Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Defining Mission in the OT

[A] definition of mission that suits the OT will resemble the following: the transmission of testimony regarding God's person and works of salvation and judgment, usually for the intended purpose of producing faith in his promises of salvation and judgment and conformity to his character and will. This definition leaves open whether mission is initiated by the believer or the audience, whether it is more verbal or behavioral, whether an individual or a community is responsible for this transmission, whether access to God's presence and the means of maintaining one's relationship with him are accessible everywhere or are localized, how much of God's plan of salvation has been accomplished (hence the prominence of the element of promise), whether the witness is intentional on the part of the human participant, and how much the one testifying knows of God.

--Daniel C. Timmer, A Gracious and Compassionate God: Mission, Salvation and Spirituality in the Book of Jonah (New Studies in Biblical Theology; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2011), 39.

No comments:

Post a Comment