OUTLINE NO. 1: THE BASIS OF CHRISTIAN MISSION AS TASK OF THE CHURCH
1. Why “Mission”?
a. What is Mission? By mission we understand the calling of the Church to testify in word and deed of the redemption of the world through the saving work of Christ.
Mission is not a human institution but a Divine calling. The task of the Christian mission to the world does not rest upon human, arbitrary decision or preference, but upon God’s command. This command is given to the whole church, and to every member as an inseparable part of that Body. It is God’s cause, and om interest is therefore required, not optional.
b. Upon what ought mission work be based? Some have thought that mission work is born out of pity and com passion. According to this view the Christian mission arises spontaneously out of the believing heart.
In other times the emphasis is laid more vigorously on the command of Christ. Mission effort is then regarded simply as obedience to the will of the Master.
These are not mutually exclusive. We must always reach back to the express command of the Lord Jesus Christ (Matt. 28:18–20; Mark 16:16, 17; Luke 24:45–47; Acts 1:8). but this command can be obeyed properly by them only who love the Lord and know compassion for the world.
c. God’s Word reveals this basis:
John 3:16 reveals that God’s compassionate love lies back of the sending of His Son to our world. Comparison of Matt. 28:19 with John 3:16 would indicate that this love also lies back of the commissioning of the apostles. The cornerstone of our mission work is therefore the merciful obedience of the Christian church. Even though the peoples of the world deny any need for such mercy, it remains, for it is grounded in God himself. And when the quality of mercy in us is diminished, then the command of Christ ought to bring us back to obedience.
d. Mission is a two-fold task.
First of all, it is a prophetic calling. The Christian mission is to testify in behalf of God’s Name and honor in everyone of life’s territories. It testifies against all movements and trends which militate against him, against all that is sin and error. It is to preach the Gospel of grace.
Then there is the priestly calling, full of compassion, seeking to raise up Jesus Christ everywhere that sinners may he drawn to him.
Note: Those who know say that a thorough study of the religion and customs of the animistic, “nature people” shows clearly that the heathen are not the happy children of nature some have represented .them to be. They live in a world of great fear and of anxious subjection to the souls of the dead and to spirits. All their life they are buffeted by things that seem to threaten them on every side. The Gospel is the only power which can break the power of heathendom and give freedom to those enslaved by it.
The task is indeed two-fold: it is a battle against that which is not of Christ, and it is a deliberate attempt to serve as merciful emissaries of the Savior to win sinners for him. This two-fold task has a third effect: it frees those who all their lifetime suffer because of subjection to bondage so that they may discover the kingly dignity of God’s children.
2. The Old Testament and Mission:
a. Jahweh (Jehovah) is God! It is not true that the Old Testament lacks the mission idea, even though priestly concern and compassion for the plight of other peoples seems altogether lacking. Throughout the O.T. we find strong indications of the missionary calling of the Church. There is a consistent emphasis upon the oneness of the human race. Over against the gods of the other nations stands the God of Israel as the one only God. He is the God of all the earth. Every knee must bow before him.
b. Israel is a separate people.
Israel is separated by God from all other peoples. Abraham, the father of the people of God, is called out of Ur of the Chaldees. This separation is only temporary, however. In and through this time of separation preparation is taking place for the later, holy calling. For the wall of partition between the Israelites and the heathen will be broken. This God promises to Abraham. This promise is given on three occasions: Gen. 12:3; 18:18; 22:18. In Gen. 26:4 it is repeated to Isaac.
c. Old Testament mission mindedness:
There seems to be no positive mission mandate in the O.T. And yet there was a mission awareness, as can be seen from the story of the slave-girl in the house of Naaman, in the prophecy of Daniel with respect to Nehuchadnezzar, in the sending of Jonah to Nineveh (although this last instance is not to be equated with the sending of the apostles into the world).
After the great captivity the separate character of the people diminishes. There is the translation of the O.T. into Greek. Also, a widespread interest in the Israelitish religion is evidenced. This is strengthened by Israel’s inclusion in the Roman Empire. We see a centurion with the name of Cornelius. There is the rise of colonies as groups of God-fearing witnesses in many places of the then-known world. The separation is finally ended in Christ.
3. Mission and the Gospel.
a. The Lord Jesus and the heathen:
At the outset of his ministry Christ does not engage in a mission to those outside the Covenant people, except occasionally: in Samaria on a journey from Judea to Galilee; a brief stay in Sychar and Decapolis; the story of the Canaanitish woman; the sending of the twelve apostles (but only to the lost sheep of the House of Israel). The wall of partition was not yet broken down.
b. When did the separation end?
