Understanding the Mission of God (Missio Dei) Theologically

The concept of Missio Dei, or the "Mission of God," refers to the understanding that mission originates in the very nature of God, rather than being solely an activity of the Church. This theological framework emphasizes that God is inherently a missionary God, actively engaged in the world ^[11]. The divine mission is rooted in God's attributes, such as his infinite knowledge, wisdom, and love ^{[2, 5, 6, 18]}.

God's foreknowledge and decrees are central to understanding the Missio Dei. God's knowledge is infinite, encompassing all things past, present, and future ^[2]. His decrees are described as an "eternal, unchangeable, holy, wise, and sovereign purpose, comprehending at once all things that ever were or will be" ^[9]. This implies that God's mission is not a reactive response to human sin but an inherent aspect of his eternal plan. The unity of God, asserted by God himself, Christ, Moses, and the Apostles, further underscores the singular, overarching nature of this divine purpose ^[4].

The love of God is a fundamental characteristic that drives the Missio Dei ^[5]. This love is described as sovereign, great, abiding, unfailing, and everlasting ^[5]. It is manifested towards perishing sinners, his saints, and the destitute, and is exhibited in the gift of Christ ^[5]. The "loving-kindness of God" is expressed through Christ, described as great, excellent, good, marvelous, multitudinous, everlasting, and merciful ^[1]. This divine love is so profound that it "passeth knowledge," yet believers are called to comprehend its "breadth, and length, and depth, and height" ^{[7, 12]}.

The mission of God is intrinsically linked to the work of the divine persons of the Trinity. The invisible mission of a divine person is understood to occur when that person "exists newly in any one" and is "given as possessed by anyone," primarily through sanctifying grace ^[10]. This suggests that God's mission involves his active presence and indwelling within believers. The indwelling Spirit of the Father and the Son creates a bond of unity among believers and with the Father and the Son, demonstrating the Trinitarian nature of God's mission ^{[11, 14]}.

The incarnation of Christ is a pivotal aspect of the Missio Dei. Athanasius of Alexandria noted that just as the invisible God can be known through his works, so too can Christ be apprehended through the works of his body, which reveal his "deifying mission" ^[15]. While God could have delivered humanity in other ways, the Passion of Christ was the chosen means, highlighting the depth of God's commitment to his mission of salvation ^[13]. The mystery of Christ, including his incarnation, is a central tenet of faith, though its full understanding requires spiritual insight ^{[3, 16]}.

The Church's role in the Missio Dei is to participate in God's ongoing mission. The unity of believers, as Christ prayed, serves as a testimony to the world that the Father sent him ^[11]. This participation involves a continuous growth in understanding the faith, guided by the Holy Spirit and the teaching authority of the Church ^{[17, 19]}. Believers are called to decision and dedication in serving God, seeking him with their hearts, and keeping his commandments ^[8]. This commitment reflects the divine love that constrains and empowers them in their participation in God's mission ^[5].

