How the Doctrine of the Trinity Shapes the Christian Mission (conclusion)

…continued from part 3.

The Doctrine of the Trinity and the Source of the Christian Mission

Finally, we must notice that the doctrine of the trinity is the source from which the Christian mission flows. We have already observed that mankind was created to show forth the image of the triune God, as a diverse and yet unified covenant people, reflective of the diverse and complementary persons of the trinity. But just as our ontological existence as the people of God has its source in the nature of the ontological trinity, so our economical function as the people who are responsible to fulfill the Great Commission has its source in the economical trinity, by which the various persons of the Godhead undertook to accomplish the work of redemption.

In his high priestly prayer, Jesus explicitly relates the mission of the disciples to the mission that he himself had undertaken in pursuit of our redemption. Just as the Father sent Jesus, so Jesus has sent us. Just as the Son sanctified himself for his own mission, so he sanctifies us for our mission (see John 17:18-19). In other words, the economical functioning of the trinity is the source of the economical functioning of the Church of Christ, as she pursues the fulfillment of the Great Commission. This understanding may be fleshed out with a couple of further observations.

First, the redemptive role of the Son is the pattern for the economical functioning of the Church. Just as Christ suffered in his physical body to accomplish redemption, so now he is suffering in his mystical body to spread the effects of that redemption. In Colossians 1:24, Paul makes the stunning statement, “I am filling up in my flesh that which is lacking in the sufferings of Christ, in behalf of his body, which is the Church.” Just as Christ had to suffer in the flesh for the purchase of redemption, so now it remains for his mystical body to suffer for the spread of redemption. According to Paul, there is something lacking in the sufferings of Christ: it cannot be that any more sufferings are necessary to provide redemption; but there are more sufferings necessary to apply the redemption which has already been bought. It is necessary for the mystical body of Christ to suffer, or else redemption will not spread to all the people whom the Father has chosen.

This is because the sufferings of the believer are a necessary part of their witness, and so a necessary means for the fulfillment of the Great Commission. The proclamation of the gospel is the verbal testimony that tends toward the calling out of the elect; and suffering joyfully for righteousness’ sake, in the example of the Savior, is the dramatic representation of the gospel that tends toward the calling out of the elect. Both of these elements are necessary for the Christian mission. “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church” (Tertullian). It is only as the Church re-enacts the sufferings of Christ that the gospel will be powerful to spread throughout the earth. And so, in a very real sense, the functioning of the economical trinity is the necessary source for the advancement of the economical mission of the Church, that is, for the fulfillment of the Great Commission.

The second way in which the economical trinity is the source of the Christian mission is that, the same source by which the Son was guided in the accomplishment of his redemptive mission is now guiding the Church as she pursues her redemptive mission. Christ was sent out to accomplish the will of God, and it was the word of God that ever directed him as he he pursued his task. He did not reveal anything of himself, but brought the word of God to the men whom the Father had chosen. “The words you gave to me, I gave to them” (John 17:8); “I have given to them your word, and the world hated them” (John 17:14). Similarly, the Spirit was sent to bring the word of God to his people (John 16:13). In the same way, the Church is set apart for her mission by the word of God. “Sanctify them through your truth; your word is truth” (John 17:17). In the economical trinity, Jesus was set apart for the mission of bringing the word of God to the people chosen by the Father, and the Spirit was likewise sent to bring the word of God to those people; but in the same way, the Church is now set apart for her mission by the word of God, and with the purpose of bringing that word to the world. The source which governed the redemptive tasks of the Son and the Spirit now govern the Church’s redemptive task of evangelization.

And not only is the source of direction the same in the economical trinity and the economical Church, but the source of sustenance and provision is likewise the same. Jesus, in the accomplishment of his redemptive task, was always guided and strengthened by the Spirit (e.g. Luke 4:1, 14, 18-21); and he was always sustained by prayer and fellowship with the Father (e.g. Luke 5:15-16). In the same way, the Church is accomplishing her mission only by the empowerment of the Spirit, and is sustained along the way through fellowship with the Father and prayer. Thus, the economical trinity, in particular the redemptive role of the Son, is the pattern, the source of direction, and the source of sustenance for the Christian mission today.

Conclusion

It is widely acknowledged that the doctrine of the trinity is foundational for Christian theology; it is less widely understood that the doctrine of the trinity is also foundational for Christian mission. It is my hope that this article will prove something of a first step in thinking through the ramifications of trinitarian theology on the goal, means, and source of the mission with which Christ left the Church, to take the gospel to the world.

This is the final installment of this article.  See all four parts here.

~~posted by Zioneer

How the Doctrine of the Trinity Shapes the Christian Mission (part 3)

…continued from part 2.

The Doctrine of the Trinity and the Means of the Christian Mission

Not only does trinitarian theology shape the goal toward which the Christian mission is striving; it also clarifies the means which are to be used in the pursuit of that goal. Redemption is ultimately an accomplishment of the triune God; he alone is the doer of the work, and therefore, any human activity must flow from his prior activity, and be directed and empowered by him. The mission that God left his people with is ultimately his mission, and advances on the basis of his eternal, immutable design; and so, any human activity which fails to take into account God’s redemptive plan as he has made it known is bound to be frustrated. Human mission endeavors are likely to be successful only as they understand the divine agenda and lean upon divine strength. This means that a first qualification for any missionary is a knowledge of the triune God; an awareness of the role of the persons of the Godhead in the work of redemption, as revealed in the scriptures; and a heart-attitude of faith in those joint operations of the persons of the Trinity.

