and free. Here is the link. https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/tgc-essays/...Read More ➔

Boasting, Boanthropy, and the Strange Case of Nebuchadnezzar

By: Sam Storms

Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, presents us with a couple of challenging questions. Was he eventually converted to a genuine faith in the God of Israel? Perhaps. I’ll take that up in a subsequent article. But here I want us to look briefly at his boastful arrogance and the judgment God brought upon him. If he was later truly converted, it was this rather odd disciplinary procedure that likely accounts for it. One day, as he was walking on the roof of his royal pa...Read More ➔

Does Paul Require the Complete Silence of Women in Church? A Study of 1 Corinthians 14:33b-35

By: Sam Storms

When some wish to insist that women should remain silent in church, they typically appeal to 1 Corinthians 14:33b-35. There Paul wrote: “As in all the churches of the saints, the women should keep silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be in submission, as the Law also says. If there is anything they desire to learn, let them ask their husbands at home. For it is shameful for a woman to speak in church” (1 Cor. 14:33b-35). ...Read More ➔

My interview on Remnant Radio

By: Sam Storms

My Interview with Remnant Radio The link below is of my interview of over an hour with the hosts of Remnant Radio. I’ve done this before on other topics with Josh and Michael, but this may be the longest and most in-depth of all. They asked questions of me related to my new book, Understanding Spiritual Gifts: A Comprehensive Guide (Zondervan) that was released on September 1. I hope you enjoy it! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HSdH7jHr9U&feature=youtu.be ...Read More ➔

Still More Endorsements of Understanding Spiritual Gifts: A Comprehensive Guide

By: Sam Storms

If you are wanting an introduction to the gifts of the Holy Spirit, this book is for you. If you are already knowledgeable in the gifts of the Spirit, this is the book for you as well. It is a source book for the seasoned Christian. You should secure extra copies to give away. No one is more able to produce a balanced book like this than Dr. Sam Storms. With a solid background in the Word and the Spirit, he has written a book that will be edifying and God-honoring. R. T...Read More ➔

More Endorsements of Understanding Spiritual Gifts: A Comprehensive Guide

By: Sam Storms

“Sam Storms has given the Body of Christ a gift in, Understanding Spiritual Gifts, A Comprehensive Guide. This is without doubt, the best book I have ever read on the subject. Sam brings clarity to this often misunderstood subject, awakening us to the necessity of spiritual gifts in order to live the fruitful lives God has designed for us, and to fulfil the mission he has assigned to us. It is time for the Body of Christ to function as a whole, healthy, and strong ...Read More ➔

My interview with Faithlife on Spiritual Gifts

By: Sam Storms

A couple of days ago I joined Scott Lindsay of Faithlife (Logos) for an hour-long interview on my new book, Understanding Spiritual Gifts: A Comprehensive Guide (Zondervan). Here is the link in case you’d like to watch. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4DuQxbZM00&list=PLVacgImttbO8kRONNrh_VKfDLil3q69PT    ...Read More ➔

Endorsements of Understanding Spiritual Gifts: A Comprehensive Guide (Zondervan)

By: Sam Storms

Sam Storms has written the most comprehensive book on spiritual gifts I have ever seen. I can’t think of a question about the gifts that he does not address. And his answers are based on the simple statements of Scripture, not preconceived theory about the gifts. Although Sam is a scholar, this book is not a scholarly, theoretical examination of spiritual gifts. It is an eloquent, easy to read, practical explanation of each of the twenty-one spiritual gifts and why...Read More ➔

10 Questions about Spiritual Gifts

By: Sam Storms

[This article was first published on September 5, 2020, at www.crossway.org.] Q: What are spiritual gifts? Where are they found in Scripture? A: The primary texts where spiritual gifts are explicitly mentioned are Romans 12:3-8; 1 Corinthians 12-14; Ephesians 4:11-14; and 1 Peter 4:10-11. There are numerous other texts, mostly in Acts, where we read of certain gifts being exercised (see also Gal. 3:5; 1 Thess. 5:19-22; 1 Tim. 1:18; 2 Tim. 1:6; Heb. 2:3-4; James 5:13-18...Read More ➔

The Foreword to "Understanding Spiritual Gifts: A Comprehensive Guide", by Craig Keener

By: Sam Storms

Because the Spirit is the Third Person of the Trinity, learning to depend on the Spirit is crucial to the Christian life. And because biblical teaching about gifts of the Spirit points us to dependence on God’s Spirit to empower us to serve one another in the various ways that God equips us, it is teaching crucial for today’s church. Few things could be more central than learning to depend on God, in our various distinctive ways, to build up fellow believers ...Read More ➔

Will Some Christians Smell Like Smoke on Judgment Day?

