Book Review, Sam Storms ‘Understanding Spiritual Gifts: A Comprehensive Guide’
Sam Storm’s book “Understanding Spiritual Gifts” is a game-changer for me.
For 30 years, I have wrestled with the charismatic movement. I won’t go into detail here as to why and neither am I interested in long Facebook threads debating its merits. So if you disagree with what I’m about to write, please read the book and we can comment offline. Suffice it to say, I have seen and experienced the very best and the absolute worst of the Charismatic Movement.
What I haven’t encountered, till now, is a substantive exegetical treatment of the subject from a committed Reformed Evangelical, a Calvinist, who is also a self-described Charismatic. That is what Storm’s provides.
Whether you are a committed “Cessationist” or an enthusiastic “Continuist,” Storm’s work is by far the best I’ve encountered.
What I have found most appealing is the level of rigor Storm’s provides on the subject. Far from being experientially derived, Storm’s “ad fontes” (to the sources) approach sets the standard. He is entirely biblically grounded making use of the original languages, historical sources, and drawing from the very best lexical arguments.
He has convinced me that I need to revisit some of my positions.
After working through 18 chapters, I can tell that I’ll be revisiting this book again and again.
I have preliminarily concluded in my ministry that while I’ve always been open to the “gifts,” i.e. a theoretical Continuist. In practice, I’ve been a functional Cessationist. But that is changing.
I’ve seen too many people divinely healed, received prophetic words that spoke directly to my soul, and have encountered too many authentic accounts of tongues to merely dismiss them as psychological manifestations or otherwise.
But, like Storms, I was not willing to yield my position until I could see it in scripture. Storms has provided that for me.
This coming summer I plan to walk through this book via Zoom with anyone interested in learning more and joining me on this journey. Check our “Thursday Nigh Bible Study” page for details.
In summary, I can tell that a shift is taking place in my heart. I look forward to seeing what’s next!
If you would like to purchase a copy, then I’ve provided links to this text.
