Dustin Conner, January 2015 On Developing a Theology of Mission Introduction My personal desire in developing a theology of mission was spurred by a class with Dr. George Robinson, professor of evangelism and missions at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, in the fall of 2012 called “Theology of Christian World Mission.” I was a Master of Divinity student concentrating in Missiology with a heart for planting churches in the United States where a gospel presence was lacking. I believed I understood why church planting is needed based on surveying many established churches and relegating them to “ineffective” status. If other churches aren’t getting the job done, then I needed to study church planting in seminary to go get the job done. My church would be the hero of the town and all other pastors would wish to be like planter/pastor Dustin. Obviously, this was very sinful thinking and a horrible reason for wanting to plant a church. Dr. Robinson’s class helped me see that my calling in life was not to plant churches or even pastor a church nor was it not to be the best planting pastor I could be. My calling, first and foremost, was to join God’s mission of redeeming humanity by participating in multiplying disciples for Christ’s glory and as an act of worship. This way of thinking, impacted by Dr. Robinson’s lectures and reading C.J. Wright’s The Mission of God and Bruce Ashford’s Theology and Practice of Mission, completely changed my perspective of why the Church should seek to join God’s redemptive mission by multiplying disciples that lead to new churches being started across the globe. The intent of this essay is to put forth a basic theology of mission that exalts Christ by being biblically faithful and applicable for the Church so it in turn can be a blessing to the nations. To accomplish this, I will first explain relevant terms; secondly, outline a theology of mission based on the metanarrative of the Bible and the ways God sent His people on mission throughout the Old and New Testaments; and lastly, discuss how God is still sending His people today so there will not be a corner of this earth where He is not worshiped. Relevant Terms The word "theology" is used by evangelicals in two primary ways. The first comes from understanding "theology" to mean how mankind has sought to know who God is and what He is like from Scripture and from natural revelation. This would be a more personal understanding of God mirroring Clark’s definition of theology as wanting to know and love God. The second way of understanding or viewing “theology” is how Christianity has organized and articulated its essential beliefs or doctrine. For example, Christianity has produced a systematic outline of its total theology exploring topics such as: the nature of God (theology proper), Scripture (revelation), mankind (anthropology), sin (hamartiology), Christ (Christology), angels (angelology), salvation (soteriology), end times (eschatology), and the church (ecclesiology) to name a few. Similarly, biblical theology examines books or passages of the Bible seeking to articulate broad themes emphasized by the original authors such as a “theology of the book of Matthew” or a “theology of the Sermon on the Mount” in order to organize the key themes expounded by each author. For the purposes of this essay, I will approach the “theology” aspect of explaining a theology of mission as both seeking to know who God as a missional being is and organizing the “mission” metanarrative seen throughout Genesis to Revelation. The idea of “mission” has universal understanding as an objective to complete by a person or group. Hollywood movies understand the idea behind “mission” as each movie sets out with some objective to complete whether it is to destroy the all-powerful ring (The Lord of the Dustin Conner, January 2015 Rings), to kill the most powerful wizard before (and yet after) he kills you (Harry Potter), to save the galaxy from the evil plot of some egotistical bald-headed maniac with a daddy complex (Guardians of the Galaxy), or to find Mr. or Mrs. Right in two hours (every sappy chick flick out there). “Mission” denotes that which one embarks on or passionately sets out to accomplish and a “missionary” refers to the one who is sent to accomplish the objective. Other adaptations of the idea of “mission” include “missions” (summation of the activities and history of the Church’s ministry to the nations), “missiology” (the academic study of the mission of God and the Church’s missionary endeavors), and “missional” (the adjectival use of the word “mission” e.g. the missional church). Developing a theology of mission requires one to understand what is meant by "theology" and what is meant by "mission" in a biblical manner since both of these terms can be understood differently outside of Christianity. Theology (the study of God and organized Christian doctrine) and missiology (the academic study of the mission of God and missionary enterprise) must be seen as mutually interdependent on the other and should not be bifurcated during the study or articulation of a theology of mission. Missionaries are those who take theology to those who do not yet know and love God and it is our belief about God or our Christian theology that motivates and inspires the missionary to “go therefore and make disciples of all nations” as Matthew 28:19 says. Hence, the field of missiology is nestled under the umbrella of “applied theology” as our theology formulates the basis and gives the message for what God’s people will do with their love for and knowledge of God. A God on Mission When looking in Scripture, we see a redemptive mission unfold as God sets out to accomplish the restoration of creation through redeeming mankind back to Himself. This is referred to as the missio dei or the mission of God. So when reading Scripture, it is essential that one read each passage in light of the overarching theme of the mission of God. Likewise, in developing a theology of who God is, one must see that God is a missionary God who sends His only son as the first missionary to accomplish this redemptive objective. Then the missionary Son sends His Holy Spirit to enable His followers to be “sent ones” or