Theology of Missions

Theology of missions is a discipline that is fully grounded in and supported by Scripture. The focus of this paper is to explain mission theology and what it has to do with the relation of the Bible to mission theory and practice. There is a definite need for the church today and in the future to reflect on how it is to embrace and promote mission from a scriptural understanding. Glasser states that, “Only when the church understands the full biblical revelation of God concerning the mission of God’s people, stimulated by confronting Scripture with today’s questions, will they be responsibly challenged to offer to God the devotion of heart, strength, time, and resources essential to its completion.”[1] To better understand the theology of missions, it is important to identify what the key passages in the Old and New Testament that relates to mission. Furthermore, how the nature of God communicates and is inseparable from mission. Additionally, there are key themes in mission theology that relate and are inseparable with other aspects of theology. Moreover, there are different relationship aspects of the people who carry out missions.

The Bible is replete with references to mission and many would say that the Bible itself is a missionary book with the purpose of restoring and bringing people into a right and worshipful relationship with God. Both the Old Testament and New reveal these facts and acts of God’s gracious revelation of His Son and the redemptive work being His primary purpose.[2] Others have said mission is similar to a divine drama with various acts of missions as seen from creation to Consummation.[3]

Within the Old Testament Drama, mission is seen in four of the seven acts. First, it is seen in the act of creation. Mankind is distinct from all creation in that God created humans in God’s image (Genesis 1-2). After a dramatic display of power in creating the heavens and the earth, God creates man. Adam and Eve are created in the image of God, in perfect fellowship and harmony with Him. Living in an idyllic setting in the Garden of Eden, they are individuals of beauty and high intelligence. The "image" is not a physical likeness, but a personal and spiritual likeness. Man has intellect, emotion, and will. He has a moral sense of right and wrong. He is a creative being. There are some characteristics of God that are shared by man, and in this sense, man is created in the image of God. But in Genesis chapter three that relationship is suddenly severed.

Sin enters the scene where Satan, appearing in the form of a serpent, lures Adam and Eve into rebelling against God and violating the one prohibition God had given them: not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. They are driven out of the Garden of Eden, and a curse is placed on the earth. All the pain, all the evil, all the suffering endured by mankind for all time can be traced to that one act, and thus initiates God’s plan of mission. Over the next several hundred years (Genesis 6-10), as man multiplies in numbers, so his tendency to sin multiplies, until a time comes when God can find only eight people who are willing to live in a righteous relationship with Him: Noah, his wife, his three sons, and their wives. So, in judgment for sin, God performs surgery on the human race, cutting out the cancerous tissue, as it were, and leaving behind the healthy tissue to restore itself. He does this by sending a worldwide flood which destroys mankind, except for Noah and his family, who are saved in Noah's ark. Then beginning in Genesis chapter eleven, God's post-flood mandate to man was to spread out, populate, and subdue the whole earth. In direct disobedience to that command, man stays in one place and begins building a monument to himself, the Tower of Babel. God causes this large congregation of people to begin speaking different languages. Lack of communication prevents them from further progress on the tower, and the people of each tongue disperse to the four corners of the earth and form the beginning of the nations of the world as we know them today. In all of this, God is seen in His reaching out to restore mankind. It is first hinted at in Genesis 3:15, where there is the initial hint of salvation and the promise of Jesus coming for all people. This act comes to an end with a picture of the people scattered and then sets the stage for the drama to continue through act two, the calling of a people. [4]

Because of Adam's sin and the fall of man, God's attention is now focused on a plan of redemption for mankind. God wants a people through whom He can work to produce a reflection of Himself, and through whom He can spread the message of redemption to the world. He chooses Abraham (Genesis 12-23), who becomes the father of the Hebrew people, and promised him a country (land), countless descendants (seed), and a worldwide and timeless impact (blessing). Abraham is living in Ur, near the convergence of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, at that time. God leads him to the land of Canaan, where Abraham settles and has two sons, Ishmael and Isaac. The rest of Genesis works out God’s call through the lives of his decedents Isaac (Gen. 24-26), Jacob, also known as the Father of the nation of Israel (Gen 27-30), and Joseph (Genesis 37-50), who was the leader in Egypt. The end of this story, displays a further clarification of the promise made in the garden. “The identity of the one foreshadowed to come through Even in Genesis 3:15…is now narrowed to the line of Judah.”[5]

Act four of the drama and finishing out God’s mission in the Old Testament is God’s provision in the exile. Although Israel was being judged for turning their back on God, all the while, God provided for and preserved His chosen people and lifted up prophets to proclaim the coming messiah. It is evident that God has been active throughout the Old Testament history and through His chosen people to call people to Himself and that continues in the New Testament.

