The Bible and Mission - Lecture 1, The Doctrine of the Great Commission

Most Christians would agree that the Bible provides a basis for mission. The speaker believes that there is actually a missional basis for the whole Bible - it is generated by, and is all about, God's mission. In order to understand the Bible, we need an interpretative perspective that is in tune with this great missional theme. We need to see the "big picture" of God's mission and how all parts of Scripture fit into this grand narrative. In this session, drawn from the book "The Mission of God, the speaker begins with the Old Testament understanding of who God is, what He has called his people to be and to do, and where the nations belong within God's mission. These themes are followed into the New Testament. Throughout, the speaker emphasises that biblically-defined mission is intrinsically holistic. God's mission is to redeem His whole creation from all that sin and evil have inflicted upon it, and the mission of God's people must reflect the breadth of God's righteous and saving love for all He has made.