The Church to the World

Part I: The Outward Posture of a Word-Shaped People

A Word That Moves Outward

This post begins a short series reflecting on the role of the Church to, for, and in the world. In the next post, I will consider how the Church is for the world, particularly in her worship and how her communion serves the good of society. In the final piece, I intend to speak more directly about where we find ourselves in this present darkness and where the evangelical Church has most surrendered to worldly influence. That final essay will address compromises and clarify where Providence narrowly and the CREC more broadly stand in contrast to prevailing evangelical trends.

But the concern here is more basic. What does it mean for the Church to exist to the world? What is her outward posture toward the culture around her?

I have often said that any tradition that gives you less of the Bible, no matter how noble or ancient, is dangerous. God is revealed in His Word, and a low view of the Bible leads to a low view of God. A few years ago, a reporter asked then-candidate Donald Trump whether he was an Old Testament or New Testament kind of guy. It was a question as foolish as asking whether one prefers vanilla or chocolate. Thou shalt know fools by their questions, and there is scarcely a more imbecilic one than attempting to pit the God of Israel against the God of Israel.

The Bible is God’s self-giving revelation of Himself. It cannot be neatly divided because God is not neatly divided. The fact that Christians hold an understandable and accessible Bible in their native tongue is proof that God continues to give Himself to His Church. If God had forsaken His Church, we would be in darkness, but He is Logos. He comes as Word and as the exact image of God. Jesus is both the written Word and the seen Word. He is revelation and redemption, and the Church is the recipient of that Word.

The Church, shaped by the Word, goes to the world. The Triune God reveals Himself to the world from beginning to end, and therefore God’s revelation is a mission manual. The Bible does not simply provide a picture for doing missions; the Bible is missions. And so the Church is missions by the Word and to the world.