summary - accelerate books...summary evangelism and the sovereignty of god by j. i. packer • key...

S U M M A RYEVANGELISM AND THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GODby J. I. Packer

• Key Insights• Best Quotes• Infographics• Study Questions

BOOK BRIEF BY

AccelerateBooks.com

2

Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God

© 2018 Accelerate Books. All Rights Reserved.Authorized Use For Registered Members Only

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Main Idea

Key Insights

Key Insight 1

Key Insight 2

Key Insight 3

Chapter Summaries

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Conclusion

About Accelerate

3

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

20

21

3



Evangelism and the Sovereignty

of God

M any Christians struggle with the tension between divine

sovereignty and human responsibility. This struggle is perhaps

seen most clearly with regard to the question of evangelism.

“If God is sovereign over salvation,” some would say, “why do we need

to do evangelism?” History is replete with bad answers to this question.

On the side of those that affirm divine sovereignty, many will become lazy

or half-hearted in their evangelism. They might not actually confess it, but

deep down, they will think that because salvation ultimately depends on

God, they don’t really need to work hard at sharing the gospel. God will

MAIN IDEA

OVERVIEW

4



OVERVIEW

save his people in his own time with or without us. On the other side, many

of those who affirm human responsibility will become overly anxious

about the success of evangelism and will even resort to manipulation

or cheapening the gospel in order to get as many people “converted” as

possible.

However, Dr. Packer shows us in this wonderful little book that we don’t

need to force divine sovereignty and human responsibility into a wrestling

match. In Scripture, these two ideas are both plainly taught, and therefore

we don’t need to “pick a side.” We need to live in the tension by sharing the

gospel with all of our might, while affirming that the results are ultimately up

to the Lord and not to us. God saves his people, but we are the instruments

that he uses to do this.

Understanding this should inevitably lead to two conclusions for the

Christian life today. First, we should be challenged to share the gospel with

our friends and family. God has given us a commission (Matthew 28:18-20)

and therefore we need to be faithful to that commission by spreading the

gospel to everyone. It is the responsibility of every Christian to be engaged in

evangelism, regardless of their giftedness. Second, we should be comforted

by the reality that, since salvation is ultimately in God’s hands, we don’t

need to fret over the results. The results are up to God. And since the results

5



are up to God, we can be certain that he will save his people, and therefore

our evangelism will be successful when it’s God’s will for it to be.

OVERVIEW

6



KEY INSIGHT 1

Relationships, not ServicesEvangelism is not a particular program of the church or a special type of service, but a personal discipline embraced by all believers.

W hen this book was written in the early 1960’s, crusades

were all the rage in evangelical circles. Billy Graham was

a celebrity. People were flocking by the millions to hear

the gospel preached on a stage with a charismatic preacher. While we

should celebrate the lives that were changed by these crusades, we must

realize that this also led to a massive shift in the way that many Christians

did evangelism. “Let me talk to you about Jesus” changed into “let me

bring you to this event to hear about Jesus.” This shift in evangelistic

practice essentially “professionalized” evangelism by outsourcing it to the

professionals like Billy Graham.

However, Dr. Packer shows us that “wherever, and by whatever means,

the gospel is communicated with a view to conversion, there you have

INSIGHT

1

7



evangelism. Evangelism is to be defined not institutionally, in terms of the

kind of meeting held, but theologically, in terms of what is taught, and for

what purpose” (p. 59). Evangelism is not to be done just by professionals at

crusades, but rather by every believer. While there isn’t anything inherently

wrong with an evangelistic service, this cultural shift has left many with the

impression that we don’t need to be engaged in evangelism as long as we

are inviting people to crusades. None of us are exempt from the evangelistic

mission.

This is critically important for our culture today because the popularity

and effectiveness of crusades and rallies are drastically decreasing. The

millennial generation is incredibly relational and in order to reach them,

the church must be willing to do evangelism on a personal level. We must

be willing to do the hard work of building friendships and entering into

people’s lives so that we can share Christ with them.

8



KEY INSIGHT 2

Why Reconcile Friends?Divine Sovereignty and Human Responsibility are compatible.

“W hat God has joined together, let no man put asunder.”

We often hear that phrase at weddings, but we can apply

it here to the relationship between divine sovereignty

and human responsibility. It’s hard for our human minds to comprehend,

but God’s total control over the universe and everything in it is totally

compatible with the idea that human beings are moral agents -- 100%

responsible for every thought, action, word, and motive. We don’t need

to even attempt to reconcile them. Spurgeon was once asked if he could

reconcile these two truths and he replied, “I wouldn’t try. I never reconcile

friends.”

