Rating: 
Summary: In Many Ways, Quite Helpful
Review: JI Packer has long been a prominent voice in evangelical theology, and many of his writings reflect solid teaching and wisdom. This book is no exception. This book makes an attempt to deal with one of the principle objections to Reformed theology particularly, and the sovereignty of God generally - if God is in control of everything and has already determined who will be saved, what purpose does evangelism serve? This book provides one of the more substantive responses to this objection.Packer makes clear early on that it is impossible to get around two clear Biblical teachings without jettisoning whole sections of the Bible. Those two clear teachings are that God is absolutely sovereign and fully in control, and that man is responsible for his own actions and will be held accountable for his life. These two truths, which appear to be in competition with each other, have long proven to be a formidable theological question for theologians of all stripes. Arminians are often accused of elevating man's responsibility and thus forcing a watered down version of God's sovereignty that appears to be in contradiction with Scripture. Calvinists are often accused of elevating God's sovereignty to the point where human beings necessarily become little more than puppets, and that this seems to be in conflict with Scripture. Finding a reconciliation of the two truths that continues to preach the two truths in a way that's faithful to what Scripture actually says is where the rub has been. In this book, Packer does not offer a detailed compatibilist proposal, but indeed affirms the classic Reformed understanding that God's complete sovereignty is undeniably expressed in Scripture, and that this is a significant issue when it comes to the topic of evangelism. The best section of the book is where Packer discusses the actual practice of evangelism and what it should look like. I think many readers will gain fresh insights about what evangelism actually is, and that Scripture is rather clear about what it is. Readers who are in the missions field or are in a heavily evangelistic role in their church or community will find this section to be very helpful, in addition to laypeople who are likewise called to evangelize the territory that God has given them. Packer concludes by eloquently discussing how evangelism, without the recognition that God is sovereign, is a worthless enterprise that will yield no fruit. Packer persuasively argues that those who believe that winning converts is based upon their own evangelism techniques or charisma are utterly out of touch with what Scripture clearly says about the human condition in its natural state and its complete unwillingness to grasp or accept the things of God absent a work of God in unregenerate hearts. And it is here that Packer proposes that the sovereignty of God, contrary to eliminating the need for evangelism, is actually the one sure-footed basis upon which to conduct fruitful evangelism. Packer repeatedly comments that regardless of one's views on election and predestination, God's sovereignty is not only complementary, but a necessary precondition to the human responsibility to evangelize effectively. He effectively shows that if we water down or compromise the sovereignty of God, Arminians and Calvinists alike have no Biblical basis to believe that evangelism will be worth anything, and this line of thought is quite helpful for Calvinists attempting to deal with the mainly Arminian objections to the impact the sovereignty of God has on evangelism. A good book.
Rating:
Summary: God's sovereignty and Man's responsibility
Review: One of the many ways the sovereignty of God is misunderstood is the believe that somehow it destroys evangelism. Dr. Packer show that this idea is not only false, but that the contrary is true, it is God's sovereignty that empowers evangelism. Almost all of the usual question people have concerning this important question, Packer graciously deals with. The book is both informative and helpful. He wrote it back in the 1960's and has continued to be in print and go through several printings. This little work has been helping Christians for some 40 years. It may not be that last word on the subject but it has been the first book on this subject for many thoughtful Christians. Agree or diagree, with the author, but you will still find a lot of help and be edified by working through this book. Its a keeper!
Rating:
Summary: God's sovereignty and Man's responsibility
Review: One of the many ways the sovereignty of God is misunderstood is the believe that somehow it destroys evangelism. Dr. Packer show that this idea is not only false, but that the contrary is true, it is God's sovereignty that empowers evangelism. Almost all of the usual question people have concerning this important question, Packer graciously deals with. The book is both informative and helpful. He wrote it back in the 1960's and has continued to be in print and go through several printings. This little work has been helping Christians for some 40 years. It may not be that last word on the subject but it has been the first book on this subject for many thoughtful Christians. Agree or diagree, with the author, but you will still find a lot of help and be edified by working through this book. Its a keeper!
