Personal Evangelism Analysis

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Introduction To understand the relationship between the truth of divine sovereignty and the task of personal evangelism is tough for Christians, which causes endless disputes in the church. Many people are confused about the question “If God is in control, why should we evangelize?” In this book Packer addresses this quesiton biblically and insists that divine sovereignty and human responsibility are doctrines that need no reconciling. Instead, God’s sovereignty provides the most powerful incentive and support for evangelism. Packer first introduces the conception of antinomy, saying that the apparent contradiction between divine sovereignty and human response …show more content…
The author leads the readers into the deep end of the doctrinal pool gently, slowly, and with Scriptural fidelity and clarity. Packer’s argument of divine sovereignty and human responsibility seeks to be faithful to the biblical data, while maintaining the logical tension inherent in Scripture’s revelation of divine mysteries. He just teaches what the Bible says and admits the limitation of human being. For God says, “My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways.” To handle the apparent opposition between God’s sovereignty and human responsibility, the author introduces the conception of antinomy. Packer suggests the readers to accept the antinomy for what it is and learn to live with it, for the reality is the two truths can coexist peacefully. He strongly cautions against jettisoning one divine truth for the sake of another simply because of the difficulties associated with finite minds seeking to comprehend infinite truths. God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility are taught side by side in the Bible, both are guranteed by the same divine authority. The two truth must be held together, not exclude each other. Packer not only admits man’s limitation, but also offer some explaining from the Scripure for the God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility. God is a King and also a Judge. As King, he orders and controls all things, including human actions; As Judge, he holds every man responsible for his choices and actions. Packer’s introduction of the doctrine of God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility have strong Biblical basis. It is helpful to understand the two truths and