By: Sam Storms

[This article was originally published at the website of the Gospel Coalition on August 29, 2020] Many Christians get nervous whenever the subject of rewards is raised. To speak of praise for specific deeds performed or a life well-lived—or conversely the loss of rewards—strikes them as inconsistent with salvation by grace alone. But no amount of anxiety can justify ignoring the clear teaching of Scripture. And numerous biblical texts speak of rewards for o...Read More ➔

My New Book, "Understanding Spiritual Gifts: A Comprehensive Guide", is now Available!

By: Sam Storms

Finally, my new book on spiritual gifts is now available. Perhaps the best place to get it is on Amazon. Some of you may wonder how this book differs from my earlier volume, The Beginner’s Guide to Spiritual Gifts. The latter volume, originally released in 2002 (174 pages) and then again in a slightly revised version in 2012 (219 pages), was truly only a “beginner’s” guide. This new volume is a massively expanded treatment not simply of the nine g...Read More ➔

Spiritual Appetites Need No Bounds

By: Sam Storms

One of the more fascinating and instructive of Jonathan Edwards’s sermons is rooted in Song of Solomon 5:1. Here is Edwards’s translation of the text: “Eat, O friends; drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved.” Although most today believe that the Song of Solomon explicitly addresses the love relationship between husband and wife, Edwards stood in the tradition that dominated church history for its first 1,800 years. He argued that it was somethin...Read More ➔

Salvation as Partaking of the Divine Nature

By: Sam Storms

No one ever probed the depths of what it means to be saved as intently and insightfully as Jonathan Edwards. He especially drew from this statement by the apostle Peter: “[God] has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire” (2 Peter 1:4). Edwards was careful to deny that the Christian partakes of ...Read More ➔

Blessed are the Persecuted. Really?

By: Sam Storms

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matthew 5:10-12). Seriously? Did Jesus really mean what he said? Yes. Let’s look closely at this stunning statement. Thi...Read More ➔

The Holy Spirit, by Gregg R. Allison and Andreas Kostenberger

By: Sam Storms

Numerous books have been written on the person and work of the Holy Spirit. Some have been helpful, but most have fallen far short of what the church needs. I’m delighted to let you know of the publication of what I believe is the best and most comprehensive treatment of the Holy Spirit yet to appear. Gregg Allison and Andreas Kostenberger have partnered to produce a 543-page treasure trove of biblical and theological truth about the Spirit (B & H Academic). H...Read More ➔

The Conclusion of Christian Living, or, How to End Well

By: Sam Storms

So when can we quit? Is there a point in the Christian life when we can take our foot off the pedal, throw our lives into neutral, and happily coast into heaven? After all, isn’t that what the world counsels? Retire. Relax. Amuse yourself. Indulge in whatever pleasures you were denied in your working years. You’re on the shelf, so take it easy. The end is in sight. J. I. Packer only recently entered into glory. During his final years he grew increasingly wea...Read More ➔

The Holiness of God

By: Sam Storms

Here is a link to my podcast with Gary Wilkerson of World Challenge. The focus of our discussion is the holiness of God. Enjoy! https://wcm.link/gwp79ss  ...Read More ➔

Blessed are the Merciful!

By: Sam Storms

This week at Bridgeway we looked at our Lord’s declaration, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy” (Matt. 5:7). In this brief article I want to share with you the most biblical example of mercy that I’ve ever seen. I’ve written about Jackie Pullinger many times before, but I make no apology for speaking of her yet again. I first met Jackie in January of 1991 in California. I had dinner with her and listened for two hours a...Read More ➔

My new book on Spiritual Gifts!

