Evangelism and The Sovereignty of God by J I Packer

S U M M A RY
E VANG ELIS M A N D THE

S OVEREIG NTY OF G O D
by J. I. Packer
• Key Insights
• Best Quotes
• Infographics
• Study Questions
BOOK BRIEF BY
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Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Main Idea 3
Key Insights
Key Insight 1 6
Key Insight 2 8
Key Insight 3 10
Chapter Summaries
Chapter 1 12
Chapter 2 14
Chapter 3 16
Chapter 4 18
Conclusion 20
About Accelerate 21
Authorized Use For Registered Members Only 2 © 2018 Accelerate Books. All Rights Reserved.
OVERVIEW Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God
Evangelism and
the Sovereignty
of God
MAIN IDEA
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
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
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.
KEY INSIGHT 1 Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God
INSIGHT
Relationships,
1 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.
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
Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God
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.
INSIGHT
Why Reconcile
2 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).
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.
INSIGHT
The Source of
3 Courage
Divine 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
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.
CHAPTER 1 Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God
CHAPTER
Divine
1 Sovereignty
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.
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
Divine
2 Sovereignty
and Human
Responsibility
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.
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
3 Evangelism
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.
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
Divine
4 Sovereignty
and
Evangelism
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.
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?
CONCLUSION Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God
CONCLUSION
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 Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God
2
Why Reconcile Friends?
Divine Sovereignty and Human Responsibility are compatible.
3
The Source of Courage:
Divine sovereignty is our source of courage.
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S U M M A RY

E VANG ELIS M A N D THE

Understanding this should inevitably lead to two conclusions for the

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

• “Our evangelistic work is the instrument that he uses

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

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

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

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

• Are you prepared to clearly articulate the whole gospel to

• “So far from making evangelism pointless, the sovereignty

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

In this book, the following insights were prominent:

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