LIBERTY BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY

THEOLOGY OF MISSIONS

A PAPER SUBMITTED TO DR. HOYT LOVELACE IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE COURSE IN INTRODUCTIONS OF WORLD MISSIONS ICST 500

BY DAN CRUMLEY JANUARY 29, 2011

Contents Introduction...1 Old Testament Text.......1 New Testament Text.2 Missions Theology4 Conclusion6 Bibliography.7

OLD TESTAMENT TEXT How can we know that the call for missions is Biblically based unless we examine the scriptures and search for the truth ourselves. What relevant text can be found in both the Old and New Testament that assures us that we are following the commandments of the Lord? This paper shall serve as an examination of some of the more popular texts, describe Gods nature as it relates to missions, and decipher how missions theology is effecting and changing other aspects of Biblical theology. The call for missions is found throughout the entire Bible. One of the earliest clear indications is found in Genesis 12:1-3. The setting and placement of the verse reveals much about Gods intent. John Sailhamer states, by placing the call of Abraham after the dispersion of the nations at Babylon, the author intended to picture Abrahams call as Gods gift of salvation in the midst of judgment,The theme of Abrahams and his descendants marking a new beginning in Gods plan of blessing .1 This call of salvation is not to the Jews only as Paul indicated in Galatians 3:8, but to all nations, for Jews and Gentiles alike. Next on a Biblical timeline is King David and his writing of the sixty-seventh Psalm. In it he states, Let the people praise thee, O God; Let all the people praise thee. When reading this text it is important to see what is written as well as what is not written. Spurgeon stated, In as much as it is not said, Let us praise thee, O God; but let the people praise thee, and let all the people. For here is expressed the longing of the pious heart, and its fond desire that God should be praised and magnified throughout all lands and by all people of the round earth.2 This is

John H. Sailhamer, The Expositor s Bible Commentary (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1990),p.111. Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David (Peabody: Hendrickson, 1975), Vol. 2, p.132.

another clear example of Gods desire and call for all people, not just the Jews, to come to a saving knowledge of Him. Later the prophet Isaiah echoed the same call. In Isaiah 49:6 God says, It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved one of Israel; I will also give You as a light to the Gentile, that You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth. Clearly, when God says that His Son will be a light to the Gentiles and this His salvation will travel to the ends of the earth, that the theology of missions is firmly grounded in His Word. Turning to the New Testament allows most Christians a comfortable position from which they can reconcile the call of missions from the Bible. Most are familiar with a section affectionately referred to as the great commission found in Matthew 28:18-20. However, Jesus is recorded speaking about the necessity of His word to be preached prior to that. In Mark 13:10 Jesus, speaking about the end times, states that prior to it that, the gospel must first be preached to all the nations. This is quite remarkable since his audience at the time was mainly consisting of Jews. In this one verse, Jesus tells the Jewish nation what God had told Abraham thousands of years before.3 Turning to the book of Acts, their is a second widely known verse that aligns itself directly with the missions movement. Jesus last words to the disciples and to the world prior to His ascension into heaven are recorded in 1:8. He states, But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. A direct statement from Jesus on what our responsibilities are in spreading the gospel until He returns4.

Etienne Trocme, The Formation of the Gospel According to Mark (Philadelphia: Westminster Press,

1975), 81.
4

William Barclay, The Acts of the Apostles (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1976), 107.

The Apostle Paul who acting under this authority, became the best known cross county missionary used the Old Testament to support the inclusion of Gentiles for salvation. In Galatians 3:8 he states, And the Scripture foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, In you all the nations shall be blessed. So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham. Finally, you can look at the Apostle John and his writings near the end of his life. In the epistle 1st John, he writes to the churches providing direction for Christian assurance. He states in 1 John 2:2, And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not four ours only but also for the whole world. In this simple statement, John describes the entire plan of salvation that God designed. It began with Abraham and included all the people of the world. His Son did not die for some, but for all that would repent and believe in Him. What affect do these texts have on current theology of missions and how is that theology affecting the view Gods redemptive plan of salvation? There are two views of Israels role regarding missions. The theologies defer on the interpretation of the covenant agreements as they relate to all the nations knowing about God. Daniel Timmer explains this belief by stating, Gods people were called to maintain an exemplary and attracting posture vis--vis the nations around them: this was a centripetal missiology.5 This can best be seen in Israels early role and the reaction of the surrounding nations. One of the earliest and best examples is the Queen of Sheba who came to Israel after seeing God as on her behalf.