For example, take the scriptural revelation of the work of the Father in the plan of redemption: he is the ultimate planner, the source from whom the whole work flows and is governed. We see throughout the gospel of John that the Son, in the fulfillment of his part of the redemptive work, acts in an unceasing obedience to the Father’s will (e.g. John 5:17-19, 30; 8:28-29; 10:17-18; 14:31; 17:4). Likewise the Spirit, when he comes, speaks not on his own, but only what he has heard from the Father and the Son (John 14:26; 15:26; 16:13-14). This role of the Father in planning out the work of redemption is seen with special clarity in the aspect of his choosing its subjects. We have already observed that the Father has chosen a specific people to give to the Son, and that the Son has purposed to redeem these alone (e.g. John 6:37-40; 10:29; 17:1-2, 6, 10); we may add to this testimony the witness of the epistles, which speaks of the Father’s choice of a certain people to be redeemed in no uncertain terms (e.g. Romans 8:29-30; Ephesians 1:3-6; 1 Peter 1:1-2). We may learn further from the revelation of scripture that this people is chosen out of every kindred, tribe, tongue, and nation (e.g. Revelation 5:9), and that it will be called out only when the gospel is proclaimed in all the world (e.g. Matthew 24:14).

So how does this truth affect the task of the Christian missionary? First, it gives him a clear directive in the pursuit of the task: as the Church continues to spread across the world, believers may know that in their missionary endeavors they ought to target the kindreds, tribes, tongues, and nations which are yet unreached, because they know that the conversion of representatives from these peoples is the Father’s will. Their task remains undone as long as there is any people group that has not heard the gospel, or that has not yet seen fruit from the proclamation of the gospel. Second, this understanding gives hope to missionaries laboring in the most difficult places. When Paul was experiencing opposition in Corinth, he was comforted by the realization that the Father had many people in that city, chosen for a redemption which had not yet been applied (see Acts 18:9-11). In the same way, the missionary who understands the biblical representation of the Father’s role in redemption has a strong hope that his labor will not be in vain, and has cause to cry out to God in faith for the success which has been promised. Because God has chosen a people, our ultimate success is guaranteed. This foundational awareness of the Father’s revealed role in the work of redemption drives a faithfulness which would otherwise wilt under the discouragement of unfavorable circumstances.

Consider as well the Son’s role in the work of redemption: he has determined to redeem the people God has chosen through his sacrificial blood, shed in their behalf; and in consequence of this redemption, he has won the right to return and judge the world, saving those who believe in him and condemning those who do not believe. Understanding this role clarifies the missionary’s task of proclaiming the gospel: for the account of this work is precisely the gospel he must proclaim. To the extent that one has not understood the role of the Son in redemption, he cannot proclaim the good news of that redemption. When Paul labored to bring the gospel to people, he emphasized Christ’s role as the returning judge and his resurrection from the dead, which had given him the authority to be Lord of the living and the dead (e.g. Acts 17:31; Romans 14:9). He also emphasized his shed blood, which serves as a fully acceptable propitiation for the sins of all who believe in Christ, and on that basis exhorted people to be reconciled to God (e.g. Acts 13:38-39; Romans 3:23-28; 1 Corinthians 1:23-24; 2 Corinthians 5:20-21). Now, to forget the part of Christ’s redemptive work which promises him the authority to come and judge the world, casting his enemies into eternal punishment, strips the gospel of its necessary context. Just asking a person, “Do you want to be saved?” is meaningless unless it is made clear what he must be saved from. But saying, “God has raised his Son from the dead, vindicating his authority to return to the earth and judge all who are opposed to him; would you be saved from the wrath that he will soon bring upon the earth in great fury?” – that provides the necessary background to display the surpassing goodness of the good news. But not only must Christ’s judging role be emphasized; so also must his atoning, propitiatory role be emphasized, or else the news is not good at all. Saying, “Jesus has risen from the dead, and is Lord over all” is only bad news for anyone still in his sins. To the extent that the missionary does not understand the role of the Son in the work of redemption, therefore, he is left without a message to take to the nations of the world, the message by which all the Father’s chosen people will be called out.

Similarly, without an understanding of the Spirit’s role in redemption, the missionary is apt to be frustrated. It is only through the Spirit’s empowerment that the missionary can proclaim the good news with boldness and clarity (see Acts 1:8); and likewise, it is only through the Spirit’s work of convicting and regeneration that the elect of the Father can understand and come to Christ (e.g. John 3:5-8). Understanding the role of the Spirit directs the means of praying for and pursuing the evangelistic task; it also provides the ongoing confidence in the missionary’s own secure position in the favor of God. The Spirit is sent to seal and guarantee the final salvation of all who have once come to Christ (e.g. Romans 8:11-17; Ephesians 1:13-14); and without that constant witness and encouragement, the missionary is apt to despair at his own condition, especially when his circumstances grow difficult.

So then, an understanding of the inter-trinitarian roles in the work of redemption is a necessary foundation for the Christian missionary, shaping the message he has to take, clarifying to whom he has to take it, and providing inexhaustible hope and encouragement along the way. But there is also another way in which the doctrine of the trinity serves as the means of Christian evangelism; and that is, it is only as the trinitarian nature of God is displayed in the lives of Christians that unbelievers will come into a relationship with this triune God.

