
“To make the word of God fully known”: The Bible in Mission and in the World
The Bible was written to inform humankind that we were created in God’s image to have relationship with him, that the relationship was broken by sin, and that God intervened to make it possible for the relationship to be restored. The major storyline thus speaks of creation, blessing, sin, restoration, and new creation. Throughout this grand tapestry, crimson threads underscore God’s warnings of judgment and wrath for individuals, nations, and the universe and highlight the need for repentance. The people of God, despite their frequent failures, stand out as those charged to tell the world about the God who makes atonement for sin and invites them to share in his promised blessing as part of his chosen people. The Bible is thus a book about mission, given to a people entrusted with a mission, by a God who designs the mission and ensures its success. That God’s word is essential for mission and the church motivates this issue of Mission Round Table.