Daniel C. Timmer, "Jonah and mission: missiological dichotomy, biblical theology, and the via tertia." Westminster Theological Journal 70, no. 1 (March 1, 2008): 161. ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials, EBSCOhost (accessed January 27, 2011).

The opposite theological approach of centripetal missiology is that of centrifugal missions. Most Christians today would associate the commandments of the New Testament with this theology. However, it can also be applied to the Old Testament. This theology which is supported by numerous verses in Psalms and Isaiah, commands that proactive proclamation of Yahwehs deeds among the nations.6 In order to help better understand Israels role in relation to missions, study the book of Jonah is necessary. It is clear as Timmers points out that: the book of Jonah shows that Gods saving grace does, even in the OT period, extend beyond Israels national and ethnic border. The book condemns an attitude of Israelite superiority and even established that it is possible for those who number themselves among Gods people to be diametrically opposed to such indiscriminate grace, and thus hardly His followers.7 The society today is radically different from that of even 100 years ago. The ability to travel and communicate around the world would be unthinkable just 50 years ago. It is only logical to assume that as society adapts and adjusts, so does the theological interpretation of Biblical text, and thus mission theology. In traditional theological models, people are divided into two groups, the damned and the saved, a view of humanity which was essentially a legacy from the alter periods of St. Augustine.8 The goal of the model is to save people from a sinful world. It becomes the Christians responsibility to save the sinner from the grip of the world, as the church and the world are separate. This model concentrates on the salvation of the individual, and is not as concerned with the outward growth of the church.

Ibid. Timmer, p. 170

Paul H. Cho, "Between Edinburgh 1910-2010: changing theological views of mission." Modern Believing 51, no. 3 (July 1, 2010): 16-24. ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials, EBSCOhost (accessed January 27, 2011).

At the Conference of Willingen (1952) a new model was introduced that was radically different from anything previously discussed. This model proposed that, Missions takes its origin not from human beings, not from the church, but from God. It is God who sent Jesus, who is the first, the archetypal, the real missionary. His mission continues in the mission of the church.9 Essentially the theology behind this concept was that the missionary was not the one with the special call, rather, it is the lay person.10 If this concept is followed, the necessity of called missionaries is an era that is past. Each man or woman in Christ is responsible for sharing the gospel and acting as a missionary through their lives in both deeds and words. Ultimately, the success or failure of the mission movement is measured by the growth of the church. The nature and theology of missions will always be in dispute. David Bosch states: The practical missionary endeavors of the Church always remain, under all circumstances, ambivalent. Missions is never something self evident, and nowhere-neither in the practice of missions nor in even our best theological reflections on missions does it succeed in removing all confusions, misunderstanding, enigmas and temptations.11 Deciding on what role the individual has as it relates to the great commission, is ultimately decided on their theological position and interpretation of the Bible. The current trend and swing of church growth model churches and the introduction of a Mission Dei centered evangelism model have affected each other. While neither model or theological position is claiming superiority over the other, it is clear that as we move forward in the 21st century, our biblical theology and missional theology are intertwined and effecting each other.

Cho, 20 Ibid.

10

David Bosch, Witness to the World: The Christian Mission in Theological Perspective (Edinburg: Marshall, 2006), 9-10.

11

Bibliography Barclay, William. The Acts of the Apostles. Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1976.

Bosch, David. Witness to the World: The Christian Mission in Theological Perspective. Edinburg: Marshall, 2006.

Cho, Paul H. "Between Edinburgh 1910-2010: changing theological views of mission." Modern Believing 51, no. 3 (July 1, 2010): 16-24. ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials, EBSCOhost accessed January 27, 2011.

Sailhamer, John H. The Expositors Bible Commentary. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1990.

Spurgeon, Charles. The Treasury of David. Peabody: Hendrickson, 1975.

Timmer, Daniel C. "Jonah and mission: missiological dichotomy, biblical theology, and the via tertia." Westminster Theological Journal 70, no. 1 (March 1, 2008): 161. ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials, EBSCOhost accessed January 27, 2011.

Trocme, Etienne. The Formation of the Gospel According to Mark. Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1975.