By: Sam Storms

It’s almost here. My new book on spiritual gifts (and most likely, my last book on the subject) will be released by Zondervan in a couple of weeks. If you want to learn more about it, see the endorsements by Max Lucado, Christine Caine, Jack Deere, and Mike Bickle, and pre-order your copy, go to the website, www.understandingspiritualgifts.com. This is just about everything I know on this topic. The book is approximately 385 pages and covers the wide range of issu...Read More ➔

The Life of J. I. Packer (1926-2020)

By: Sam Storms

I don’t think it an exaggeration to say that I owe much of what I am as a pastor and theologian to the combined influence of a schoolyard bully and an inattentive bread truck driver. Such are the mysteries of divine providence that largely account for the remarkable spiritual influence, not only on me personally but on the whole of the evangelical world, of one James Innell Packer. I’m not alone in this assessment of Packer’s impact, as the readers of C...Read More ➔

‘Jim’ Packer, Man of Immutable Integrity

By: Sam Storms

[J. I. Packer entered into glory on Friday, July 17th, five days short of his 94th birthday. A couple of months earlier I was contacted by the Gospel Coalition and asked to write a personal tribute to him. At the time of the request, it appeared that his days on earth were drawing to a close and they wanted to have everything in place to honor this man once the Lord had called him home. I encourage you to visit the Gospel Coalition website at www.thegospelcoalition.org w...Read More ➔

My Reflections on the Life and Legacy of J. I. Packer

By: Sam Storms

As you probably know by now, J. I. Packer went to be with his Lord and Savior on Friday, July 17, five days short of his 94th birthday. Below is a link to a podcast where I talk about his life and theology and the influence he had on me and countless others. https://www.crossway.org/articles/podcast-the-life-and-legacy-of-j-i-packer-sam-storms/...Read More ➔

Why Bridgeway Church Chose Not to Apply for or Receive PPP (Paycheck Protection Program) Funds

By: Sam Storms

On Wednesday of last week numerous news outlets disclosed the many Christian churches and ministries that applied for and received substantial funds from the PPP program. Several of the larger and more prosperous mega-churches in the country received anywhere from $5 to $10 million. Others are listed as having received from $2 to $5 million. I won’t mention their names, as my aim in this article isn’t to criticize them or to accuse them of sin. My aim is to e...Read More ➔

A Podcast on why I left Cessationism and Embraced Continuationism

By: Sam Storms

Episdoe 63 / Christian Cessationist Now Believes In Continuation of Charismatic Gifts / The 180 Cast - with Georgi Boorman https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/episdoe-63-christian-cessationist-now-believes-in-continuation/id1457346132?i=1000474823506 Christian theologian and author Sam Storms rejoins the podcast to talk about why he ceased to be a cessationist and now believes the charismatic gifts of the Spirit, such as prophecy and speaking in tongues, are present ...Read More ➔

Heavenly Healing and Happiness

By: Sam Storms

People are coping with the current crisis in differing ways, most of which are only making matters worse. I have long held the belief that the best way to manage the anxiety and fear that arise from earthly chaos is by meditating on the peace and blessings of heaven. And there is no better place for us to see this than in Revelation 7:13-17. Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?”...Read More ➔

A Link to my Podcast on the Attributes of God (Part Two)

By: Sam Storms

Last week I posted a link to the first half of a two-part podcast that I did with Gary Wilkerson of World Challenge. The subject is the attributes of God. Here is a link to part two. Enjoy! https://wcm.link/gwp74ss    ...Read More ➔

Sober Reflections on the Social Unrest and Racial Hostility Today

By: Sam Storms

Let me first ask for your patience. It is incredibly difficult to know when to speak and when to be patient and silent on such matters that currently confront us as a society. Many would criticize me for not speaking sooner. I understand their frustration. Others would criticize me had I chosen to speak early on in the wake of the tragic death of George Floyd, thinking that to speak before all the evidence is known is both premature and unwise. Then there are those who w...Read More ➔

Podcast on the Attributes of God

By: Sam Storms

If you'd like to watch or listen to my podcast on the attributes of God with Gary Wilkerson, here is the link. Blessings,   https://worldchallenge.org/podcast/preeminent-passion-heart-god?utm_campaign=gwpodcast&utm_medium=guest&utm_source=SamStorms    ...Read More ➔

Peace be with you! Your Sins are Forgiven!

