A Return to “Theo-centric” Mission
Do you feel the same way as Lesslie Newbigin did after his church-centricity view of missions, as he states, “The church-centric view of missions has perhaps been too exclusively founded upon the person and work of Christ and has perhaps done less than justice to the whole Trinitarian doctrine of God.” P.83 in A Reader, Lesslie Newbigin-Missionary Theologian
Interestingly enough, Newbigin believes that the belief in the Trinity is quickly and appropriately the core stronghold of our lives on this earth as he states, “…when one goes outside the ‘Christendom’ situation to bring the Gospel to non-Christians, one soon discovers that the doctrine of the Trinity is not something that can be kept out of sight’ on the contrary, it is the necessary starting point of preaching.” P.83 in A Reader, Lesslie Newbigin-Missionary Theologian
Newbigin further deepens the mission of the church into the depth of the belief in the Trinity by saying, “…the question of the relation between what God is doing in the mission of the Church and what he is doing in the secular events of history be rightly answered, except within the framework of a fully and explicitly Trinitarian doctrine of God.” P. 82 in A Reader, Lesslie Newbigin-Missionary Theologian
Newbigin rightly identifies the relation of the church to mission in his statement, “the mission of the church is in fact the church’s obedient participation in that action of the Spirit by which the confession of Jesus as Lord becomes the authentic confession of ever new peoples, each in its own tongue.” P. 86 in A Reader, Lesslie Newbigin-Missionary Theologian
Can you affirm as I this statement from Newbigin as a detailed structure of understanding of the Trinity practically understood by us in the world, “The fundamental belief is embodied in the affirmation that God has revealed himself as Father, Son, and Spirit. I shall therefore, begin by looking at the Christian missions in three ways – as proclaiming the kingdom of the Father, as sharing the life of the Son, and as bearing the witness of the Spirit. From this I shall go on to look at contemporary issues in mission from the point of view of this Trinitarian faith.” P. 29 The Open Secret-Newbigin
A Biblical Purpose to “Theo-centric” Mission
As Newbigin leaves us with the understanding that our understanding of the Trinity is the core of our existence as a person, church, and outworking of missions. George W. Peters, previous professor of world missions at Dallas Theological Seminary, narrows this understanding in two statements that will reflect and focus our purpose in having a ‘theo-centric’ view to life or mission. Peters pulls from Ephesians 1 and Romans 9-11, to draw the over all plan that God has for the world.
Peters states, “Theocentricity in missions is well established by the apostle Paul. In the chapter in which he leads us deepest into the mystery of the eternal counsel of God as it relates to salvation. Paul thrice asserts that all is ‘to the praise of the glory of His grace…that we should be to the praise of His glory, who first trusted in Christ (Eph. 1:3-14)” P.55 A Biblical Theology of Missions-Peters
“The theocentric emphasis may sound strange to the American ear tuned to pragmatism and to success reports from the mission fields. A rethinking of our missionary premises is therefore imperative. Not the welfare and glory of man, not the growth and expansion of the church, but the glory of God forms the highest goal of missions because the being and character of God are the deepest ground of missions ‘for of Him, and through Him, and to Him, are all things: to whom be glory forever.” P. 57 A Biblical Theology of Missions-Peters
Peters continues in his development of the theo-centric position of mission by describing God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit all being a “missionary.” Peters directs our attention to Mark 10:45, “The Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many” and John 10:17-18, “For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I my take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.”
We understand that Jesus is loving the world for the purpose in loving the Father. Jesus also says in John 15:12-14, “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one that this, that someone lays down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you.” Greatly breaking the average American Christian apathetic lifestyle of being unmoved and lacking purpose to living. Jesus sticks it to the disciples describing that love is demonstrating yourself as being the initiator to care for another over your own preferences of life.
Jesus Christ did not die or give His life in vain to the world, rather He gave it to the world for the purpose of loving the Father as He stated in John 17:4, “I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do.”
This Love is described by Peters as four-fold,
1. Love is an outgoing, dynamic relationship. God so loved the world; God commendeth His love toward us. Paul describes us the one ‘who loved me.’
2. Love is a sacrificial, active relationship. ‘God so loved the world, that he gave His only begotten son.’ ‘Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us.’ ‘…who loved me, and gave himself for me.’ ‘God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.’
3. Love is a comprehensive relationship. ‘God so loved the world.’ ‘For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved.’
4. Love is a manifold relationship. It manifests itself according to the character, conditions, and needs of its object.
Peters summarizes by saying, “…the missionary implications are obvious. God is an outgoing God who, because He is light and love, wills the benevolence of mankind and ever seeks to impart Himself to man.” P.60 A Biblical Theology of Missions-Peters
These four are developed more intensely by D.A. Carson in The Difficult Doctrine of the Love of God, in which the writer obtained from Dallas Theological Seminary Trinitarian class notes, under the teaching of Dr. Scott Horrell, who obtained the list from W. H. Griffith Thomas Lectures at Dallas Seminary (March 1998).
1. Intra-trinitarian love. The love of the Father for the Son (Jn 3:35; 17: 24) and the son for the Father (Jn 14:31)
2. Providential love for creation. All was created good (Gen 1:31) and God cares for His creation; providence demonstrates divine love for His creation.
3. Salvific love to the fallen world (Jn 3:16). Rather than be reduced to mean the ‘elect,’ cosmos reflects the entire moral order of the world, one culpable of rebellion against God. Willing to show mercy to all, God calls upon this world to repent and be saved (2 Cor 5:19; 1 Jn 2:2)
4. Particular selecting love. God demonstrates a discriminating love for the elect, whether for Israel in the OT, the church in the NT, or the individuals in them; he saves some and not others from the eternal condemnation (Gal 2:20; Eph 1:3-11; Romans 9:6-24)
5. Conditional love directed to God’s own people. We are called to trust and obey (Jn 14:23-24), abide in the Vine (Jn 15:1-10); ‘Keep yourselves in the love of God’ (Jude 21). Our willingness or failure to do so brings consequences in our lives.
Theocentric mission challenges us to then build our life from the core of who God is and what He is doing. Not who I am and what the church is doing. God defines the church, the church does what God wants done. Pew sitting is not Missional Trinity Theology. Spending time and money on areas of life other than than the work of God lacks the awareness and effort of reaching those who we call “hell-bound.” “Hell-bound” people should not be a study, rather a mission.
“And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ by the Spirit of our God…Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.”
-1 Cor. 6:11, 19-20
This is Missional Trinity Theology.
“Put this in your theological pipe and smoke it!”
A Biblical Support to “Theo-centric” Mission
Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is One!” – Dt 6:4
“I am the Lord, that is My name; I will not give My glory to another, Nor My praise to graven images.” – Isa 42:8
“ ‘You are My witnesses,’declares the Lord, ‘And My servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe Me and understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, and there will be none after Me. I even I, am the Lord, and there is no savior besides Me’.” – Isa. 43:10-11
“Come near to Me, listen to this: from the first I have not spoken in secret, from the time it took place, I was there. And now the Lord God has sent Me, and His Spirit.” – Isa 48:16
“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.” – Mt. 28:19
“Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although, He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” – Phil 2:5-8
“Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.” – Heb 2:14-15