In his last discourse, Christ revealed to his disciples the means by which the world of unbelievers would recognize that they were truly followers of Christ: and that means was nothing other than the love they had for each other, which is reflective of the inter-trinitarian love of the persons of the Godhead (see John 13:34-35). When believers are brought into a covenantal relationship of love which is reflective of the eternal trinitarian covenant of love, people take notice. Mankind was created to display the image of God, and until he does so, he is living a life devoid of ultimate purpose. Mankind was created to know and enjoy God; and when he gets a glimpse of God’s nature, in the lives of believers, he realizes that he wants something like that, but he does not yet have it. This is why, in John 17:21, Jesus prayed that the disciples would be one even as he and the Father were one – so that the world would believe that the Father had sent him! When the world sees the blessed trinity reflected in the lives of the disciples, it is only then that they will believe in the actual trinity, the Father and the Son whom he sent. So then, the shaping element of the doctrine of the trinity for the means of the Christian mission goes even beyond the fact that the knowledge of the redemptive work of the Godhead is a necessary foundation for taking the message to the world; in fact, the display of the inter-trinitarian relationships in the lives of the disciples constitutes a necessary means through which the gospel message may be understood and desired.

~~posted by Zioneer

How the Doctrine of the Trinity Shapes the Christian Mission (part 2)

…continued from part 1.

The Doctrine of the Trinity and the Goal of Christian Mission

The most basic application of the doctrine of the trinity to the goal of Christian mission is simply this: if the inter-relationships of the ontological trinity are indeed covenantal, then the goal of Christian mission must also be covenantal. When God first created man, it was explicitly for the purpose of showing his own image. Man was different from all the creatures in the garden because he alone was created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27). When man fell and marred that image, God’s purpose was not frustrated: just as he had planned to show his image in creation, so he had planned to show his image even more fully in redemption. Not only did he create all things for his glory, he also engaged in all of his redemptive tasks for his own glory (see Isaiah 43:5-7); which is simply shorthand for the display of his own nature, which is eminently glorious.

What this means for the Christian mission is that, its ultimate goal is not simply to get as many individuals as possible off of the course of destruction, and into the bliss of heaven (as vital as that work of mercy is for displaying the character of a merciful God). On the contrary, it is all about reforming a new mankind, that will display God’s image in covenantal unity, even as the trinity exists in a covenantal love and unity. This is why, throughout the history of the Old Testament, God’s dealings with mankind were ever enacted on the basis of the covenants that he had inaugurated with them (see Genesis 9:8-17; 17:1-8; Exodus 19:3-6; 2 Samuel 7:12-16), and they ever involved the formation of an indissoluble and unified people of grace, and not merely a composite collection of persons of grace. God chose and saved the nation of Israel, not one person in ten from every nation of the world. And even now that he is expanding his kingdom to include every nation, he is still doing so by bringing representatives of every tribe, tongue, people, and nation into one new people, his own kingdom of priests (cf. Ephesians 2:11-22; 3:6; 1 Peter 2:9-10; Revelation 5:9-10).

This concept has at least three applications to the goal of missions: first, a Christian missionary’s task, when dealing with any unbeliever, is not just to get him a ticket to heaven, but to bring him into a covenantal relationship with God. Christ died, not so that we might sit on clouds with halos and strum our harps, but to bring us to God (1 Peter 3:18). The ultimate expression of the blessings of redemption is being brought into a covenantal relationship with God himself, which is substantially similar to the inter-relationship of the eternal persons of the trinity. Jesus died, by his own confession, to keep believers “in the name” of God (John 17:11-12). What that means precisely becomes clearer a little later when Jesus prays that they would “be one in us” (that is, in the Father and the Son – John 17:21), and that he himself would be “in them” (John 17:23, 26). The final goal of the Christian mission is to bring believers into a personal relationship with God which precisely expresses the personal relationships within the eternal trinity.

Second, the task of Christian missions is to bring believers into a mutual relationship with each other which in itself reflects the inter-relationships within the trinity. Throughout the epistles the virtue of Christian unity is espoused and urged more than almost any other virtue (e.g. Ephesians 4:1-6; Philippians 1:27; 2:1-5). Believers show forth the divine, inter-trinitarian image when they are united in a diverse, loving, and mutually-honoring covenantal relationship.

Third, the goal of the Christian mission is ultimately to glorify God. If believers are to be perfectly happy, it is only to be by entering into a state similar to that of the perfectly blessed (i.e. happy) Godhead (e.g. 1 Tim. 1:11; 6:15). True Christian joy reflects the state of unruffled blessedness that has always existed in the trinity, the persons of which bring constant and illimitable joy to each other unceasingly. Therefore, it is a joy which is primarily designed to glorify God, that is, to display the nature of God. In other words, as great as are the blessings which God has given to followers of Jesus, those blessings themselves serve the greater purpose of glorifying God. God accomplished his work of redemption in order “to show…the riches of his grace in kindness towards us in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:7). It was “to make known the riches of his glory in vessels of mercy, which he prepared beforehand unto glory” (Romans 9:23). Thus, any expression of the goal of the Christian mission which stops short with the needs of the unbeliever is essentially inadequate. Missions exists to bring eternal joy and life to sinners, but only because that will bring eternal glory to God, by displaying his nature in those whom he saves.