By: Sam Storms

One of the more enigmatic statements made by Jesus came on the day of his resurrection from the dead. His disciples were hiding out in the upper room, behind locked doors, terrified of what might soon befall them. Jesus suddenly appeared to them and said, “Peace be with you.” He then repeated himself and said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and ...Read More ➔

Our God is a Mighty Fortress in the Midst of Chaos and Unrest

By: Sam Storms

Ein feste burg ist unser Gott! Say what? Well, that’s how Martin Luther would have written it in his famous hymn: “A mighty fortress is our God,A bulwark never failing;He, amid the floodOf mortal ills prevailing.” There can be no doubt but that Luther’s sturdy, unshakeable, unflappable confidence in God as his refuge, his strength, his mighty, impenetrable fortress is what ultimately accounted for what he was able to accomplish in bringing a...Read More ➔

My Interview on Spiritual Gifts at The Layman’s Lounge

By: Sam Storms

I recently engaged with the leaders of The Layman’s Lounge as they asked me numerous questions about spiritual gifts. Here is the link. https://thelaymenslounge.com/spiritual-gifts-often-faked-often-bizzare-but-very-much-needed/...Read More ➔

If the Kingdom is Here, Why is the World in such a Mess?

By: Sam Storms

I don’t know how all of you feel in the wake of the events that have transpired in our country these past few weeks. And no, I’m not talking solely about the death of George Floyd and the resultant protests in our streets. I’m also including in this the pandemic that has proven so devastating in so many ways for so many people. So, I will only speak for myself when I say that I find it easy at times to identify with the perplexity of John the Baptist b...Read More ➔

Face to Face

By: Sam Storms

Sometimes profound truths are tucked away in obscure and neglected places. That is certainly the case with what we see in 2 John 12. My guess is that many of you have never bothered to read 2 and 3 John, perhaps thinking that epistles so short could hardly say much of value. Oh, how wrong you would be! As we prepare to regather on June 7 as the family of God at Bridgeway here in Oklahoma City, I want to draw your attention to something the apostle John said at the close...Read More ➔

The Only Lasting Solution to the Racial Hostility in our Country

By: Sam Storms

I’ve read and heard so many responses to the horrific murder of George Floyd that my heart is shattered and my head is spinning. I don’t know if there is anything more that can be said, but to remain silent is simply not an option. The issue that has erupted once again in our land is not primarily political, social, economic, or educational. It is spiritual. Racism is an expression of the depravity of the human soul. It is one of many symptoms of the corrupt...Read More ➔

Jack Deere’s new book is now available!

By: Sam Storms

I’m happy to announce that Jack Deere’s new book is now available for purchase at Amazon.com. The title is, Why I Am Still Surprised by the Power of the Spirit: Discovering How God Speaks and Heals Today (Zondervan, 320 pages). If you’re wondering if this is a reprint of his earlier best-selling book, Surprised by the Power of the Spirit, the answer is No. Although there is much here that appeared in that earlier volume, Jack has written a new work tha...Read More ➔

Yes, the Seven Seals of the Book of Revelation Have Been Opened

By: Sam Storms

In the previous article I outlined my understanding of the structure of Revelation. I argued that the seal, trumpet, and bowl judgments have already been unleased in the earth and will occur, in varying degrees of intensity, all the way up until the time of the return of our Lord. In other words, they are descriptive of the commonplaces of human experience, both in the past, present, and yes also in the future. In this article we’ll look at the identity and meanin...Read More ➔

Yes, the Seven Seals of the Book of Revelation Have Been Opened

By: Sam Storms

My good friend, Michael Brown, recently posted an article posing the question of whether or not the seven seals of Revelation have been opened. His conclusion is No. I hope my response and how I understand Revelation will be of some help in answering this pressing question. Perhaps the single greatest controversy surrounding Revelation and the most important issue when it comes to interpreting the book, is the question of its structure. Many, perhaps most, evangelicals ...Read More ➔