The New Testament brings in acts five through seven. Act five is demonstrated in the Gospels where we have Jesus, God incarnate who is our ultimate source for the redemption of mankind. Mankind receives that hope through repenting of their sins and receiving Christ as their Savior. Matthew as written primarily for the Jews has specific passages that include Matthew 9:35-38, where Jesus is seen having compassion on the people and begins to preach, heal and call laborers to the work of mission. This is further seen in Matthew 24:14, where the gospel is to be preached to “all nations” before the end will come. Lastly, there is the Great Commission (Matt. 28:16-20) that is also repeated in the other Gospels. Here we see the authority that was given to Christ and Him passing it on to His disciples to “go, baptize, and teach people to obey. The Gospel of Mark differs from Matthew as its focus on mission is not just for the Jews but also the Gentiles.

What is the nature of God in mission? Well, the beginning, continuation, and future of mission rest in the very being of God. This is difficult for the western church to understand as it is so man-centered. Salvation is of God, through grace, and totally the work of Him. God’s greatest desire is to be glorified though the worship of His creation. Mankind’s greatest purpose is to glorify God, thus the church and its missions efforts are the means to bring that about. Piper states it best and says, “The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever, while the chief end of God is to glorify God and enjoy himself forever.”[6] Piper then goes on to substantiate this though countless Scriptures, both in the New and Old Testament. The entire Bible can be summed up in one word – redemption. This theocentric emphasis, counters what most churches focus on in their efforts in missionary endeavors. They look to the reports and the success they have through establishing churches and the growth that they are able to report through the number saved and baptized and added to the church. However, that is contrary to the nature of God in missions. The highest goal is the glory of God because the being and character of God are the foundation of missions.[7] It is ultimately what God does and the church is privileged to participate, and willing to put God’s working ahead of their own plans and ambitions. Wright hits it with his statement that “we (the church), argue what can legitimately be included in the mission of God expects from the church, when we should ask what kind of church God expects for his mission.”[8]

Mission is ultimately what God does and it is evident in His initiative. God initiated fellowship in the garden even after the fall. That process continues though Abraham and the nation of Israel in Egypt. It is interesting to note at Mount Sinai before giving the gift of the Ten Commandments, God reminds them how He brought them out of the bondage of Egypt (Ex. 20:2). It is then further demonstrated by God in the flesh, who willing took on flesh and went to the cross (John 3:16, Rom 5:8).[9] Speer sums it up best stating “The supreme arguments for missions are not found in any specific words. It is the very being and character of God that the deepest ground of missionary enterprises is to be found.”[10]

Mission theology is the heart of theology and as such feeds and is interconnected to all other aspects of theology. It is understood throughout Scripture that the end result of Missio Dei will be the glorification of the Trinity. So then the Bible itself is “not a theology as such, but rather, a record of theology of mission – God in action on behalf of the salvation of mankind.”[11] If, if fact God’s concern is that mission exists because worship does not, then mission must be the means to the end and what the church is to be and do. Therefore, mission is placed central to the theology of God which is the end to the means. Humanity also has their need for redemption and then has a mandate to be a part of the missions through their church and person witness. And lastly, the created order and the work of God’s Missio Dei and all that He is doing in the world to manifest Himself and His reign.[12]

There are several key themes in mission theology. First there is the kingdom of God. The Bible speaks of the kingdom of God in two ways. First of all, it stipulates that He reigns over all and that his kingdom is all-inclusive. At the same time, the Bible speaks of the kingdom of God as that which Christ came to reveal on earth and which stands in opposition to the kingdom of this sinful world.[13] Therefore, mission and the kingdom are undeniably connected and are both the seat of operations and the goal of which Christians as they are following Christ’s mandate. This theme of the kingdom is evident when churches are on mission and putting God’s plan into action through church-planting and as they represent the kingdom as true ambassadors.[14] Secondly, Christ is central to mission and it is through His finished work on the cross that we put our faith in. Christ is the conscience center of the mission of the church and the objective of the church is to “bring about the obedience of faith “for the sake of his name among all the nations” (Rom 1:5).[15] Thirdly, there is the role in mission of the Holy Spirit. After Pentecost, God’s mission work turned from working through a particular people to working in the midst of peoples by the baptism of the Holy Spirit.[16] The Holy Spirit pervades mission by His convicting power and the empowering of Christians in witnessing. In addition, He is the enabler of those that receive Christ to live and be molded into His image. Fourthly, there is the bride of Christ, His church. This is most evident in the book of Acts, which prescribes and gives an example of how the church is to grow and to spread the Gospel.[17] These along with other motifs are seen in mission theology and help to define how it all comes about. It all points to the central need and the reestablishment of a relationship with a loving God, and to love with all their heart, soul, and mind (Matt 22:37).

