Shaping a Theology of Mission Part 2

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The Creator
I am therefore inclined to begin with the Creator, the Triune God of the universe. There is much to understand about this God who eternally exists in relationship. He is perfect community. He is relationship and eternally relational.

Question: Could a strictly monotheistic god have created anything? Could a monotheistic god be beneficent, creating out of the overflow of his own self-enjoyment, and being perfect love, creating a world and humanity in his image to enjoy Him as well? I think we underestimate the missional implications of our Trinity. Only a Trinitarian God would think into being the peoples of the earth for whom he would give himself in relationship that they may be fully satisfied in Him as He is rightly glorified.

Developing a missional paradigm or missional hermeneutic must begin with the Trinitarian God. As the Trinitarian God is the sent God- the Father sending the Son, the Holy Spirit proceeding from the Father and the Son- it would follow that a missional hermeneutic must be Trinitarian and a Trinitarian hermeneutic must be missional. Or perhaps we would consider embracing an all encompassing term for a Trinitarian-Missional hermeneutic such as a Missio Dei Hermeneutic.

So we begin with One God who eternally exists in Three persons. The God who moves towards His creation to accomplish His purposes of redeeming the world unto himself by electing the nation of Israel to serve as a light to the nations, exclusively setting Israel apart as a prized jewel as a means to include all peoples. This is the Great God and the great story in which we are caught up today, the redemptive plan of God recorded in scripture which we, the church, are to participate in. In addition to beginning with a Trinitarian God who by his very character is missional, I believe there is the need to orient our paradigmatic approach to the Bible, an overarching story of intention.