Why the Prophets Did Not See the Coming Pandemic

By: Sam Storms

There seems to be no end to the hyper-critical, cynical comments coming from many cessationists in the professing Christian world. One of the more virulent threads I keep seeing on the internet is the mocking tone that asks why the many prophets in the charismatic world did not foresee the Covid-19 pandemic. Now, let me be clear about one thing. This brief response is not an unqualified defense or vindication of the many names that are mentioned in this regard. Some of ...Read More ➔

A Prayer to Pray in a Pandemic

By: Sam Storms

What should I pray during this pandemic of Covid-19? What requests should I bring to the throne of grace? What do I need most at this critical time in our country? When I asked myself that question, the Spirit directed my heart to Romans 15:13 “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope” (Romans 15:13). “But Sam. That’s someone else’s prayer. That&rsq...Read More ➔

Podcast on Why I Became an Amillennialist

By: Sam Storms

I recently joined Georgi Boorman on her program where she interviews people who have changed their minds on certain theological topics. Here is the link to my conversation with her on why I changed my view on biblical eschatology. I hope you enjoy it. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/180-cast-ep-61-premillennialist-embraces-amillennial/id1457346132?i=1000473293080  ...Read More ➔

The Good Shepherd in the Time of Covid-19

By: Sam Storms

What do we need most in times like these? If we have Jesus, nothing. At least that is what David would have us believe in Psalm 23. Aside from John 3:16, Psalm 23 may well be the most famous and oft-quoted passage in all of Holy Scripture. I’ve seen it printed on greeting cards, embossed on plaques, written on T-shirts, sewn into quilts, and even parts of it have appeared on bumper stickers of cars! I attribute this to its remarkable and powerfully reassuring port...Read More ➔

True Spirituality is Physical: A Personal Word of Exhortation and Encouragement to the People of Bridgeway Church

By: Sam Storms

There is a lot that I could say to encourage you in this season of uncertainty and extraordinary stress. Perhaps I will at a later time. But my heart is burdened right now with this “thing” that many are calling “virtual church.” Let me be as clear and to the point as I can. There is no such thing as “virtual church.” There are sermons and announcements that we can provide for you by means of modern technology. But these are no substit...Read More ➔

Theologians on the Christian Life: J. I. Packer

By: Sam Storms

A little more than 18 months ago I participated in an event hosted by Crossway Publishers that was held at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Along with a half dozen others who had contributed to Crossway’s series of books, Theologians on the Christian Life, I had the opportunity to speak on the subject of my book, J. I. Packer. Here is the YouTube video of that brief session. I hope you enjoy it. https://youtu.be/1etWhxYAUH8    ...Read More ➔

The Goodness of God, Adversity, and the Coronavirus

By: Sam Storms

Over the past two months there has been a never-ending stream of articles posted on the Internet trying to decipher God’s role in the Coronavirus. No, I’m not going to add to the list. But reading these articles took me back to something my friend Andrew Wilson wrote a while back. Andrew was asked what he thought about Bethel and Bill Johnson. His response was both biblical and fair, highlighting both some theological concerns and an expression of appreciatio...Read More ➔

An Example of Persevering Faith

By: Sam Storms

In a recent sermon here at Bridgeway I told everyone about a remarkable man, or better still, a man with a remarkable God. In these challenging days when we complain and become embittered with an ever so slight inconvenience, we need to hear the story of Pat Bickle. On Saturday, May 5th, 2007, at the age of 50, Pat Bickle departed this life and entered into the presence of his Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Most of you will probably never have heard the name of Pat Bick...Read More ➔

I Raise a Hallelujah!

By: Sam Storms

In the face of Covid-19 and the uncertainty that it brings, we should all pause and raise a Hallelujah to our great and awesome God. If you don’t know the story behind this song, it concerns a young boy named Jaxon Taylor who almost died. As you watch the video and rejoice for all that God has done, be aware that the little blonde-headed boy in his daddy’s arms and eventually on his daddy’s shoulders is Jaxon. Be blessed and worship the Lord! https://y...Read More ➔