~~posted by Zioneer

How the Doctrine of the Trinity Shapes the Christian Mission (part 1)

In any discussion of Christian theology, it is virtually axiomatic that the doctrine of the trinity is the foundational doctrine which distinguishes a peculiarly Christian theology from the theology of any other religion, especially of the other great monotheistic religions. Likewise, in any discussion of Christian missiology, it is virtually axiomatic that the core pursuit of the Christian mission is to make good on the commission with which Christ left his Church, to make disciples of all the nations, as recorded in Matthew 28:18-20. But consider: if the doctrine of the trinity is the foundation of Christian theology and the Great Commission to make disciples is the foundation of the Christian mission, then that acknowledgment must have a necessary formative effect on the ultimate goal of missions. A major component of the Christian mission is to teach the doctrine which Christ left the disciples; a major part of that doctrine (or rather, all of it) is trinitarian. Therefore, the doctrine of the trinity must shape the way in which we go about our task as Christian missionaries. I am not sure that all of the ramifications of this concept have been well enough thought out in typical works on missiology. In order to pursue this idea further, this article will reflect briefly on the nature of the trinity, and then explore how those trinitarian truths must shape the goal, means, and source of the Christian mission.

The Doctrine of the Trinity

When discussing the doctrine of the trinity, theologians like to distinguish between the ontological trinity and the economical trinity. The ontological trinity describes the inter-relationships of the three persons of the trinity as they have existed without change from all eternity. The economical trinity describes how those essential inter-relationships have come to concrete expression in the diverse and complementary roles that each person has undertaken to play in the great trinitarian work of redemption. The economical trinity is necessary for humans as an entrance into the abstract truths of the ontological trinity. Humans are so designed that they cannot simply absorb abstract truths without first encountering concrete expressions of those truths, which they can then use to form categories, or arrive at an understanding of the basic, unifying qualities underlying those concrete expressions. For example, a child could never come to grips with the semantic force of the term “loving” if he did not have specific, concrete actions pointed out to him as representative of the term. When a mother says, “Johnny, you need to be more loving, and share your toys with your brother…You need to be more loving, and help up your friend who has fallen down…”, eventually, Johnny is able to isolate a common disposition underlying all of those various actions, and come up with an idea of what it means to be loving. In the same way, it is only as we look at the historical activity of the triune Godhead, as he reveals himself in his work of redemption, that we can really get at what it means for the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit to be one God and yet three loving, unified, and distinct persons.

Assuming the basic legitimacy of this sentiment, we will first note some scriptural truths about the nature of the economical trinity, and only then arrive at some conclusions regarding the ontological trinity.

As we examine the biblical basis for the inter-relationship of the persons of the trinity as they work to redeem a people, we immediately encounter the idea of an inviolable agreement between these persons as to what the role of each should be, which antedates all of the steps that occurred to enact that work. This agreement is seen first between the Father and the Son: in Psalm 2:7-9 we hear the Messianic king recounting a promise that the Father had made to him, to give to him as an inheritance a people from the entire world. The fulfillment of this promise would entail the dramatic presentation of this king as the Son of God and hence would be the climactic economical display of the ontological Father/Son relationship that had always inhered in the Godhead. The New Testament authors tell us that this promised event occurred at the resurrection of Christ from the dead (see Romans 1:3-4; Acts 13:33). In Isaiah 53:10-13, we encounter another glimpse of this agreement, which indicates the Son’s willingness to offer up his life for a certain people, for the redemption of their sins, and the Father’s willingness to give that people to the Son as his portion, in consequence of that redemptive work. We are assured that this redemptive work was indeed planned out from before the time that the first step was taken to enact it from such expressions as that phrase in Revelation 13:8, “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world”.

This biblical motif, of an eternal agreement between the Father and the Son to accomplish redemption, finds its fullest expression in the gospel of John. There, the Son expresses his opinion many times both that the Father had given him a work to do, which he would most certainly accomplish (e.g. John 5:17-19, 30; 8:28-29; 10:17-18; 14:31; 17:4); and also, that the Father had promised to give him a certain people, none of whom he would ever lose (e.g. John 6:37-40; 10:29; 17:1-2, 6, 10). In this relationship, the Son would bring glory to the Father and the Father would bring glory to the Son (e.g. John 13:31-32; 17:1-5). In at least two passages, Jesus explicitly says that his accomplishment of the works which the Father had given him to do was intended to demonstrate that he was in the Father, and the Father was in him (John 10:38; 14:10-11). This is all but irrefutable proof that the economical trinity was indeed designed to display the essential, eternal inter-relationships within the ontological trinity.

Although the scriptural basis for an eternal agreement between the Spirit and the Father and Son is somewhat less explicit, it can likewise be derived from a couple of considerations. First, the Spirit is said to be “sent” on his redemptive mission, both by the Father and the Son (John 14:16-17, 26; 15:26; 16:7-14); and second, he is depicted in those same passages as engaging willfully in this redemptive task; and this is largely within the broader context of one of Jesus’ clearest discussions of the redemptive agreement between the Father and the Son (John 14-16). This leaves the conclusion virtually certain that the Spirit was also engaged in a pre-temporal agreement with the other persons of the Trinity to accomplish a specific role in the work of redemption. Furthermore, passages such as Ephesians 1:3-14, which clearly speak of the different parts that the three persons of the Godhead play in accomplishing redemption, argue for the same basic paradigm.