Sources

Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Loving-Kindness of God, The — Is through Christ -- Eph 2:7; Tit 3:4-6. Described as Great. -- Ne 9:17. Excellent. -- Ps 36:7. Good. -- Ps 69:16. Marvellous. -- Ps 17:7; 31:21. Multitudinous. -- Isa 63:7. Everlasting. -- Isa 54:8. Merciful. -- Ps 117:2. Better than life. -- Ps 63:3. Consideration of the dealings of God gives a knowledge of -- Ps 107:43. Saints Betrothed in. -- Ho 2:19. Drawn by. -- Jer 31:3. Preserved by. -- Ps 40:11. Quickened after. -- Ps 119:88. Comforted by. -- Ps 119:76. Look for mercy through. -- Ps 51:1. Receive mercy through. -- Isa 54:8. Are ”
Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Foreknowledge of God — Acts 2:23; Rom. 8:29; 11:2; 1 Pet. 1:2), one of those high attributes essentially appertaining to him the full import of which we cannot comprehend. In the most absolute sense his knowledge is infinite (1 Sam. 23:9-13; Jer. 38:17-23; 42:9-22, Matt. 11:21, 23; Acts 15:18).”
Ephesians “Ephesians 3:4 (LEB) — so that you may be able when you read to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ”
Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Unity of God — A ground for obeying him exclusively -- De 4:39,40. A ground for loving him supremely -- De 6:4,5; Mr 12:29,30. Asserted by God himself. -- Isa 44:6,8; 45:18,21. Christ. -- Mr 12:29; Joh 17:3. Moses. -- De 4:39; 6:4. Apostles. -- 1Co 8:4,6; Eph 4:6; 1Ti 2:5. Consistent with the deity of Christ and of the Holy Spirit -- Joh 10:30; 1Jo 5:7; Joh 14:9-11. Exhibited in His greatness and wonderful works. -- 2Sa 7:22; Ps 86:10. His works of creation and providence. -- Isa 44:24; 45:5-8. His being alone possessed of fore-knowledge. -- Isa 46:9-11. His exercise”
Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Love of God, The — Is a part of his character -- 2Co 13:11; 1Jo 4:8. Christ, the especial object of -- Joh 15:9; 17:26. Christ abides in -- Joh 15:10. Described as Sovereign. -- De 7:8; 10:15. Great. -- Eph 2:4. Abiding. -- Zep 3:17. Unfailing. -- Isa 49:15,16. Unalienable. -- Ro 8:39. Constraining. -- Ho 11:4. Everlasting. -- Jer 31:3. Irrespective of merit -- De 7:7; Job 7:17. Manifested towards Perishing sinners. -- Joh 3:16; Tit 3:4. His saints. -- Joh 16:27; 17:23; 2Th 2:16; 1Jo 4:16. The destitute. -- De 10:18. The cheerful giver. -- 2Co 9:7. Exhibited in The g”
Romans “Romans 11:33 (Tyndale) — O the depnes of the aboundaunt wysdome and knowledge of God: how vnserchable are his iudgementes and his wayes past findyng out.”
Ephesians “Ephesians 3:19 (Rotherham) — To get to know, also, the knowledge-surpassing, love of the Christ,—in order that ye may be filled unto all the fulness of God:”
Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Decision — Necessary to the service of God -- Lu 9:62. Exhortations to -- Jos 24:14,15. Exhibited in Seeking God with the heart. -- 2Ch 15:12. Keeping the commandments of God. -- Ne 10:29. Being on the Lord's side. -- Ex 32:26. Following God fully. -- Nu 14:24; 32:12; Jos 14:8. Serving God. -- Isa 56:6. Loving God perfectly. -- De 6:5. Blessedness of. -- Jos 1:7. Opposed to A divided service. -- Mt 6:24. Double-mindedness. -- Jas 1:8. Halting between two opinions. -- 1Ki 18:21. Turning to the right or left. -- De 5:32. Not setting the heart aright. -- Ps 78:8,37. Exe”
Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Decrees of God — "The decrees of God are his eternal, unchangeable, holy, wise, and sovereign purpose, comprehending at once all things that ever were or will be in their causes, conditions, successions, and relations, and determining their certain futurition. The several contents of this one eternal purpose are, because of the limitation of our faculties, necessarily conceived of by us in partial aspects, and in logical relations, and are therefore styled Decrees." The decree being the act of an infinite, absolute, eternal, unchangeable, and sovereign Person, compre”
theology (Catholic (Scholastic)) “Aquinas, Summa Theologica, First Part (Prima Pars), The Mission of the Divine Persons, Art. 3: Article: Whether the invisible mission of the divine person is only according to the gift of sanctifying grace? I answer that, The divine person is fittingly sent in the sense that He exists newly in any one; and He is given as possessed by anyone; and neither of these is otherwise than by sanctifying grace. For God is in all things by His essence, power and presence, according to His one common mode, as the cause existing in the effects which participate in His goodness. Above and beyond this common”
John (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on John 17:21: that they all may be one, as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they may be one in us--The indwelling Spirit of the Father and the Son is the one perfect bond of union, knitting up into a living unity, first all believers amongst themselves; next, this unity into one still higher, with the Father and the Son. (Observe, that Christ never mixes Himself up with His disciples as He associates Himself with the Father, but says I in THEM and THEY in US). that the world may believe that thou hast sent me--sentest me. So the grand impression upon th”