Mission Theology has many relationships. The first is the missionaries themselves. These are those whom are sent forth and although all Christians have an obligation, as seen in the Great Commission verses. In the technical and traditional sense, “a missionary is a Christian messenger of the gospel, sent fort by the authority of the Lord and the church to cross national borders and/or cultural and religious lines in order to occupy new frontiers for Christ, to preach the gospel of redemption…to make disciples…and to establish functioning and evangelizing churches.”[18] As a missionary is sent forth with a definite assignment to fulfill distinguish him from an ordinary Christian and their obligation to fulfill the Great Commission. Secondly, there is the relationship of the church leaders to theology of mission. I will have to commend Piper’s book Let the Nations be Glad and his church as a great model to follow. A church leader should have as their foundation the idea of mission. It is to be the leader’s passion to spread the gospel and to teach and equip their congregations to get on-mission and working in God’s plan. In addition, church leaders must encourage their congregations to partner with their missionaries and to expose them to seeing first-hand how God is working despite us. Furthermore, church leaders need to focus on kingdom work through their missions and not on building their own empires. Lastly, there are the Christians themselves. They too are to be involved in missions as they are to be obedient to the Great Commission verses as already stated. Furthermore, it is also in sync with the doctrine of the priesthood of the believer and the essential missionary nature of the church. It is our obligation only to go and to proclaim the gospel and then leave the saving to the work of the Holy Spirit. It is every Christian’s obligation then to know what the Word of God says in relation to leading them to their responsibility in responding to the gospel message.

In conclusion, it is clear that the Scripture, and in fact the entire Bible is a book on mission. God throughout the Old Testament, used a person and a nation to be a lighthouse to bring mankind into a right relationship with himself. In the New Testament, God incarnate and his disciples were to spread the new covenant and gospel to all nations that they are to repent and receive Christ finished work by faith. Mission is the very being of God and is seen by his constant initiation in restoring mankind into a right relationship. It is therefore the obligation and the privilege for the church to be active in evangelizing their Jerusalem and to be active in sending forth other to reach the nations of the world. May we all be reminded that “the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy him forever.”[19]


BIBLIOGRAPHY
Glasser F. Arthur. Announcing the Kingdom: The Story of Go's Mission in the Bible. Grand Rapids. MI: Baker Academic, 2003.
Moreau, Scott A., Gary R. Corwin, Gary B. McGee. Introducing World Missions: A Biblical, Historical, and Practical Survey. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2007.
Peters, George W. A Biblical Theology of Missions. Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1972.
Piper, John. Let the Nations Be Glad!: The Supremacy of God in Missions. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2003.
Speer, Robert E. Christianity and the Nations. New York: Revell, 1910, 17-18. Quoted in George w. Peters, A Biblical Theology of Missions. Chicago: Moody, 1972, 55.
Wright, Christopher J.H. The Mission of God. Downers Grove, IL: Intervarsity, 2006.

[1] Glasser F. Arthur, Announcing the Kingdom: The Story of God's Mission in the Bible (Grand Rapids. MI: Baker Academic, 2003), 11.
[2] Ibid. 17
[3] Gary R. Corwin A. Scott Moreau, Gary B. McGee, Introducing World Missions: A Biblical, Historical, and Practical Survey (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2007), 29.
[4] Ibid. p. 29-30.
[5] Ibid. p. 32.
[6] John Piper, Let the Nations Be Glad!: The Supremacy of God in Missions (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2003), 21.
[7] George W. Peters, A Biblical Theology of Missions (Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1972), 57.
[8] Christopher J.H Wright, The Mission of God (Downers Grove, IL: Intervarsity, 2006), 534.
[9] Peters, A Biblical Theology of Missions, 64.
[10] Robert E. Speer, Christianity and the Nations (New York: Revell, 1910), 17-18; quoted in George W. Peters, A Biblical Theology of Missions (Chicago: Moody, 1972).
[11] Peters, A Biblical Theology of Missions, 9.
[12] Gary R. Corwin A. Scott Moreau, Gary B. McGee, Introducing World Missions. 76.
[13]Moller, F. P. (1998). Vol. 4: Kingdom of God, church and sacraments. Words of light and life. Pretoria: Van Schaik Religious Books.
[14] Gary R. Corwin A. Scott Moreau, Gary B. McGee, Introducing World Missions, 81.
[15] John Piper, Let the Nations be Glad. 111.
[16] Glasser F. Arthur, Announcing the Kingdom. 259.
[17] Gary R. Corwin A. Scott Moreau, Gary B. McGee, Introducing World Missions:, 83.
[18] Peters, A Biblical Theology of Missions, 248-249.
[19] Piper. Let the Nations Be Glad. 21.