Rating:
Summary: A Great Book
Review: Packer does an wonderful job of bringing together two subjects which on the surface would seem to be at odds with each other. As he points out in the book, God's Sovereignity and man's call to evangelize are both Biblical principles and therefore have to be considered by Christians. Dr. Packer has a way of clearly explaining both subjects and showing how God's sovereignity drives the Christian to be a witness for Him.
Rating:
Summary: God allows us to be co-laborers with Him
Review: That God allows a sinfull and fallen creation to join Him in the accomplishment of His eternal plan is an awsome privilege and an irresistable proposition!! J. I. Packer does a very good job of explaining the irrefutable and plain teaching of Holy Scripture, that although God has elected from eternity who shall be saved, it is our responsibility and awsome privilege to be the means which bring that salvation about. We are simply God's mouth-peice, proclaiming the glorious gospel of Christ to a lost and dying world, it is up to God to make it effectual in the hearts of the elect. This is both comforting and encouraging in that: 1.) It assures us that our work is never in vain for God's word will always accomplish exactly what He wants it to accomplish, and 2.) It takes all the pressure off of us in that we do not have to judge the quality of our work by it's success. Every evangelistic encounter is a success because we have been obedient in proclaiming the gospel. This deep truth runs contrary to pathetic and shallow human minds. However, those who truley know God (that is: the God of the Bible, as opposed to a god of their own making), will love and cherish this wonderful truth and come to appreciate God and His amazing gift of grace in a brand new demension that unfortunate and worldly Christians tragically fall far short of. If you are a truth seeker and not just out to validate your own oppinions about God and the Bible, this book will be of eternal blessing to you. God Bless. SM
Rating:
Summary: Sovereignty and responsibility.
Review: The relationship between God's sovereignty and man's responsibility is a very confusing one. On the one hand, we see in the Bible that God is sovereign over even the actions of man, since God has "mercy on whom He will have mercy, and whom He will He hardeneth" (Rom. 9:18). Even Christ's death on the cross was not done outside God's control, but He was "delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God" (Acts 3:23). This is all good and glorious as we can rest assured in God's providence and care for us, knowing that nothing will separate us from the love of Christ, not even our own sins. But some people lean too far toward God's sovereignty and forget all the places in Scripture that refer to commands to *do* something. "Work out your salvation with fear and trembling" (Philippians 2:12). "Give diligence to make your calling and election sure" (2 Peter 1:10). Though we know that Christ is sovereign over our works, we also know that we are entirely responsible for our works, and we mustn't forget either principle. Having said all this, I really enjoyed this book because J.I. Packer helped me understand all this. He showed that divine sovereignty and human responsibility are really not at odds with each other, but both promote sanctification in God's people. He showed that there is an antinomy between the two (which has been mentioned in another comment) and even though we don't entirely understand this paradox, we must accept it as God's Word shows it to be true. Having dealt with this issue, Packer then applies it to evangelism. He shows that only assurance of the sovereignty of God can give us true success in evangelism, because then we will not have to come up with clever methods to get people into church, or to entice them into the faith. When you are assured that God is the one that brings people to faith, you can simply proclaim God's gospel with love, and God will bring converts. Packer also shows that a proper understanding of human responsibility helps in evangelism as well. The burden of evangelism is still pressed upon you, and you don't sit back as the hyper-calvinists do. In addition, you can be confident in your calls for repentance and for your audience to be baptized and enter God's Church. Only when you hold to both sides of this paradox can you understand evangelism properly. Packer gets the paradox, and he explains and defends it *very* well.
