God's sovereignty and human responsibility in Christian evangelism

¶ … Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God

Packer's latest work is a brief, nontechnical discourse about how God's sovereignty and responsibility of humans impacts evangelism. It is not a guide to the latest in evangelistic action. The primary objective here is to quell the ideal that faith in God's sovereignty barricades evangelistic initiatives and demonstrate it strength to evangelism. The book is laid out in four chapters. The concepts explained therein are[footnoteRef:2]: [2: Naselli, Andy (2008)]

Being a devout Christian, you have a staunch faith in God's sovereignty as you pray. Therefore, you already accept that God is sovereign due to two reasons: you thank God for being a Christian and pray for others' conversion as well. Conflict arises when an attempt is made to combine God's sovereignty with responsibility of humans[footnoteRef:3]. [3: Ibid 1]

Antimony exists, which is an inherent mismatch between two diverging truths, not viewed as a paradox, which is expendable, a clever play of words combining two divergent ideas. The contradiction of divine sovereign and human responsibility in context of evangelism can either lead to a selective concern with responsibility of humans or with divine sovereignty.

People often misinterpret evangelism as they think of it with respect to effect instead of its underlying message. Evangelism essentially means preaching gospel. Paul's own narration about his personal evangelistic ministry is archetypical. Moreover, he evangelized for Jesus Christ as his assigned delegate, messenger, diplomat, and steward. His mission was to convey the message of Christ and convert more people to Christianity[footnoteRef:4]. [4: Ibid 1]

The core message of evangelism is about Christ (prophet and his message), God, sin, faith and repentance. Belief of sin leads to an awareness of being unfaithful to God, it is an acknowledgement of sins for which one should repent; therefore, it comprises of one's acceptance of transgression and of rebirth. The belief of people about evangelistic message should be isolated from scope of their atonement[footnoteRef:5]. [5: Ibid 1]

Evangelism is not constricted to limited evangelistic gatherings; rather, there are many ways to congregate such meetings such as:

Home meetings

Personal evangelism

Group bible discussion

Sunday services

It is reasonable to differentiate between God's purpose (plan) and precept (law). Precept is what believers are aware of while God ordains purpose, and thus, is his sole discretion. Packer is defending two propositions here. Firstly, the independent nature of God does not in any way affect the mission and nature of evangelism. Moreover, it does not impact evangelism's authenticity, resolution, necessity and responsibility of sinner in any way. Secondly, the independence of God is the only source of hope for the devotees with respect to evangelism. In the absence of acceptance of God's sovereignty, evangelism can not be conveyed successfully as human nature is to contradict God and Satan maintains that state of mind. Faith in God's independence leads to successful evangelism. This certainty and confidence is transmitted to its followers as well. It makes them patient, strong, and empowered[footnoteRef:6]. [6: Ibid 1]

In conclusion, Packer accepts the fact that accepting God's sovereignty with respect to evangelism is not a prerequisite to evangelization, but "he would have evangelized better if he believed it first." Packer's book is an antithesis to Bible. However, the conclusions drawn in Packer's book are critical, logical and meaningful[footnoteRef:7]. [7: Ibid 1]

Application

Being a devout Christian myself, I am constantly challenged by the belief of divine sovereignty over everything in existence. Nevertheless, I still contemplate, how is it equalized? The question that nags me even today is, is God is really independent? Why do I think about that? How should I complete my task? Is the task to be completed? As a matter of fact, is it remotely worth it when indulged in logically?[footnoteRef:14] [14: Ibid 12]

There are myriad of practical examples as to why it is becoming acceptable to question God's sovereignty. During the course of the past one and a half decade, too many catastrophic calamities that have taken place across the globe have shaken faith. Major global mishaps such as Indian tsunami, 9/11, Haiti earthquake, Japan earthquake and hurricane Katrina have wrought widespread destruction and calamity. Therefore, it is becoming more understandable for Christians to feel cynical and shallow at times. My doubts for one have definitely increased now.[footnoteRef:15] [15: Ibid 12]

I am always lured back because of Packer's exemplary work, keeping in mind the critique leveled against it. As a matter of fact, the ideas pitched in the book compelled me to experiment and remove my own doubts. Certain methods exist which church attendants and non-attendants can apply on themselves. Even Christians and non-Christians can apply them. Discuss what you read in the Holy Bible with office colleagues, friends or within interested groups. Make a noting of how it changed your thought process and how you intend to implement it in real life. This is one of the ways of using the book practically and making the reading meaningful..Essentially, work out a plan in simple words. Jot down the actions and execute them differently. Think differently. Think about what would make a person decent along the biblical lines. One can even create a group of friends that can assist in helping each other out in being true to himself and implement one's learning in real life and share it with others. For instance, read something from Bible and convey its message to others.[footnoteRef:16] [16: Ibid 12]

There are multitudes of methods used for conveying the message learned in church environment. Following one adequate method is advisable, rather than trying out different paths, that may lead to further confusion. Packer suggests the path of evangelism. In essence, it is about understanding the concept behind the method and ensuring that it's the right one. It needs to be examined from all possible angles rather than making an opinionated choice. As stated earlier, Packer maintains that contradiction of sovereign divine and responsibility of humans in evangelism can often digress towards selective concern with responsibility of humans or with selective concern with divine independence. At present, humans are confused between responsibility and those people who are Christians tie in their sovereign divine belief. What is the solution when there is a deadlock among the two?[footnoteRef:17] [17: Ibid 12]

Therefore, it is not difficult to fathom that this problem aroused multiple controversies and divergent perspectives throughout the history of the church. Augustine's controversy with Pelagians is of significant value here. Pelagianism stressed upon freedom of humanity from divine independence, which in turn leads to a new concept of self-salvation in the absence of divine blessing. During recent times, two polar opposite concepts have emerged, which are as follows:

Ultra Calvinism (based on divine independence emphasizing determinism)

Arminianism (responsibility of humans emphasized)

As stated earlier, people often have more problems grasping this mystery than any other. The fact, however is, it isn't more mysterious than any of those trinity and God-man mysteries, which Christians adhere to readily.[footnoteRef:18] [18: Boa, Kenneth (2006) ]