Packer calls this an “antinomy.” An antinomy is “an apparent contradiction

between two apparent truths. An antinomy exists when a pair of principles

stand side by side, seemingly irreconcilable, yet both undeniable” (p. 24).

INSIGHT

2

9



KEY INSIGHT 2

The antinomy, according to Packer, is this: “Man is a responsible moral

agent, though he is also divinely controlled; man is divinely controlled,

but he is also a responsible moral agent. God’s sovereignty is a reality, and

man’s responsibility is a reality too” (p. 28).

Scripture shows us the truthfulness of both of these realities -- sometimes

even in the same verse. According to Acts 2:23, Jesus was killed by “lawless

men,” yet it was all according to God’s plan. “This Jesus, delivered up

according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and

killed by the hands of lawless men.” Therefore, we don’t need to reconcile

these two truths. We simply need to whole-heartedly affirm both and

follow the Spirit’s guidance in living in the tension of trusting in God to save

sinners while sharing Christ with all of our might.

10



KEY INSIGHT 3

The Source of CourageDivine Sovereignty is our source of courage.

I n Acts 18, the Apostle Paul was facing significant opposition to his

gospel ministry in Corinth. This likely led him to despair and frustration

because no one was listening to his message. However, God encouraged

Paul in a vision with these words: “Do not be afraid, but go on speaking

and do not be silent, for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm

you, for I have many in this city who are my people” (Acts 18:9-10). In this

remarkable passage, the sovereignty of God over salvation is the basis for

Paul’s courage to continue preaching the gospel, even though he is facing

stiff opposition.

When divine sovereignty is rightly understood, it should lead us not to

apathy but to courage. According to Packer, “so far from making evangelism

pointless, the sovereignty of God in grace is the one thing that prevents

INSIGHT

3

11



KEY INSIGHT 3

evangelism from being pointless. For it creates the possibility -- indeed, the

certainty -- that evangelism will be fruitful” (p. 104). We see that this is the

case when we consider the spiritual condition of natural men. According

to Scripture, we are “dead in our sins” (Ephesians 2:1). We can’t come to

Christ unless God draws us to him (John 6:44). For this reason, if God wasn’t

sovereign over salvation and the ball was totally in our court, evangelism

would be completely hopeless.

However, because God is sovereign and he will save his people, we can

have confidence that our evangelism will be fruitful. We don’t need to worry

about trying to determine who the elect are; we simply need to preach

the gospel with boldness and let the Spirit of God do the rest. This is the

ultimate source of courage for our evangelism.

12



CHAPTER 1

E very Christian, whether they would confess it or not, believes

that God is sovereign. Dr. Packer states in the first sentence of the

book that he doesn’t intend to spend any time arguing for divine

sovereignty because he knows that, if you pray, you believe in divine

sovereignty. Prayer is the recognition of God’s sovereignty; if we didn’t

believe God was sovereign, what would we actually be asking him to do

in prayer? When we pray for God to convert our friends and family, we are

recognizing that God has the power in himself to sovereignly save them,

despite them. Therefore, we ought to humbly recognize God’s sovereign

rule over the universe and particularly in the salvation of sinners.

Divine Sovereignty

CHAPTER

1

13



KEY QUOTES

• “If you are a Christian, you pray; and the recognition of

God’s sovereignty is the basis of your prayers” (p. 15)

• “When you pray for unconverted people, you do so on the

assumption that it is in God’s power to bring them to faith”

(p. 19)

APPLICATION QUESTIONS

• How does the knowledge of God’s sovereignty affect your

prayer life?

• When you pray for your lost friends to come to Christ, what

exactly are you asking God to do for them?

CHAPTER 1

14



CHAPTER 2

D ivine sovereignty and human responsibility are not a

contradiction; they are an antinomy. According to Packer, an

antinomy is “an apparent contradiction between two apparent

truths. An antinomy exists when a pair of principles stand side by side,

seemingly irreconcilable, yet both undeniable” (p. 24). Both of these

concepts are clearly taught side by side in Scripture. Even though it might

be hard for us to wrap our heads around, we ought to clearly affirm both

of these and practice evangelism in light of both truths. Evangelism is our

solemn responsibility, but salvation is ultimately up to God and thankfully,

not us.

Divine Sovereigntyand Human Responsibility

CHAPTER

2

15



KEY QUOTES

• “While we must always remember that it is our

responsibility to proclaim salvation, we must never forget

that it is God who saves” (p. 32).

• “Our evangelistic work is the instrument that he uses

for this purpose, but the power that saves is not in the

instrument; it is in the hand of the One who uses the

instrument” (p. 32).