CCEL (Reformed) “John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, section 57: in order to reach it. Nor even when it has reached it does it comprehend what it feels, but persuaded of what it comprehends not, it understands more from mere certainty of persuasion than it could discern of any human matter by its own capacity. Hence it is elegantly described by Paul as ability “to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge,” ( Eph. 3:18, 19 ). His object was to intimate, that what our mind embraces by faith is every w”
theology (Catholic (Scholastic)) “Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Third Part (Tertia Pars), The Passion of Christ, Art. 2: Article: Whether there was any other possible way of human deliverance besides the Passion of Christ? I answer that, A thing may be said to be possible or impossible in two ways: first of all, simply and absolutely; or secondly, from supposition. Therefore, speaking simply and absolutely, it was possible for God to deliver mankind otherwise than by the Passion of Christ, because "no word shall be impossible with God" (Lk. 1:37). Yet it was impossible if some supposition be made. For since it is impossible for G”
CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 2, section 140: passages in which the Spirit of God is said to dwell in his people, are so many proofs of the mystical union between Christ and all true believers. They are One. One with Him and one with one another. For by one Spirit they are all baptized into one body. ( 1 Cor. xii. 13 .) These representations of Scripture concerning the union between Christ and his people, are neither to be explained nor explained away. Both attempts have often been made. Numerous theories have been adopted and urged as divine truth, which in fact are only philosophi”
CCEL (Patristic) “Athanasius of Alexandria, Select Works and Letters, section 151: §54. The Word Incarnate, as is the case with the Invisible God, is known to us by His works. By them we recognise His deifying mission. Let us be content to enumerate a few of them, leaving their dazzling plentitude to him who will behold. As, then, if a man should wish to see God, Who is invisible by nature and not seen at all, he may know and apprehend Him from His works: so let him who fails to see Christ with his understanding, at least apprehend Him by the works of His body, and test whether they be human works or God’s work”
theology (Catholic (Scholastic)) “Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Second Part of the Second Part (Secunda Secundae), Of the Gift of Understanding, Art. 2: Article: Whether the gift of understanding is compatible with faith? I answer that, We need to make a twofold distinction here: one on the side of faith, the other on the part of understanding. On the side of faith the distinction to be made is that certain things, of themselves, come directly under faith, such as the mystery to three Persons in one God, and the incarnation of God the Son; whereas other things come under faith, through being subordinate, in one way or another, to”
Catechism of the Catholic Church (Catholic) “Catechism of the Catholic Church, Article 2 (part 5): "By this appreciation of the faith, aroused and sustained by the Spirit of truth, the People of God, guided by the sacred teaching authority (Magisterium),. . . receives. . . the faith, once for all delivered to the saints. . . the People unfailingly adheres to this faith, penetrates it more deeply with right judgment, and applies it more fully in daily life."56 Growth in understanding the faith 94 Thanks to the assistance of the Holy Spirit, the understanding of both the realities and the words of the heritage of faith is able to grow in t”
theology (Catholic (Scholastic)) “Aquinas, Summa Theologica, First Part (Prima Pars), Of God's Knowledge, Art. 5: Article: Whether God knows things other than Himself? I answer that, God necessarily knows things other than Himself. For it is manifest that He perfectly understands Himself; otherwise His existence would not be perfect, since His existence is His act of understanding. Now if anything is perfectly known, it follows of necessity that its power is perfectly known. But the power of anything can be perfectly known only by knowing to what its power extends. Since therefore the divine power extends to other things by th”
CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 1, section 37: effected by a continual and gradual progress. The same progress has taken place in theological knowledge. Every believer is conscious of such progress in his own experience. When he was a child, he thought as a child. As he grew in years, he grew in knowledge of the Bible. He increased not only in the compass, but in the clearness, order, and harmony of his knowledge. This is just as true of the Church collectively as of the individual Christian. It is, in the first place, natural, if not inevitable, that it should be so. The Bible, altho”

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