Paul’s epistles give the answer (Eph. 2:11–22). The significance of the ceremonial or shadowy laws of the O.T. is that we were “without Christ; being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world.” In Christ this is changed, for he “abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances.” “In his flesh” means that he did this by his death on the Cross. See also Romans 11:11ff., where we read of the natural and ingrafted branches of the olive tree. This was said earlier by the Lord in Matthew 21:33–43 (the parable of the wicked husbandmen) and in Luke 14:15–24 ( the Great Supper, “compel them to come in, that my house may be filled”). The wall of separation has been abolished by the Cross.
c. Paul’s clarification in the Galatians:
The answer is in Gal. 3:8–16. This Section contains that very significant explanation from which we learn that the seed of Abraham is Christ, not the entire people of Israel. That Promise is one of salvation for all who put their trust in Abraham’s one seed, namely Christ. Thus the unbelief of his O.T. people is used by God to fulfill his Promise, and this is the amazing wisdom of the God of the election, Rom. 11:33.
d. The three instances of the mission mandate to the apostles: Three times om Lord gives the mission mandate to his apostles, telling them to go out to the heathen. These are:
(1) John 20:21: Here we see that the deepest foundation of mission work lies in the Father who sent the Son. He is the Triune God, and his sovereign good pleasure is the deepest reason for the mission mandate.
(2) Luke 24:47: Here we see that both O.T. and N.T. mission work relates to God’s promises. The extension of the missionary task to the other peoples does not mean a repudiation of the Covenant pattern announced in the O.T.
(3) Mark 16:15–18; Matt. 28:18, 19: Here we are assured that Christ has all power, which means that he may rightfully demand obedience in and from the whole world.
To summarize: our mission is rooted in the work of the Triune God, rests upon his promises, and is guaranteed by the power of the Mediator, now seated at the right hand of the Father in heaven.
*This will be a series of eight outlines designed to help individuals and groups interested in studying something of the fundamental characteristics of that which we usually call “foreign missions.” We lean heavily on J.H. Bavinck, Ons Zendingsboek, for our information. All responsibility, however, remains ours.
Rev. J.H. Piersma is pastor of the Bethany Christian Reformed Church, South Holland, Illinois.
1. Why “Mission”?
a. What is Mission? By mission we understand the calling of the Church to testify in word and deed of the redemption of the world through the saving work of Christ.
Mission is not a human institution but a Divine calling. The task of the Christian mission to the world does not rest upon human, arbitrary decision or preference, but upon God’s command. This command is given to the whole church, and to every member as an inseparable part of that Body. It is God’s cause, and om interest is therefore required, not optional.
b. Upon what ought mission work be based? Some have thought that mission work is born out of pity and com passion. According to this view the Christian mission arises spontaneously out of the believing heart.
In other times the emphasis is laid more vigorously on the command of Christ. Mission effort is then regarded simply as obedience to the will of the Master.
These are not mutually exclusive. We must always reach back to the express command of the Lord Jesus Christ (Matt. 28:18–20; Mark 16:16, 17; Luke 24:45–47; Acts 1:8). but this command can be obeyed properly by them only who love the Lord and know compassion for the world.
c. God’s Word reveals this basis:
John 3:16 reveals that God’s compassionate love lies back of the sending of His Son to our world. Comparison of Matt. 28:19 with John 3:16 would indicate that this love also lies back of the commissioning of the apostles. The cornerstone of our mission work is therefore the merciful obedience of the Christian church. Even though the peoples of the world deny any need for such mercy, it remains, for it is grounded in God himself. And when the quality of mercy in us is diminished, then the command of Christ ought to bring us back to obedience.
d. Mission is a two-fold task.
First of all, it is a prophetic calling. The Christian mission is to testify in behalf of God’s Name and honor in everyone of life’s territories. It testifies against all movements and trends which militate against him, against all that is sin and error. It is to preach the Gospel of grace.
Then there is the priestly calling, full of compassion, seeking to raise up Jesus Christ everywhere that sinners may he drawn to him.
Note: Those who know say that a thorough study of the religion and customs of the animistic, “nature people” shows clearly that the heathen are not the happy children of nature some have represented .them to be. They live in a world of great fear and of anxious subjection to the souls of the dead and to spirits. All their life they are buffeted by things that seem to threaten them on every side. The Gospel is the only power which can break the power of heathendom and give freedom to those enslaved by it.