• “Man is a responsible moral agent, though he is also

divinely controlled; man is divinely controlled, but he is

also a responsible moral agent. God’s sovereignty is a

reality, and man’s responsibility is a reality too” (p. 28).


• How would you explain to a friend that God’s sovereignty and

our responsibility are not a contradiction?

• Is the truth that God saves sinners comfort to you? Or an

excuse not to share the gospel?

CHAPTER 2

16



CHAPTER 3

E vangelism must be defined theologically, not institutionally,

according to Packer. And so, defined theologically, evangelism is

the sharing of the message of the good news of Jesus Christ with

a view toward the conversion of a sinner. However, this gospel sharing

must not be confined to crusades, meetings, or Sunday sermons. Instead,

as Christians, we are called to build relationships with people and share

the objective message of the gospel personally and intimately. We must

proclaim boldly that Jesus Christ came into the world to live a perfect life,

die on the cross to pay the penalty for sin, and rise from the dead to defeat

death once and for all; the only way to receive eternal life is to repent from

sin and trust in Christ. Dr. Packer makes this gospel message clear in this

chapter and calls believers everywhere to be faithful to herald it.

EvangelismCHAPTER

3

17



KEY QUOTES

• “Every Christian, therefore, has a God-given obligation to

make known the gospel of Christ” (p. 49).

• “Wherever, and by whatever means, the gospel is

communicated with a view to conversion, there you have

evangelism. Evangelism is to be defined not institutionally,

in terms of the kind of meeting held, but theologically, in

terms of what is taught, and for what purpose” (p. 59).

• “We need to press our conscience on this question: Which

matters more -- our reputation or their salvation?” (p. 78).


• Are you prepared to clearly articulate the whole gospel to

anyone who asks you?

• What is the biggest reason behind why you don’t share the

gospel?

CHAPTER 3

18



CHAPTER 4

T he sovereignty of God in grace does not negate our responsibility

for evangelism. If anything, a high view of the God’s utter and

absolute sovereignty in salvation ought to spur us on. Knowing

the truth of divine sovereignty gives us the confidence that God is able to

supernaturally awaken dead souls as we share Christ.

And as we share Christ, we ought share Christ with everyone on the basis

of it being our duty to do so -- not from any speculation of what God’s plan

might be. The sovereignty of God in grace should be the ultimate source

of hope in the success of our evangelism. Because God is sovereign, his

people will be saved; there will be no one missing in heaven. This truth

should fuel us and free us up to share the gospel boldly, freely, patiently,

and naturally -- with the full knowledge that God moves ahead of us.

Divine Sovereigntyand Evangelism

CHAPTER

4

19



KEY QUOTES

• “God saves in His own time, and we ought not to suppose

that he is in such a hurry as we are” (p. 116).

• “We are to order our lives in the light of his law, not our

guesses about his plan” (p. 95).

• “So far from making evangelism pointless, the sovereignty

of God in grace is the one thing that prevents evangelism

from being pointless. For it creates the possibility --

indeed, the certainty -- that evangelism will be fruitful”

(p. 104).


• Are you patient in evangelism or do you feel the urgency to

convert people right now?

• Why would evangelism be pointless if God wasn’t sovereign

over salvation?

CHAPTER 4

20



I n this powerful book, Dr. Packer persuasively answers this question

by surveying what Scripture says about divine sovereignty, human

responsibility, and evangelism. Packer concludes that, while salvation

is ultimately in the hands of the Lord, God has chosen to use his people

through the evangelistic enterprise to bring salvation to his people. What

a wonderful privilege it is that God uses sinners to accomplish his purpose

of redeeming a people from every tribe, tongue, and nation! This book

provides a biblically sound and theologically rich answer to an essential

question, and is written by one of the finest theologians of the past

century.

In this book, the following insights were prominent:

1 Relationships, not Services:

Evangelism is not a particular program of the church or a special

type of service, but a personal discipline embraced by all

believers.

CONCLUSION

CONCLUSION

21



CONCLUSION

2 Why Reconcile Friends?

Divine Sovereignty and Human Responsibility are compatible.

3 The Source of Courage:

Divine sovereignty is our source of courage.

ACCE LE RATE

This book brief was written by Accelerate Books, a TCB Media company.

Accelerate distills top theology books to their key insights.

Accelerate members get access to 8 new book briefs every single month

and access to our entire library of previous book briefs.

For more information, visit our website at

https://www.AccelerateBooks.com

TRY ACCELERATE FOR FREE

https://www.Acceleratebooks.com/

summary - accelerate books...summary evangelism and the sovereignty of god by j. i. packer • key...

Documents