Book Review - Chosen By God

Since its publication in 1986, Chosen By God has become a classic introduction to Calvinism, for it is clearly one of the best introductions to Calvinism available. R.C. Sproul, ever the theologian but one with a gift for making the complex simple, begins with an introduction to God’s sovereignty and then moves to free will before tackling the 5-points of Calvinism (as summarized in the acronym TULIP). He changes several of the terms, so the acronym eventually reads RULEP, but provides good justification for doing so. Not being one to back down from a fight, Sproul also tackles the subject of double predestination and assurance of salvation. The book closes with a Questions and Objections section which answers some of the most common objections to Calvinism, such as “Is predestination fatalism?” and “What does predestination do for the task of evangelism?”

It is important to note that this book is only an introduction to Calvinism, so does not provide exhaustive commentary on any single topic, each of which could easily become a book of its own. While 200 pages is plenty to introduce topics, it certainly does not allow for in-depth discussion.

The chapters on God’s Sovereignty and Free Will were particularly well-written and alone are worth the price of the book. A book that discusses difficult concepts but does so in a biblical manner, and ultimately provides very satisfying conclusions, I give this one my unreserved recommendation.