Abiding in Christ in the Age of Covid-19

By: Sam Storms

In Colossians 4:5 the apostle Paul speaks of “making the best use of the time.” Older translations render it “redeeming the time.” These are wise words for us today, as so many, confined to home, are trying to fill each day with meaningful activities. May I recommend the words of Jesus in John 15 in which he exhorts us to “abide” in him? What better time than now to press into the heart of our Lord Jesus Christ, with an undivided and s...Read More ➔

What No Virus Can Take

By: Sam Storms

[Encouraging words from John Piper during this unsettling season of life.] John Piper Romans 8 — “the great eight” — is a text I think everybody in this isolation period should be memorizing. I’m making that as a suggestion: it’s the best thing you could do with your time. Romans 8 gives greater foundations for this fearlessness than anything in the world — than anything the world has to offer. I’ll mention four: 1. For ...Read More ➔

How a “You do You” Culture Has Made Us Vulnerable to the Coronavirus

By: Sam Storms

Michael Kruger / March 19, 2020 [Michael Kruger, President of Reformed Theological Seminary in Charlotte, North Carolina, and a fellow-member of the Executive Committee of the Evangelical Theological Society, recently wrote this insightful article at www.michaeljkruger.com.] “You do you.” Perhaps there’s no phrase that captures our current cultural moment better. Back in 2015, Colson Whitehead of the New York Times Magazine, lamented this phrase, arg...Read More ➔

Coping with Coronavirus by means of Good Theology!

By: Sam Storms

Bridgeway Church likely is no different from other gospel-centered churches when it comes to the frequency and variety of suffering that people endure. On top of all it all, we can now add the emotional instability and, on the part of some, panic that has set in as we watch the spread of Covid-19. I’m inclined to think the best way to respond to such personal tragedies, such as the sudden and inexplicable death of a loved one or an extended illness or the loss of ...Read More ➔

A Personal, Initially Painful, but Ultimately Pleasing Encounter with the Holiness of God (4)

By: Sam Storms

This is our final study of Isaiah 6. The practical application we find in this encounter with the holiness of God is profound. There are five things to note: (1) Personal holiness begins with an awareness of who God is. (2) An awareness of who God is leads to an awareness of who we are. (3) An awareness of who we are leads to personal confession and repentance. (4) Repentance leads to forgiveness and cleansing. (5) Forgiveness leads to mission. We must never forget that...Read More ➔

Kissing the Wave

By: Sam Storms

I know that many of you are reeling in the wake of the Coronavirus outbreak, seeking something to lay hold of and bring some measure of hope and stability into your life. May I suggest, no, may I strongly urge you to watch this short, 5-minute video of Rachel Wilson, wife of my good friend, Andrew Wilson? Andrew posted it today. It may turn out to be the most encouraging 5 minutes of your day. https://thinktheology.co.uk/blog/article/kissing_the_wave  ...Read More ➔

A Podcast on my Journey with the Holy Spirit and his Gifts

By: Sam Storms

I recently recorded an hour-long podcast with Alexis Busetti, focusing on my spiritual journey and how I came to believe in the contemporary validity and operation of all spiritual gifts. Alexis tells me that it is “also available through iTunes, GooglePlay, iHeartRadio, Stitcher, basically everywhere podcasts are available.” Her podcast is called, That Makes Total Sense, and here is the link. https://cisternandgrove.com/podcast/episode-030-sam-storms/...Read More ➔

A Personal, Initially Painful, but Ultimately Pleasing Encounter with the Holiness of God (3)

By: Sam Storms

In the previous article we took note of his reaction when Isaiah first saw God and then the angels that surrounded the throne. Today we look at the third thing Isaiah saw: himself (Isaiah 6:5-8). Seeing God does not produce rapture or giddiness or religious flippancy. It produces terror and self-loathing. Isaiah does not respond with pride or elitism, boasting that he alone has experienced this wonderful privilege. He is undone! He sees himself as insufferably unrighteo...Read More ➔

A Personal, Initially Painful, but Ultimately Pleasing Encounter with the Holiness of God (2)

By: Sam Storms

In this article we continue our study of Isaiah 6 and what it tells us about the Son of God, whose “glory” Isaiah saw (see John 12:41). A careful reading of this passage will show that Isaiah saw three things: the Lord, the angels, and himself. Isaiah sees the Lord We are told in v. 1 that he saw “the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up’ with the train of his robe filled the temple.” I don’t know what Isaiah meant when he sa...Read More ➔