Now, the question only remains, “Is it appropriate to speak of this pre-temporal agreement between the persons of the trinity as a ‘Covenant of Redemption?’”. Although the term “covenant” is nowhere in the bible used of this divine arrangement, I would contend that two considerations argue for the propriety of its usage in theology. First, this agreement manifests most explicitly the basic realities we see presented to us elsewhere in the scriptures, under the rubric “covenant”. There is a promised reward and a condition to be met, which includes the shedding of blood to make the agreement firm. In fact, it could almost be argued that the nature of the great biblical covenants could not be fully understood without first looking to the redemptive work of Christ on the cross as an explication of just what a covenantal agreement is (which the author of Hebrews is quite fond of doing); so that, to all practical intents and purposes, it is not just a covenant, but the prototypical covenant. And second, it fits the divine pattern of displaying the nature of God in mankind, in part, through his complex social relationships. God is a complex being, and it stands to reason that a mere individual human could never have shown forth the image of God as fully as humans in relationship. The eternal Father/Son relationship within the Trinity is imaged in the father/son relationship of mankind. So then, why could the most basic and foundational relationship of human society, the covenant of marriage, not image the eternal covenantal relationship between the members of the trinity? But here, we are encroaching on our next point, the ontological trinity.

As we have mentioned before, the ontological trinity can only be approached by means of the concrete truths of the economical trinity, as the persons of the Godhead engage in their covenantal work of redemption. In the economical trinity, we have seen that, by an irrevocable agreement which each person has willingly entered into, the members of the Godhead have undertaken to bring glory to each other. In the discharge of their peculiar offices, they are always in perfect harmony. This would lead us to understand the ontological trinity as an eternal, unchangeable relationship between the Father, Son, and Spirit which involves perfect harmony, love, and mutual glorification. And this is exactly the picture that we see in the gospel of John: the persons of the trinity have been bound together by a mutual indwelling, a mutual love, and a mutual glorification of each other from before the foundation of the world (e.g. John 5:20; 10:38; 14:10-11; 17:1-5; 21-24). The ontological trinity, then, may be summed up in this expression: an eternal covenant of love. In the economical trinity, we saw a pre-temporal covenant of redemption, harmoniously wrought through the diversely complementary offices of Father, Son, and Spirit, for the purpose of the loving glorification of each other. In the ontological trinity, we see an eternal covenant of love back of this pre-temporal covenant of redemption, which is the concrete expression of its ontological counterpart.

How does this doctrine of the trinity shape our understanding of the Christian mission? I would suggest that it gives direction to the mission’s ultimate goal; it illuminates the mission’s necessary means; and it clarifies the source from which the mission derives in the first place.

~~posted by Zioneer

The Christian Mission: An Overview (part 3)

continued from part 2

These problems, and many others like them, pose no little difficulty to the completion of the great commission. It is the burden of this article that they may be overcome, in God’s grace, only by an intentional and widespread examination of the entire biblical corpus as it pertains to the great mission of the Church. If we would begin to see the winds of change beginning to stir up another great missionary thrust into the final bastions of Satan in this world which must ultimately be brought before the throne of Christ, then let us labor to undergird our efforts with the foundations derived from a rigorous biblical-theological perspective on the world mission movement. And let us seek these foundational principles in true humility and fervent prayer. In order to lay the groundwork for such a monumental quest, I have compiled for consideration the following five underlying biblical principles, which I believe should motivate our shared goal of world-evangelization.

1. The accomplishment of redemption is the focal point of world-history.

As we begin to look for the single biblical principle which gives a proper perspective to all of history, we can find no more all-encompassing truth than the following: everything that God does, he does for his own glory. This is true both of his initial creation (Revelation 4:11, Isaiah 43:7), and of his ongoing governance of history (Isaiah 46:9-13). Because God is by his very nature glorious, we may reshape this principle into the following: everything God does, he does to display who he is (for example, see the oft-repeated purpose statement of Ezekiel, following an innumerable array of God’s proposed acts, namely, “then you shall know that I am the Lord” [Ezekiel 6:7,10,13,14; 7:4,9,27,etc.]). Now, it is equally clear that the greatest display of who God is occurred in the incarnation of Christ, and his subsequent accomplishment of redemption (Hebrews 1:1-3; John 1:18; John 12:27). If all of history is designed to display who God is; and if Christ’s work of redemption is the ultimate display of who God is; then the work of redemption must be the focal point and pinnacle of all history. It must be that for which all of history was designed, and co-terminus with the glorification of God.

