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An Interview with Sam Storms on What the New Testament Really Teaches about Assurance of Salvation and Eternal Security

In the new book, Kept for Jesus: What the New Testament Really Teaches about Assurance of Salvation and Eternal Security (Crossway, 2015), Sam Storms looks at every passage in the New Testament that addresses assurance, security, and perseverance—with a gifted combination of exegetical rigor and pastoral sensitivity. He seeks to show that the Bible presents a different way from both those who say that true Christians can lose their salvation and those who say “once saved, always saved” (implying that perseverance is not necessary for final salvation).

Storms and I recently sat down to ask him some questions about the book:

9781433542022

  • 00:00 – How did you come up with your new book’s title, Kept for Jesus?
  • 00:32 – How do terms like “eternal security,” “perseverance,” and “assurance” relate to one another?
  • 02:53 – What do different theological positions teach about eternal security?
  • 05:13 – How would you respond to the claim that the Arminian perspective seems most consistent with our experience of seeing people fall away from the faith?
  • 09:04 – Is assurance of salvation normative for the Christian life?
  • 12:15 – Who do you envision using this book?

Learn more, download an excerpt, or download a free bonus chapter, “A Primer on Perseverance.”

“I have wrestled with the issue of assurance of salvation not just as a pastor counseling timid souls but as a sinner trusting in God. What a great help is Kept for Jesus, then! Handling the relevant biblical texts with clarity and precision, Sam Storms has crafted real ministry with this book, working by the Spirit to plant the security of union with Christ in the believer’s heart.”
—Jared C. Wilson, Director of Content Strategy, Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary

“With care and compassion, Sam engages in a wide-ranging discussion of the love of God, blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, spurious faith versus saving faith, human dignity and human depravity, the nature of eternal security, God’s preserving power in faithful Christians, the problem of apostasy, and much more. Not shying away from the controversial nature of his topic and tackling head-on dozens of difficult passages, Sam offers an engaging book that deals biblically, theologically, and practically with the all-important matter of assurance of salvation.”
—Gregg R. Allison, Professor of Christian Theology, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

“Too often the gospel is reduced to only wiping away sin’s debt. Storms shows us a more wonderful gospel of love and direct relationship with God in which Christ is inseparable from us, keeping us, and holding us as family. Storms is a pastor of pastors, walking us through the thorny issues—such as the warning passages—and into green pastures of communion with our Savior. He calls us into the beautiful tension and transformation of God’s forever grace.”
—Daniel Montgomery, Pastor, Sojourn Community Church, Louisville, Kentucky; Founder, Sojourn Network; author, Faithmapping and Proof

“This is classic Sam Storms: warm, thoughtful, clear, and wise. Not all readers will agree on every detail, but all will be well served by working through the issues with such an insightful guide. Throughout the book, God’s protection of his people shines through—and so do the joy and security that this brings to all who trust him.”
—Andrew Wilson, Pastor, Kings Church Eastbourne, East Sussex; author, If God, Then What? and Unbreakable

“Sam Storms has given us a book that is fair, humble, straightforward, and helpful. He consistently presents views that oppose his own and frequently admits he does not have all the answers. He argues biblically and passionately for the truth that God keeps true believers saved to the end and focuses on the Christian life and rejects errant views, including those that cut the biblical cord between God’s keeping us and our keeping on in faith, love, and holiness. This is a good book, and I am happy to recommend it.”
—Robert A. Peterson, Professor of Systematic Theology, Covenant Theological Seminary

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