Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God by J.I. Packer

Recently republished as part of the ‘IVP Classics’ series, Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God by J.I. Packer remains as relevant today as when first published in 1961. Actually that statement is kind of misleading as I wasn’t born until 1985. But assuming it was relevant when first published, Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God* remains relevant today.

Phillip Jensen regularly describes books from J.I. Packer as “Packer by name, Packer by nature” and it’s true of this particular volume as well. There is plenty of content, and yet seeing as there is a single question being addressed the new edition comes in at around 130 pages and is easily digestible in a couple of hours.

The question in question is pretty much contained within the title. If God is sovereign and in control and will save whom he has predestined to save, then why would we bother evangelising? It’s a common question, and the answer is both satisfying and unsatisfying at the same time.

I had really high expectations for this book, and to be brutally honest I was a bit disappointed. Not in the sense of the book being of poor quality (e.g. the Matrix sequels type disappointment) but more of a general dissatisfaction that my ideals were not met (e.g. the feeling six months after your wedding when you realise that getting married didn’t solve all your problems.) That is, the quality was great just not what I expected and hoped for. It all sounds a bit glass half empty at the moment, but let me spoil the end of the review now; you should definitely read this book! But Evangelism was disappointing because it was really so biblical. I had particular questions that I was expecting a magic bullet answer to. I wanted the tensions that existed in my head regarding God’s sovereignty and my evangelistic effort to be clearly dealt with. I wanted Packer to succinctly draw all my queries together into a combined simple proposition, that answered all my questions and then placed it in a tight box, tied it up with a nice little bow, that I could sit on the shelf to admire. The answer as it turns out wasn’t that succinct, and it wasn’t that simple. But it was biblical.

We cannot know all of God’s ways and so we must assume that within our understanding of God there will be areas of mystery. This is especially true when it comes to God’s sovereign will and our work on earth. Packer explains clearly that we mustn’t place distinctions where the Bible does not. When we come across what we assume to be a contradiction, namely that 1. God will save whomever he chooses and 2. We are called to evangelise people in order for them to be saved, rather than a contradiction between these statements we are left with an antinomy; a seeming contradiction between two conclusions which both seem logical.

As we humbly submit to scripture, we must acknowledge that there are areas of our understanding that will be insufficient. We can’t fit everything into a nice little box. This was a disappointing discovery.

Yet in the next breath I found Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God to be inherently satisfying. The truths contained here are profound, and yet made simple. This is evident even from the introductory words, which calmly argue that if you pray at all, then you believe God is sovereign (even if you like to argue with Calvinists in the debating chamber). It may come as a shock to you to find that Packer is so persuasive that even the fiercest Arminian would no doubt be agreeing that because they pray they really are Calvinist (though Packer is careful to avoid these terms as much as possible.)

Packer argues well. And if he wasn’t right, this could be a real problem. The great strength of this style is the end result, as the truths of Scripture are put forward you are convinced by the sheer reasonableness of the argument. It really is so simple. Divine sovereignty and human responsibility are not enemies but friends. You have no need to reconcile them because you can’t reconcile friends. The argument of the book is unveiled in a logical manner, with the conclusion that far from divine sovereignty excluding the need for evangelism it is this sovereignty which drives it.

As a general rule, I dislike it when people start off a book or sermon by telling me what it is not. Maybe this is simply because Don Carson does this all the time, and by about the fifth description of what “this is not…” I’m just thinking to myself, “Come on Don, I know this keeps your academic conscience clear but no one is actually worried about point six through 13 of what this is not, except yourself.” Though Evangelism begins with a few this-is-nots, Packer clears his academic conscience with brevity before launching into what it actually is. And like the Don, what-it-is is pure gold.

One of the more unintended outcomes of reading this book for me has been the manner in which it addresses evangelism. I know it shouldn’t surprise me considering the title, but Packer provides the fundamental framework for analysing the “success” of all evangelistic endeavour. Included in this is consistent analysis of current evangelistic frameworks which the modern reader soon realises are still current today.

Another benefit I found from reading this book has been the way it has again reframed my attitude to prayer. At a number of points as attention is drawn to the theological understanding required for this topic, Packer points out things we should be praying for. The language of “should” is often dangerous, and yet the only conclusion I could draw when faced with the theology and argument is that I really should be praying for those specific things. So I did. This book helped me to pray.

Unlike Packer’s most famous book Knowing God, which began life as a series of journal articles, Evangelism started life as a series of sermons. This is evident throughout as the readability, theology, application and illustration are perfectly balanced. But don’t be fooled, for most average Joe’s out there Packer remains a +2kg author (for the dictionary you need to carry around with the book). So be prepared to still need to look up the occasional word.

In summary, if you’re looking for easy answers to the relationship between God’s sovereignty and human responsibility, perhaps you’d be better off thinking about the word TULIP. No not as an acronym for the five points of Calvinism, just the flowers. This is to distract you from thinking about anything meaningful because were you to engage your brain by thinking about the five points, you’d realise there are no easy answers. If instead you want an easy to read treatise on this issue which seeks to clarify what the Bible teaches in a brief and accessible manner, then Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God is for you.

I give this book 4.5 out of 5 (points of Calvinism)

*I have chosen to abbreviate the title to Evangelism rather than the more obvious but kind of gross sounding EatSoG.