2. The work of redemption was powerful enough to secure all of its intended effects.

We have already determined that world history is defined by the accomplishment of the work of redemption. Now, we must make the corollary point that Christ’s work of redemption was powerful enough to secure all of its intended effects. There is no room for potentiality in the reality of a blood-bought throng of worshipers from every kindred, tongue, people, and nation as a consequent to the reality of Christ’s completed redemption. Redemption in all of its intended effects is a certain thing from the foundation of the world, and as sure as the immutable word of God: those whom he foreknew, he unfailingly predestinated, called, justified, and glorified (Romans 8:28-31). This consideration has the effect of assuring us that all of history is indeed the divinely planned and unassailable movement toward the perfect accomplishment and application of redemption. History is not an often-frustrated attempt to prepare for, accomplish, and spread the great work of redemption; on the contrary, it is the actual progression, in every detail, of that mighty unfolding plan. Hence, even evil, in all of its ugly manifestations, is perfectly within the will of God, and is used by him to achieve a greater glory for his name, in the person of Jesus Christ. Of which truth, the most striking reality is that God’s plan to accomplish redemption was carried out by the humans means of wicked hands and motives (Acts 2:22-24; 4:26-28). So then, all of history is in very fact the divinely planned advance of the work of redemption, from the stage of preparation and foreshadowing, on to the actual accomplishment, and then on to the final securing of its every intended effect. It is vital that we keep this in mind: for when we understand this, we are able to make sense of all the obstacles and seeming failures in the Christian mission movement. Every setback is in fact working for a greater victory than could have been won without it. Indeed, it is impossible to understand any event of history, whether biblical or that which is commonly perceived to be secular, without relating it to its function in the advance of the work of redemption.

3. Christian Mission has as its goal the actual realization of the full effects of Christ’s great work of redemption.

When Christ left us on the earth, it was with the explicit task of carrying the message of his accomplished redemption to every nation on earth (Matthew 28:18-20). As we have just seen, the accomplishment of this task is the purpose of God in history. Therefore, we are laboring to accomplish what God is in certain actuality accomplishing through us. This means that, in our pursuit of missions, we are actually pursuing, first, God’s glory, or the worldwide display of who he is; and second, man’s good, or the fulfillment of his divinely intended purpose of enjoying everlasting fellowship with him. Christian mission, therefore, is the attempt to actualize the original purpose of man, as stated in the Westminster Catechism: to glorify God and enjoy him forever. This gives us a perspective on mission which is universal and fundamental to all of reality.

4. Christian mission is the all-encompassing task of believers on the earth.

It is instructive that Christ left us with the command, not merely to evangelize the nations, but to disciple them. The purpose of the church is to display the glory of God by reflecting his own holiness and the image of his Son (I Peter 1:15-16; 2:9; II Corinthians 3:18); and also, to gather together all the elect throughout the world, so that they too might display his glory. The Christian mission, then, involves, not only the calling of the nations to repentance, but also working towards a greater Christlikeness both in them and in us. Hence, every Christian discipline is rooted in Christian mission: evangelization has as its goal the ingathering of a multitude who will reflect his worth and sing his praises, and is thus in pursuit of the realization of the necessary effects of redemption. But furthermore, the laboring for doctrinal precision and practical purity is also in pursuit of the realization of the effects of redemption, and may therefore be subsumed under the general heading of mission. In other words, the Christian mission is one and the same thing as the pursuit of the blood-bought effects of redemption, and is an all-encompassing task. This has clear implications for how we go about the task of spreading the gospel: edification is as fundamental an aspect of mission as evangelization.

5. The Christian mission must ultimately be successful.

This final principle is very clearly derived from those which precede it. But as obvious as it is, it is easy to lose sight of; and a failure to keep it in the forefront of one’s mind has been the occasion of much discouragement and despair. As we prepare to labor for the task of Christian missions, we must ever be mindful of the fact that it is the work which God has determined to accomplish, and that its ultimate success is grounded in his purpose and not our own efforts. This should afford the greatest consolation to those who are laboring in difficult and resistant fields. No matter how grim the battle may at times appear, the outcome is certain. Even by means of apparent failures – martyrdoms, apostasies, political oppositions, and so on – God is working a great and irreversible triumph. As God exhorted the apostle Paul, let us take courage: for he certainly has many sheep in the very difficult and hostile unreached peoples among whom we labor (Acts 18:9-10). We may not see them in this lifetime, but we will surely meet them some day, and learn how our seemingly wasted labors were being used to accomplish a great in-breaking of the eternal Kingdom of Christ.

~~posted by Zioneer

The Christian Mission: An Overview (part 2)

continued from part 1

The second problem, a narrowness of perspective, may be viewed from two different angles: historical and geographical. With respect to the first, it is easy to lose the clarity of vision that may be gained by perceiving our era of mission as the culmination and continuation of a history-long movement which defines and gives impetus to our current task. When we are diligent to keep in mind the history of the gospel’s spread from the days of the apostles to our own, we are better equipped to sort out the greatest remaining needs; to see how the historical mission movement has gone forward, and how we might derive impetus from the inertial forces which are currently at play; and finally, to be instructed as to what basic approaches and ideals are likely to be successfully employed by the enabling grace of God. But even beyond this two-thousand year perspective, we must be able to place the post-ascension missionary effort in a broader context of the movement of redemptive history from the first gospel promise of Genesis 3:15. A fundamental presupposition that should instruct our efforts is that all of history is a unified and divinely-planned movement towards the final realization of the full effects of Christ’s great work of redemption, which was prepared for and foreshadowed from earliest times. When we have this world-history-encompassing perspective, we are enabled to deal more intelligently with the purposes and approaches peculiar to this era; and furthermore, we have a philosophical license to be instructed in our mission efforts by the Old Testament examples of Israel, whose history in many ways foreshadowed the history of spiritual Israel in this age, and by the examples of whom we, “upon whom the end of the ages has come,” are able to be admonished (I Corinthians 10:11).