A Personal, Initially Painful, but Ultimately Pleasing Encounter with the Holiness of God (1)

By: Sam Storms

One of the more surprising texts in the Gospel of John comes on the heels of the apostle’s explanation for why so many people denied and defied Jesus. In order to account for this rejection of the Messiah, John appeals to the words of Isaiah 6:1-10, where God himself had declared that although they in one sense “see”, yet in another they are blind. In one sense they “hear”, yet in another they are deaf. It then that John makes this remarkabl...Read More ➔

Some Thoughts on the Convergence of Word and Spirit

By: Sam Storms

Most are probably unaware of this, but I frequently speak with people who are new to Bridgeway and I hear one of three observations. Almost all of them are somewhat surprised by what they encounter and experience here. It certainly wasn’t what they expected. First of all, there are those who have come to Bridgeway because they are desperately hungry for the truth of God’s Word. They have spent considerable time in a church, or perhaps several churches, where...Read More ➔

Why Bridgeway Church Exists

By: Sam Storms

We recently revised our Mission Statement at Bridgeway Church, expanding it by adding a simple but spiritually profound phrase. Previously our statement said: “We exist to exalt Christ in the City.” We still do! But now it reads: “We exist to exalt Christ in the City through joyful satisfaction in Him!” Every Christian, wherever they may live, believes that our ultimate aim should be to exalt and glorify God. But not everyone agrees on the most b...Read More ➔

Are Christians Obligated to give 10% of their Income to the Church?

By: Sam Storms

There are few questions that plague Christians more persistently than the issue of whether we are morally and biblically obligated to give 10% of our income to the local church. If not 10%, then how much should we give, and how might we know? Are Christians in the age of the New Covenant required to abide by laws given under the Old Covenant? Other related issues, especially for pastors, include a proper salary for ministers of the gospel, whether or not it is ok to ask...Read More ➔

Praying for a Resurrection from the Dead

By: Sam Storms

Enough time has passed since the controversy at Bethel regarding praying for a resurrection that I thought I would share a few brief comments. Simply put, is it biblical and prudent for us today to pray for a resurrection of the dead? To come straight to the point: Yes, it is. This issue was everywhere in the news when Olive Heiligenthal, two-year old daughter of worship leader Kalley Heilingthal, died in her sleep. Bethel Church in Redding, California, came together f...Read More ➔

A humble (I hope) reply to my good friend John Piper on the question of whether it is biblically permissible to refer to a woman as a “pastor”

By: Sam Storms

In the fall of 2019, I wrote several articles on my blog arguing that the NT allows for the possibility of a woman being referred to as a “pastor”. My friend Denny Burk responded to each one on his blog, to which I posted a friendly response yet again on mine. You can read those earlier articles here on my blog. More recently, my good friend John Piper took up where Denny left off and argued that it is “misleading,” “unwise,” and &ldq...Read More ➔

10 Things You Should Know about the Theology of Martin Luther

By: Sam Storms

A while back I wrote an article on ten things you should know about the life and ministry of Martin Luther. This was followed by two posts on the life of John Calvin as well as his theology. So it only seems fitting that we should also devote an article to the theology of Martin Luther.Read More ➔

10 Things You should Know about the Trinity

By: Sam Storms

As someone once said of the doctrine of the Trinity: "Try to explain it, and you'll lose your mind. But try to deny it, and you'll lose your soul!" With this in mind, let’s examine 10 things we should all know about the Trinity.Read More ➔

10 Things You Should Know about the Vicarious Confession/Repentance Theory of the Atonement

By: Sam Storms

This theory of the atonement will likely strike most Christians as bizarre, and rightly so!Read More ➔

10 Things You should Know about the Virgin Birth of Jesus

By: Sam Storms

Yesterday was the first Sunday of Advent, so it only seems fitting that we should turn our attention to the glorious message of Christmas. We will do that by devoting today’s article to 10 things all of us should know about the virgin conception and birth of Jesus.Read More ➔

10 Things You Should Know about the Welsh Revival of 1904-06

By: Sam Storms