Lucid Theology

Take a look at this news special featuring 92 year-old Pauline Jacobi who, when being threatened, gave the thief an unexpected gift.

(HT: Challies)

Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God

J.I. Packer

126 pages

InterVarsity Press (1961, 1991)

Recommend: Yes

Genre: Evangelism

Introduction:

There is no doubt that in my mind — from both personal experience and observation of those around me — that there seems to be a tension with the thought of God being completely sovereign in the affairs of man, namely salvation in this context, and the thought of God requiring us to share the truth that we have with those who don’t know it. “If God is truly sovereign over who gets saved and how they get saved,” so the argument goes, “then there is really no point in me going out of my way in witnessing the gospel of Christ to unbelievers. God is in charge . . . and if they’re going get saved with or without me then there is really no point in investing my time in evangelism.”

Though sad to admit, this has become the pervasive thought of many Christians today. One of the many charges leveled against Calvinism and its emphasis on the sovereignty of God in salvation is that which I just brought up. “It doesn’t make sense,” they say.

Despite the arguments and the critiques, Scripture clearly presents both of these truths — the sovereignty of God in saving sinners and the duty of Christians to evangelize (to share the gospel message of Christ and His saving work accomplished on the cross, received on the basis of faith). It is natural for the human mind to want to smooth out all the rough edges, as it were, to make it more comprehensible. Wanting to do this many err on either side. On the one hand you have those who emphasize the duty and responsibility of man to evangelize and they tend to leave God out of the equation in the process of salvation, as if salvation if all about man picking himself up by the bootstraps and gathering all the willpower to be saved. That of course has some real problems when you stop and ponder the biblical picture of man — man without God — and how utterly unable and unwilling they are to choose Christ in and of himself (e.g., Eph. 2:1-3; Tit. 3:3; Jer. 17:9, etc.).

But then we have those who overemphasize the sovereignty of God; so much so that we end up with a fatalistic system where man is seen simply as a robot, with no self-desire — a mere puppet in the hands of a puppeteer. This, again, has some serious Bible to deal with. Passages are replete which emphasize the call to repent of sins, to turn to Christ, to come and choose life (e.g., Acts 17:30-31; Matt. 11:28-30, etc.). But within the context of evangelism, no passage is more clearer than Matthew 28:19-20 (NASB), which has been commonly referred to as the “Great Commission”:

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

With such a controversial subject, J.I. Packer seeks to deal with it head-on, using the Bible as his guide and source. Though a short treatment of the subject, it doesn’t lack in content. Packer has a way with words unlike many men whom I have read, which makes his ability to communicate effective and winsome.

Book Structure:

The book follows a simple outline. Packer first deals with the issue of divine sovereignty and how both Arminians and Calvinists find common ground on this issue. “On our feet we may have arguments about it, but on our knees we are all agreed” (p. 17).

In chapter two the core issue is dealt with, divine sovereignty and human responsibility. He admits the apparent contradiction — which Packer defines as an antinomy (def. “an antinomy . . . is an observed relation between two statements of fact. It is not deliberately manufactured; it is forced upon us by the facts themselves . . . We do not invent it, and we cannot explain it. Not is there any way to get rid of it, save by falsifying the very facts that led us to it” [p. 21]) — and concludes that there is a certain mystery to this subject, but the Bible nonetheless teaches these two truths. Far it be from us to cast aside any of these truths which the Bible makes so clear.

Packer then addresses evangelism in chapter three with four questions which he answers throughout the chapter: 1. What is evangelism?; 2. What is the evangelistic message?; What is the motive for evangelizing?; 4. By what means and methods should evangelism be practised? This is a meaty chapter which is very enlightening.

And finally in chapter four, Packer goes back once more and talks about divine sovereignty and evangelism. Suffice it to say that Packer does a superb job in dealing with such a intricate and mysterious subject, such as this one, simply and effectively. In his final lines, Packer sums up the effects of the sovereignty of God in our evangelistic efforts:

“Not only does it undergird evangelism, and uphold the evangelist, by creating a hope of success that could not otherwise be entertained; it also teaches us to bind together preaching and prayer; and as it makes us bold and confident before men, so it makes us humble and importunate before God” (p. 125).