The second area in which we may be benefited by a broadened perspective is that of geography, and the forces at play in the worldwide Church. If a missionary feels that he is called to reach out to a certain people, but is ignorant of the vision and work of the Church in other places, he may be cutting himself off needlessly from much helpful collaboration and synergy. For example, suppose an American Christian desires to evangelize an unreached people of Central Asia. If he is pursuing a worldwide perspective of the movements of the Church in other geographical venues, he may learn of the “Back to Jerusalem” vision of the persecuted Chinese Church, and, upon consideration, may find it a more valuable strategy for him to partner with this Chinese Church, bringing to them logistical assistance and theological training, and otherwise facilitating them to reach out to this particular people with whom they might have more cultural and linguistic affinity. Hence, he might be better able to labor for the spread of the gospel in Central Asia by working in China than by going to the target people on his own. Or even if he decided to go to the target people, he would at least be familiar with a different geographical sector of the Church which is also targeting this people, and be able to start thinking about how they could support and sustain each other on their common field of service. When every isolated segment of Christianity is pursuing a task with respect to its vision alone, much helpful co-operation might be lost; hence, a worldwide geographical perspective may prove invaluable for shaping how we go about the particular task that the Lord has laid upon our hearts.

Our final problem is closely related to the former: and that is, the essential fragmentation of the universal Church as she pursues her mission. If, as Christ proclaimed, the unity and loving inter-relationship of all Christians is a non-negotiable apologetic and testimony to the world of Christ (John 13:34-35), then the myopic point of view which chooses to interact only with other Christians of the same denomination and philosophical orientation is a tragic obstacle to the completion of the great commission. Denominationalism and fragmentation are among the great evils plaguing the Church in this day. This is a problem which holds forth immense difficulties; for many professing Christians are false teachers, spreading doctrines of the devil (I Timothy 4:1), and many are insincere professors, holding to an orthodox formulation of the faith in lip-service only (I John 2:19). Furthermore, many genuine believers are plagued by doctrinal errors of such import that evangelistic co-operation may prove more detrimental than anything else. However, as we pursue our Church-wide task, it is imperative that we seek to overcome this hurdle by humbly confessing the sin which is the cause of our division; by seeking great discernment in knowing who to condemn as false prophets and who to admonish as weaker brothers; and by laboring to partner together with true believers in spite of secondary doctrinal differences, attempting to teach those who have doctrinal errors and humbly submitting to be taught by those who have been enabled to see the doctrinal errors which we ourselves retain. If all humble, evangelical believers, even in this country alone, were motivated to work strategically together, instead of each particular group operating within the confines of its own little kingdom, I am convinced that God would be pleased to multiply our fruits exponentially.

to be concluded Monday

~~posted by Zioneer

Temple-Building: Lessons for the Task of Missions

“Built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.” ( Eph. 2:20-22)

“For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, ‘I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people…’.” (2 Cor. 6:16b quoting Lev. 26:11-12)

“Simeon has related how God first visited the Gentiles, to take from them a people for his name. And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written, ‘After this I will return, and I will rebuild the tent of David that has fallen…”. (Acts 15:14-16a quoting Amos 9:11)

“You yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ”. (1 Pet. 2:5)

The task of missions is in part the building up of a great temple for God. A temple made up of countless precious “living stones”. The inclusion of the Gentiles is according to James (in Acts 15) the fulfillment of prophecies concerning the rebuilding of the Temple. Indeed, we “the Israel of God” are “being built up as a spiritual house”, “the temple of the living God”. God tabernacles with us now, and ultimately our eternal abode will be with God as His people in the New Jerusalem.

In light of this explicit NT expansion of and explanation of the importance of the Temple, several lessons for today’s task of world-wide missions can be gleaned from the building of the Temple in the OT.

Revelation and Promise. In 2 Samuel 7, David desires to build God a temple. God then promises that David’s son will build a temple for God’s name. He promises that He “will be to him a father” (7:14) and further promises that His “stedfast love will not depart from him” (7:15). We learn in 1 Chron. 28 that of all David’s sons, God chose Solomon for this task. His father David promised Solomon “If you seek [God], he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will cast you off forever.” (28:9) And he further promised that “the LORD God, even my God, is with you, He will not leave you or forsake you, until all the work for the service of the house of the LORD is finished.” (28:20)

Solomon certainly had many great and wonderful promises to attend him in his task. He even received a detailed plan from David which was “made clear to [him] in writing from the hand of the LORD, all the work to be done according to the plan” (29:19). We too have promises that the gospel “will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come” (Matt. 24:14). Christ promises that He is “with [us] always, to the end of the age” (28:20). We also have the Spirit’s power to accomplish our great task (Acts 1:8), and a blueprint for how to be Christ’s church and reach the world (the Bible).

Abundant Provision. David could not build the Temple, but he certainly provided for it. The tally of the gold, silver, bronze and iron stockpiled for the building of the Temple is absolutely staggering (see 1 Chron. 22:14). David also gave of his own wealth: “Moreover in addition to all that I have provided for the holy house, I have a treasure of my own of gold and silver, and because of my devotion to the house of my God I give it to the house of my God” (29:3). David not only stockpiled materials, but he also organized “an abundance of workmen” and called for the leaders of Israel to help his son, and also contribute materials for the Temple (22:15-19; 29:5b). David also organized the Levites, specifically designing how they would offer continuous praise to God before the Temple. David made instruments and wrote songs to be used for the worship that was to happen in the Temple.