The task is indeed two-fold: it is a battle against that which is not of Christ, and it is a deliberate attempt to serve as merciful emissaries of the Savior to win sinners for him. This two-fold task has a third effect: it frees those who all their lifetime suffer because of subjection to bondage so that they may discover the kingly dignity of God’s children.
2. The Old Testament and Mission:
a. Jahweh (Jehovah) is God! It is not true that the Old Testament lacks the mission idea, even though priestly concern and compassion for the plight of other peoples seems altogether lacking. Throughout the O.T. we find strong indications of the missionary calling of the Church. There is a consistent emphasis upon the oneness of the human race. Over against the gods of the other nations stands the God of Israel as the one only God. He is the God of all the earth. Every knee must bow before him.
b. Israel is a separate people.
Israel is separated by God from all other peoples. Abraham, the father of the people of God, is called out of Ur of the Chaldees. This separation is only temporary, however. In and through this time of separation preparation is taking place for the later, holy calling. For the wall of partition between the Israelites and the heathen will be broken. This God promises to Abraham. This promise is given on three occasions: Gen. 12:3; 18:18; 22:18. In Gen. 26:4 it is repeated to Isaac.
c. Old Testament mission mindedness:
There seems to be no positive mission mandate in the O.T. And yet there was a mission awareness, as can be seen from the story of the slave-girl in the house of Naaman, in the prophecy of Daniel with respect to Nehuchadnezzar, in the sending of Jonah to Nineveh (although this last instance is not to be equated with the sending of the apostles into the world).
After the great captivity the separate character of the people diminishes. There is the translation of the O.T. into Greek. Also, a widespread interest in the Israelitish religion is evidenced. This is strengthened by Israel’s inclusion in the Roman Empire. We see a centurion with the name of Cornelius. There is the rise of colonies as groups of God-fearing witnesses in many places of the then-known world. The separation is finally ended in Christ.
3. Mission and the Gospel.
a. The Lord Jesus and the heathen:
At the outset of his ministry Christ does not engage in a mission to those outside the Covenant people, except occasionally: in Samaria on a journey from Judea to Galilee; a brief stay in Sychar and Decapolis; the story of the Canaanitish woman; the sending of the twelve apostles (but only to the lost sheep of the House of Israel). The wall of partition was not yet broken down.
b. When did the separation end?
Paul’s epistles give the answer (Eph. 2:11–22). The significance of the ceremonial or shadowy laws of the O.T. is that we were “without Christ; being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world.” In Christ this is changed, for he “abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances.” “In his flesh” means that he did this by his death on the Cross. See also Romans 11:11ff., where we read of the natural and ingrafted branches of the olive tree. This was said earlier by the Lord in Matthew 21:33–43 (the parable of the wicked husbandmen) and in Luke 14:15–24 ( the Great Supper, “compel them to come in, that my house may be filled”). The wall of separation has been abolished by the Cross.
c. Paul’s clarification in the Galatians:
The answer is in Gal. 3:8–16. This Section contains that very significant explanation from which we learn that the seed of Abraham is Christ, not the entire people of Israel. That Promise is one of salvation for all who put their trust in Abraham’s one seed, namely Christ. Thus the unbelief of his O.T. people is used by God to fulfill his Promise, and this is the amazing wisdom of the God of the election, Rom. 11:33.
d. The three instances of the mission mandate to the apostles: Three times om Lord gives the mission mandate to his apostles, telling them to go out to the heathen. These are:
(1) John 20:21: Here we see that the deepest foundation of mission work lies in the Father who sent the Son. He is the Triune God, and his sovereign good pleasure is the deepest reason for the mission mandate.
(2) Luke 24:47: Here we see that both O.T. and N.T. mission work relates to God’s promises. The extension of the missionary task to the other peoples does not mean a repudiation of the Covenant pattern announced in the O.T.
(3) Mark 16:15–18; Matt. 28:18, 19: Here we are assured that Christ has all power, which means that he may rightfully demand obedience in and from the whole world.
To summarize: our mission is rooted in the work of the Triune God, rests upon his promises, and is guaranteed by the power of the Mediator, now seated at the right hand of the Father in heaven.
*This will be a series of eight outlines designed to help individuals and groups interested in studying something of the fundamental characteristics of that which we usually call “foreign missions.” We lean heavily on J.H. Bavinck, Ons Zendingsboek, for our information. All responsibility, however, remains ours.
Rev. J.H. Piersma is pastor of the Bethany Christian Reformed Church, South Holland, Illinois.