Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God: A Review

February, 2006

by: Dave Hintz

During the summer of my junior year in college I traveled to Myrtle Beach for a summer project with a campus ministry. As I interacted with the residents and tourists of the Redneck Rivera, I became increasingly burdened by their rebellious hearers and their refusal to accept Christ. Over time, this led to a gradual despondency on my part, as I became deeply discouraged by their callous indifference to the truth of Jesus. I felt as if an overbearing burden was placed upon me, and I was somehow responsible for their decision to accept Christ. Sadly, this is indicative of many Christians who believe that the blood of sinners is on their hands. In an effort to counteract these misguided presuppositions, J. I. Packer offers a thorough evaluation of Arminianism’s impact on the proclamation of the Gospel in Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God. Yet, he does not stop there. He challenges misguided Calvinists and their fatalistic approach to Evangelism.

In this excellent book, Packer demonstrates how the antinomy of divine sovereignty and human responsibility should drive our evangelistic efforts, and in the process make these efforts more effective.

Calling us to share the Gospel, Packer establishes our responsibility to evangelize on two grounds. First of all, the Scriptures command it. Secondly, human compassion compels it. Packer relies upon the example of the Apostle Paul to demonstrate these truths. Now one can quibble that it would be unfair to use the apostle as an example. After all, how many of us can write Scripture and perform miracles? Yet, that does not stop Paul from calling Christians to model his godliness. And this godliness displays itself through his deep compassion for the lost. Just like Jesus wept over Jerusalem, Paul wished himself accursed for the sake of his Jewish brethren. In the same way, a Christian who loves his or her neighbors, should have a deep compassion for those on their way to the Lake of Fire.

A heart that is compassionate towards the lost will want to see people saved. And this love towards their neighbor will lead them to do “whatever it takes” to try to persuade them to come to the cross of Christ. And it is at this point that a discerning Christian searches the Scriptures to find the most God honoring way to accomplish such a task.

This is where Packer comes in. He argues that the objective of evangelism should not be to see sinners saved – that is the result. Rather, the goal of evangelism is to preach the Gospel in hopes that the Spirit will quicken the hearts of sinners drawing them to the Lord. Practically speaking, this means that we should strive to preach the Gospel in the clearest possible light, highlighting the truth of God, sin, Christ, and repentance. Naturally, this Gospel presentation must be wrapped in love and compassion, along with a deep desire to see conversion. Further, knowing that only God can bring about change should prompt us to fervent prayer for those to whom we witness.

The pillars of divine sovereignty and human responsibility should be of great comfort to the believer. We do not have to reach the world on our own, neither can unbelievers blame us for their failure to repent. God is the one who converts the sinner. We simply need to sow the seeds. Thus, the number of converts is not indicative of a successful evangelist. Rather, the mark of a successful evangelist is the faithfulness of the Christian to preach the Gospel to the lost with all clarity.

Throughout this book, Packer demonstrates that zealous evangelism and a belief in God’s sovereignty are not mutually exclusive. Rather, God’s sovereignty enhances our evangelistic enterprise as it changes the focus from winning converts to glorifying our Lord.