missionaries to the ends of the earth as they join in accomplishing God’s mission of redemption. Without understanding the total mission of the missionary God seen in the Scriptures, one’s theology of mission would be based purely on human missionary endeavors (“missions”) and would lead to a human-centered definition of mission...an “anthropology of mission” so to speak. To begin our understanding the missionary nature of God, an examination of some of His characteristics or attributes and how they help us understand His redemptive nature would be beneficial. This list is by no means exhaustive, but does cover several relevant attributes of God and how they relate to his missional nature. God is the Eternal Creator. In the first verse of the Bible, God speaks and begins to create without any given explanation of where this God comes from except for the phrase “in the beginning…” This shows us that God was before all things and that He has no beginning as His creation does. As the eternal Creator, God stands in authority over that which He has created and has the right to decide what His creation should do (multiply and have dominion over the earth) and why they should do it (as an act of worship to the Almighty). This frames our understanding of why God is to be worshiped by the nations and how all the nations find their meaning and purpose in the eternal Creator. The missio dei is God’s re-creating or better restoring His creation back to the manner in which He created it to be. Dustin Conner, January 2015 God is Immutable. God’s immutability refers to His unchanging nature. God does not need redemption as mankind does for He has never changed from His perfect, holy state. He remains consistent in His nature with the same desire to be worshiped by His creation. Mankind began in a “good” state as they were created in God’s image, yet through disobedience to God’s commands changed their state to one that is sinful or “bad.” The missio dei depends upon God’s unchanging nature as He restores humanity’s changed nature back to “good” which only God can still understand. God is Love. When one reads the Bible’s story of God rescuing and restoring His creation, they must ask why God would do such a thing for such an undeserving party. The answer is found in His perfect love that He has for that which He created. True love is seen in God’s constant pursuit of His people’s affection even while they repeatedly pursue lesser loves. The Old Testament portrays God as the loving husband who desires His wayward wife to let Him bring her home. The missio dei reveals God’s deep love for mankind as God sends His Son, Jesus Christ, to reveal God to mankind and become the needed, atoning sacrifice who covers and forgives man’s sins. It is only through the cross that God’s mission of restoring mankind back to Himself from sin and death can be accomplished. God is Gracious. Christ taking our death and giving us true life in Him beautifully reveals God’s grace that He lavishes on and undeserving humanity. Fairness would not be defined as one person receiving the due punishment of another, yet this is what Christ does for those who could never repay Him. The constant pulse of the missio dei is God’s patient and generous gift of His grace that shatters fallen humanity’s understanding of what is fair. Man sins and earns death while Christ does not sin and earns eternal life for man. Thank God that grace isn’t fair. God is Holy. God’s holiness speaks of his “otherness” or “separateness” from His Creation. Only God is perfect and therefore He exists as the majestic ruler of the earth worthy of creation’s praise. Uncreated, God is distinct from His creation that images Him in that He is purely holy and righteous. The missio dei further separates God from any other concept of deity in that whereas all other religions require the worshiper to find “god,” our God finds us. God’s holiness demands that His people be holy like He is though they could never attain such. Hence, God came as Christ Jesus to make the unholy holy through the atonement of Christ. God is Wrathful and Just. One who is purely good and holy could not allow evil to be looked over for this would contradict his holiness and righteousness. Without contradicting His attribute of love and holiness, God is rightly wrathful towards sin and sinners. Mankind deserves the death penalty that comes with sin and stand deserving God’s wrath and punishment. His creation that was made good and for a good purpose was disrupted and corrupted by mankind’s rebellion, leaving His creation groaning for redemption. And God’s just nature requires that He, as the Supreme Ruler of creation, justly punish those who sin against Him. Yet, the missio dei shows that the God of wrath does indeed pour out His just wrath against sin and sinners, but not on those deserving such punishment, but on His own Son. This act of Christ taking our wrath secures our hope and salvation in none other the the Sent One who paid our debt and rescues us from eternal separation from God (the antithesis of the intent of Creation). God is Sovereign and Omniscient. God reigns supreme over all His creation and knows all things past, present, future, and those things that are beyond human knowing. He was not surprised by the Fall of man in the Garden of Eden for He reigned over it and His mission of redemption has been intent on restoring that which He rules over. Any good King would seek the flourishing of his land. The missio dei reveals that our God-king did not sit on the throne and Dustin Conner, January 2015 command a soldier to do His bidding but in fact came to the rescue Himself by humbly putting on human flesh and dying humanity’s death. God’s sovereign plan from the beginning of creation has gone without a single glitch and will continue until His restoration of the earth. God is Worthy of Worship. As John Piper is often quoted, “Missions exist because worship doesn’t.” Creation and all its parts and players exist to worship God fully for He is worthy of our worship and praise. The enjoyment of the celestial bodies, vegetation, and animals brings glory to God, and mankind was created to uniquely worship the One who created them. With the Fall, however, creation and