All these provisions were made by David, and it is from the Son of David—Jesus Christ—that all the provisions for our world-wide task of missions come. Jesus purchased everything through his death on the Cross. Jesus sent us the Spirit, and Jesus is the head of the Church. Jesus supplies each joint, nourishing the body (Eph. 4:15-16). Jesus sustains us and provides for the task. It is His Gospel we proclaim and His work we enter into. We need not fear there will not be enough supplies to finish the task; we have only to look to Christ and he will supply all our needs, according to his riches in glory (Phil. 4:19). Indeed, we can “do all things through him who strengthens [us]” (4:13).

Importance of Prayer. One of the most glorious prayers in the Bible comes at the end of David’s exhorting Solomon and all Israel to build the temple. 1 Chron. 29:11-19 records David’s prayer, and there we read: “O LORD our God, all this abundance that we have provided for building you a house for your holy name comes from your hand and is all your own… O LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, our fathers, keep forever such purposes and thoughts in the hearts of your people and direct their hearts toward you. Grant to Solomon my son a whole heart that he may keep your commandments, your testimonies, and your statutes, performing all, and that he may build the palace for which I have made provision.” (29:16, 18-19). We too must be mindful of the place of prayer in our task. We are dependent on God to give us whole hearts and we must ever trust in our God to accomplish his mission through us.

A United Effort. The building of the Temple was a task that Solomon could not do on his own. All the people were exhorted to work together to accomplish the mission. David said to all the leaders of Israel: “Is not the LORD your God with you? And has he not given you peace… Now set your mind and heart to seek the LORD your God. Arise and build the sanctuary of the LORD God…” (1 Chron. 22:18a, 19a). Further, David exhorted all to give willingly to the cause, which they did: “Then the people rejoiced because they had given willingly, for with a whole heart they had offered freely to the LORD” (29:9a). It was not Israel alone who worked on the Temple: 153,000 resident aliens helped with the task (2 Chron. 2:17-18) and Hiram of Tyre supplied workers and wood for the task (2:11-16). So too in the great task of missions, Jew and Gentile band together to accomplish the task. Missionary or not, elder or not, all of us share the responsibility and can work together to contribute willingly to the task. Let us follow David’s advice and “Be strong and do it” (28:10).

A Glorious Completion. There is great encouragement too from the story of the Temple. The work was completed, and on a grand scale! A glorious temple was built to the praise and honor of the LORD! Upon the completion of the work, the shekinah glory of the LORD filled the Temple (2 Chron. 7:1-3), and the people had a glorious 7-day feast celebrating its completion (7:8-10). The glory of God filling the Temple is true even today, as the Spirit fills the living stones which make up the ever growing Temple today. And the joyous feast prefigures the marriage supper of the Lamb which will be celebrated upon the glorious completion of the work to build a Temple great enough and glorious enough for One so great as our God.

Let us take to heart the lessons from the building of the Temple and be encouraged to press on and realize the finishing of the great commission! And truly may we exclaim “[God] is good, for his steadfast love endures forever” (2 Chron. 7:3b).

~~posted by Bob

Book Review: Salvation to the Ends of the Earth, by Kostenberger and O’Brien

Synopsis: In light of the overwhelming abundance of materials on the practical aspects and New Testament examples of Christian mission, the relative scarcity of works intending to set forth the foundational principles of mission from the entire gamut of scriptural witness is conspicuous. This self-styled “biblical theology of mission” admirably fulfills a much-needed role in the pursuit of a rigorously biblical and redemptive-historically comprehensive framework for modern mission.

If the history of the world, and special revelation in particular, is indeed the unified account of God’s working out his eternal plan for the accomplishment of the universal mission of his Son, namely, the gathering together of a redeemed people from every nation, who will worship him forever; then an adequate vision of the purpose and significance of Christian mission, which is carried out by authorization of the Son, and in extension of his foundational mission, must begin, not with the great commission, but rather with the beginning account of God’s creation. The recognition of this vital principle is what motivated Andreas J. Kostenberger and Peter T. O’Brien to undertake their weighty endeavor. And the results could scarcely have been attended with greater success.

From the original intent of creation, the significance of Abraham’s call, the purpose of Israel as a nation of priests, the monumental covenant made with David, the grand and sweeping eschatological visions of the writing prophets; to the predominantly Jewish ministry of Christ on earth, his forecast of universal expansion following his death, and the actual outworking of that forecast in Christian history, as his disciples, empowered by the Holy Spirit, began to turn the world upside down for the sake of the Name – in short, from beginning to end of divine revelation, a thrilling picture of worldwide, salvific import begins to emerge, with a unity and complexity that is as staggering as it is beautiful. Salvation to the Ends of the Earth traces that gloriously unfolding design with a carefulness and intentionality that it makes it both a substantial contribution to modern scholarship and a rich feast for any believer. The final summary alone, entitled “Some concluding observations and implications” (pp. 262-268), is the best brief synopsis of Christian mission that one is ever likely to encounter, and worth the price of the book.

Kostenberger and O’Brien are up-to-date and thorough in their interactions with related contemporary writings. They are also well enough grounded in the universality and vastness of the theme to avoid mere novelty and speculation in their treatments. Informed throughout by a broad vision of redemptive history, and rigorously subjected to the scruples of a careful exegesis, this biblical theology of mission will undoubtedly prove to be fully adequate for a thorough grounding in the purpose and movement of Christian mission – from creation to new creation.

~~posted by Zioneer