This past July (2020), beloved theologian J.I. Packer departed this earth and continued living in his eternal home. He left behind a treasure trove of wisdom within his many sermons, seminars, and books. Recently, I read his work Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God. This short book is a great read for those who struggle with how God’s sovereignty in salvation coincides with the believer’s duty to evangelize or for those who desire to communicate the gospel to non-believers with thoroughness, clarity, and boldness. Each day this week, we will release a new lesson from the pen of Packer, which will be sure to challenge and equip the children of God to invest themselves in the enterprise of evangelism. 

Lesson 1 - Do not attempt to reconcile friends

Regarding Divine Sovereignty and Human Responsibility, Packer writes:

“We shall not oppose them to each other. Nor shall we qualify, or modify, or water down, either of them in terms of the other, for this is not what the Bible does either. What the Bible does is to assert both truths side by side in the strongest most unambiguous terms as two ultimate facts; this, therefore, is the position we must take in our thinking. C.H. Spurgeon was once asked if he could reconcile these two truths to each other. “I wouldn’t try,” he replied; “I never reconcile friends” (page 40).

In chapter 2, “Divine Sovereignty and Human Responsibility,” (the best chapter that I have read in many years) Packer warns against two extremes: an exclusive concern for human responsibility or an exclusive concern for divine sovereignty. The tendency to develop an exclusive concern for either one of these biblical truths significantly impacts one’s outlook on and execution of evangelism.

The believer who emphasizes human responsibility tends to view evangelism as persuasively producing converts, instead of simply sharing Christ biblically and trusting God with the results. They may place value on, and significant energy in, honing their evangelistic strategies and techniques, hoping to influence the will and induce a response from the lost soul. (There is nothing wrong with preparing to evangelize, however, the content of the message is what changes the will, not the technique of the messenger).

The believer who emphasizes divine sovereignty in evangelism rightly views God as the only one who can influence the will of the man unto salvation. Although they correctly maximize God’s sovereignty in salvation, they incorrectly minimize God’s command for believers to have a clear, continual role in the evangelism of the lost. Packer describes this group’s reasoning as follows, “Agreed, the world is ungodly; but surely, the less we do about it the more God will be glorified when at length he breaks into restore the situation. The most important thing for us to do is to care that we leave the initiative in his hands” (page 37).

Packer makes the biblical truth and present-day reality clear: God’s sovereign plan for salvation includes the use of his people in the evangelism of the lost (Rom. 10:17). Man is responsible for sharing the gospel fully and faithfully. God will sovereignly reside over the outcome. These two truths are not only friends with each other, but they are formidable allies with every Christian. They give the believer hope and conviction to execute their God-given evangelistic duties whilst standing in the confidence that God’s sovereignty shall determine the outcome of their evangelistic obedience.

Hopefully, you’ve seen that God is sovereign in salvation and you have a responsibility to evangelize. The next lesson titled, “When you evangelize, share the whole gospel” is designed to help you carry out your evangelistic duty faithfully and biblically.  Lesson 2 will be helpful for those who are unsure of the content of biblical evangelism. It will also provide a sound, practical outline to help the evangelist as they strive to share the whole gospel!