Rating:
Summary: Salvation is All of God
Review: This book examines the relationship between God's sovereignty and man's role as evangelist, the proclaimer of the Good News of salvation through Jesus Christ. Evangelical success for the evangelist is simply in being faithful to proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The efficacy of a new believer's salvation lies not in the ability of the evangelist to wring out a confession of faith through rhetorical persuassion, but rather in the supernatural regenerating work of the Holy Spirit that illuminates their depraved minds to the truth of the Gospel. The Gospel call is a twofold call to believe and repent. J.I. Packer gives remarkable insight and clarity into the sovereignty of God in salvation, and reminds the Christian reader that our true success in evangelism lies in God's blessing and his supernatural work. Our job as evangelist, is to be ambassador of Christ, and proclaim the Good News. Indeed, every evangelical proclamation is a success for the evangelist faithful to God's Word since he is after all heeding the commmand to proclaim the Gospel. Our modus operandi for witnessing is proclaimed in 2 Timothy 2:24-25, and evangelism can be an on-going endeavor, as we are reminded to be "patient, apt to teach, in humility correcting those who are in opposition if God perhaps will grant them repentance so that they may know the truth..." Soli Deo Gloria!
Rating: 
Summary: Horrible book
Review: This is a horrible book, like all the others of its ilk. It epitomizes and encourages the worst kind of faulty thinking. All of its religious claims are absurb and wrong and quite frankly dangerous. Fanatic xians will probably like it, but then they wallow in absurdity every day of their lives. For people with active brain tissues, it is an insult.
Rating:
Summary: A generation changing book - buy it and then some more!
Review: This was a generation changing book when it first came out in the 1950s, so it is immensely exciting to see that it is still in print today. Your evangelism will be transformed by this book - you will evangelise with the full confidence of the Holy Spirit at work behind you, and you cannot do better than that! This book ought to be read by everyone in evangelism and every single church member in a church that is actively evangelistic. Your Christian life and your evangelism will never be the same after reading this superb, timeless and completely biblically based classic. Christopher Catherwood, author of CHRISTIANS, MUSLIMS AND ISLAMIC RAGE (Zondervan, 2003)
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Treatment of Divine Sovereignty in Evangelism
Review: When it comes to evangelism, it seems that Calvinists have quite a poor reputation in the church today. Most of the largest and seemingly most successful mission organizations were founded by Arminians and continue to be based around Arminian theology. Arminian churches seem to grow much faster than churches based on Calvinist principles. It seems that part of the reason for this is that Calvinists have such a high view of God's sovereignty that it is easy for them to assume that there is no reason for Christians to evangelize. After all, if God truly is sovereign, if He does control absolutely everything, what reason is there to evangelize? If God has ordained someone will be saved, they reason, that person will be saved regardless of my efforts. Perhaps evangelism is even sinful, for is it possible that it actually denies God's sovereignty?
It is against this backdrop that J.I. Packer wrote Evangelism & The Sovereignty of God, a classic study on the relationship between God's sovereignty and the necessity of evangelism. A short but exceedingly powerful book, Packer shows that rather than precluding evangelism, God's sovereignty provides the most powerful incentive and support for it.
Packer begins by presenting the concept of antinomy, which he defines as "an appearance of contradiction between conclusions which seem equally logical, reasonable or necessary." An antinomy we face as believers is that of God's sovereignty and human responsibility. Somehow, although God is absolutely sovereign, He has ordained that we would be responsible for our involvement in His plans. Our obedient response to this antinomy is to accept it for what it is and learn to live with it. Any other response would be to minimize something God deems important and even necessary to a godly life. We cannot see Divine sovereignty and human responsible as opposites or principles that are in conflict with each other, but rather as principles that complement each other and are equally true.
The author turns to a lengthy discussion of evangelism where he defines what evangelism is and what it is not. He speaks of the message of evangelism as well as the motive and means for it. He concludes with an examination of how God's sovereignty affects evangelism. Packer's conclusion is that "We would not wish to say that man cannot evangelize at all without coming to terms with this doctrine [God's sovereignty]; but we venture to think that, other things being equal, he will be able to evangelize better for believing it."
For a book weighing in at a mere 126 pages, this one contains impressive depth and contains a thorough and satisfying treatment of the subject. I highly recommend this book for all believers and trust anyone will be able to learn and grow through it.
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