Notable Quotes:

• “While we must always remember that it is our responsibility to proclaim salvation, we must never forget that it is God who saves. It is God who brings men and women under the sound of the gospel, and it is God who brings them to faith in Christ. Our evangelistic work is the instrument that He uses for this purpose, but the power that saves in not in the instrument: it is in the hand of the One who uses the instrument” (p. 27).
• “Evangelism is man’s work, but the giving of faith is God’s” (p. 40).
• “…It was the news about Jesus of Nazareth. It was the news of the incarnation, the atonement, and the kingdom–the cradle, the cross, and the crown–of the Son of God. It was the news of how God ‘glorified his servant Jesus’ by making Him Christ, the world’s long-awaited ‘Prince and . . . Savior’. It was the news of how God made His Son Man; and how, as Man, God made Him Priest, and Prophet, and King; and how, as Priest, God also made Him a sacrifice for sins; and how, as Prophet, God also made Him a Lawgiver to His people; and how, as King, God has also made Him Judge of all the world, and given Him prerogatives which in the Old Testament are exclusively Jehovah’s own–namely, to reign till every knee bows before Him, and to save all who call on His name. In short, the good news was just this: that God has executed His eternal intention of glorifying Hos Son by exalting Him as a great Saviour for great sinners” (p. 47).
• “Regarded as a human enterprise, evangelism is a hopeless task. It cannot in principle produce the desired effect. We can preach, and preach clearly and fluently and attractively; we can talk to individuals in the most pointed and challenging way; we can organize special services, and distribute tracts, and put up posters, and flood the country with publicity–and there is not the slightest prospect that all this outlay of effort will bring a single soul home to God. Unless there is some other factor in the situation, over and above our own endeavours, all evangelistic actions foredoomed to failure. This is the fact, the brute, rock-bottom fact, that we have to face” (p. 109).
• “We may not trust in our methods of personal dealing or running evangelistic services, however excellent we may think them. There is no magic in methods, not even in theologically impeccable methods. When we evangelize, our trust must be in God who raises the dead. He is the almighty Lord who turns men’s hearts, and He will give conversions in His own time. Meanwhile, our part is to be faithful in making the gospel known, sure that such labour will never be in vain. This is how the truth of the sovereignty of God’s grace bears upon evangelism” (p. 117-8).

Conclusion:

Conclusion is that Packer has given a great gift to the church is dealing with this issue and presenting a biblical (and logical, though mysterious) answer a question which often plagues the believer.

A great blessing is in store of the man that picks up this book. Need I add more?

How many times do we ask ourselves what the point of life is? What is the meaning of life? It’s a question that has plagued every generation since man has walked the earth. Is it for our glory, to gain power, wealth, fame, and honor? Is our ultimate aim to live comfortably, to raise a family and love our friends and our neighbors, to make money in some form or another, to follow our dreams and hope that they come true? It’s an interesting question, because once we discover what it is, it becomes our driving force.

If we turn to the God’s Holy Scripture and take a look at Ecclesiastes, we find the overwhelming theme of the book is that life is meaningless. We find that King Solomon, in all his wisdom, in all of his wild experiences of tasting the choicest foods, sleeping with all the beautiful women of the land, constructing massive monuments to and for himself, attaining the greatest power that Jerusalem had ever known, after denying himself “nothing [his] eyes desired,” after it had all taken place, he saw the works he had achieved and the things he had done, and “everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind,” and “nothing was gained under the sun.” (Ecc. 2:10-11).

Yet at the end of it all, after pinpointing the meaningless of everything that life has to offer, including all the sinful, temporary, petty pleasures that this world has to offer, we see a glimmer of hope and life. The conclusion of the matter arrives with resounding simplicity. Everything comes down to God. Solomon pleads with us to “fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.” He ends with a note that God “will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.”

Praise God that we no longer have to fear judgment since the wrath of God was so beautifully soaked up in Christ, and to the glory of God! We should fear God in the sense that we obey the commandments that Christ has given us to die to ourselves daily, carry our crosses and follow after Him, since He provides us with eternal life that will never run dry or cease to satisfy us. Let us pick up our crosses with delight, knowing that the suffering that we endure in this life is temporary, that the glory of God through Christ will outshine and outlast everything and lead us through those troubled times of persecution. Let us resound with joy over the death and resurrection of our Lord, Jesus Christ, whom we are enslaved to, for the love that He bestowed on us while we were yet sinners.

So if you’re still wondering what the meaning of life is, take a look at God’s enlightening and inspiring Word, which is living and active. Remember the greatest commandments that Jesus ever gave us. May we meditate on what it means to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” and to “love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:37-39) Love requires a cost, a sacrifice, and Jesus gave us the greatest sacrifice the world has ever seen - His life for ours, while we were miserable sinners. So as we remember what’s important and meaningful in life, let us remember that it’s not about us - it’s about God and His eternal glory that He is willing to share with us out of His deep love and grace, and the power of Christ in us. May we share that love with everyone we meet to the glory of God in Christ Jesus!

This is a message given by Paul Washer of the Heart Cry Missionary Society. He was invited to preach at a church; so shocking and confrontational was the message that he has (to this day) never been invited again to preach there. This message was delivered to the 2002 Youth Evangelism Conference in Montgomery, Alabama. His text that evening was Matthew 7:13-27. [You can read the sermon in pdf format here].

This is an excellent clip of a conference message asking the question, “How does a person make a worldwide difference?” His words resonate with truth in a day in age when we Christians in America become so attached to this life and its enticements.