mankind are now separated from God and need restoration. The nations across the globe are intended to worship God but are steeped in self-worship. The missio dei shows how God restores right worship of Himself from the nations by sending His Son to redeem mankind from sin and the Son, in turn, sends His followers to “go and make disciples of all nations” so God’s names is known among all the peoples of the earth. The Story of God’s Mission Now that we have examined the attributes and nature of this God on mission, we must now frame His working within the broader narrative of Scripture. The Bible is a diverse yet unified book revealing God and his mission to mankind. With 66 books written by some 40 authors, there is still one unifying, redemptive thread connecting each story, person, poem, and command to a larger story or metanarrative. Evangelicals frame this metanarrative in the plotlines of Creation, Fall, Redemption, and New Creation. Creation. If a mission is an objective to complete then we must know the basis or reason for the objective. As Genesis one tells us, God steps onto the scene and creates all that exists, calls it all good, and sets up mankind has His image bearers to act as His vice regents over creation. Their task was to multiply more worshipers and to have productive dominion over the earth and its creatures. The Creation account gives humanity its purpose for existence: worship God and enjoy perfect harmony with Him. Fall. As we know, the mission of God was not to maintain the holiness of mankind for eternity for that would be no mission at all. The first humans, Adam and Eve, deliberately chose to disobey their Creator and chose to worship themselves instead, therefore becoming the first idolaters. Their choice brought heartbreaking separation between them and God, between each other, and between themselves and the earth (including animals and vegetation). This separation included death in their physical bodies and mankind is now desperate for a salvation they cannot provide for themselves. Redemption. The story continues with God promising a rescuer would come make right what humanity made wrong and would restore everything back to its proper and good order. This redemption culminates in the coming of the Sent One who wraps Himself in human flesh and takes on the death penalty of all of mankind. The mission of God was revealed through God’s words to His people throughout the Old Testament narratives but is physically revealed in the coming of Jesus Christ, God in the flesh. Christ our Rescuer took God’s wrath from humanity and gives new life. The purpose of Christ redeeming mankind from sin and death was to provide the means for restoring right worship of God by humanity. Believers of this good news of Christ Jesus get the amazing privilege of worshiping Christ on earth while still in a sinful body because Dustin Conner, January 2015 of Christ’s righteousness given to undeserving mankind upon their repentance and belief in His gospel. New Creation. All good stories have a happy ending, but the the gospel metanarrative has a happy re-beginning...something far better than a happy ending. Not only does Christ secure redemption for humanity, He also defeats death through His resurrection from the grave foreshadowing and explaining the resurrection His followers would have in the New Creation. The book of Revelation reveals Christ coming to earth again to vanquish sin, Satan, death, and evil for good in order to restore all of Creation to its original order and goodness of the Garden of Eden in Genesis 1-2. Christ making all things new is the completion of the objective of the mission of God. This framework provides the structure of the mission of God and reveals the gospel of Jesus to us as a narrative that humanity is to be a part of. The mission of God was and is carried out by God Himself through His Son and His Holy Spirit, but it offers mankind a chance to participate in this mission of redeeming and restoring creation. God’s People on Mission In the Old Testament. In the Old Testament, God’s rescue mission of mankind starts to take shape as a rescuer is promised and a people formed for worshiping God emerges on the canvas of Scripture. God begins working with the nation of Israel, giving them a moral code to live by that would demonstrate His glory to the nations. Israel as a nation was to be a light to the nations, attracting the pagan nations to them by their different (gospel) way of living. In this sense, proclaiming the gospel and inviting those outside to join was largely centrifugal as the nations were to be drawn to worship in Jerusalem. Israel failed miserably at being this different kind of people, yet God over and over extended grace and came to their rescue. In the New Testament. The New Testament begins to flesh out a new way of God inviting His people to join in His mission of redemption. As Christ comes on the scene, He challenges the status quo religion and invites a group of disciples to come to know and love Him as He teaches them the true meaning of the Scriptures. These disciples are privileged to walk with Christ, witnessing His miracles, learning from His teaching, and worshiping Him along the way; though they do not realize that Christ would leave them to proclaim the gospel to the ends of the earth. After Christ ascends to heaven, His disciples began proclaiming the good news of God’s salvation through Jesus to both Jews and Gentiles which in turn birthed the Church. As the book of Acts reveals, the Church is God’s covenant community on mission who spread His name to the far ends of the earth to multiply more worshipers and care for His creation (same command from Genesis 1) showing a centripetal aspect as God's people are sent out into the nations. God’s People on Mission Today. Nearly two thousand years later, the Church’s calling to multiply worshipers among all nations for His glory still stands. God continues to invite people from all the nations into a loving relationship with Himself and commands they proclaim and demonstrate the gospel to all people. As God's children, we are privileged to join God in His redemptive and restorative mission as we joyfully anticipate His return to make all things new.