Another Motivation for Missions

Why do missions matter? Why should we pour out our time, energy, money, skills—and yes, even our very lives—for the cause of the gospel?  

The Bible gives us several motives for missions. We should do missions because of Christ’s command in the Great Commission. We should do missions out of love for God, who has redeemed us and who is glorified in the fullness of His attributes when His Word and the gospel of His Son is proclaimed. And we should do missions out of love for the lost, who are alienated from God, dead in their trespasses and sins, and face a Christless eternity in the torments of hell.  

Yet there is another motivation for missions that often goes overlooked: the motivation of theology, and particularly the Bible’s teaching on salvation so well-articulated through church history. The Bible teaches that mankind is totally lost and that every part of his being is corrupted by sin. He cannot save himself. The Bible also teaches that God has chosen the elect from before the foundation of the world, and through the proclamation of the gospel, they will repent and believe the gospel. The confidence of God’s sovereign work in salvation should bolster our confidence, fuel our prayers, and ignite our missionary endeavors.  

Many people argue that this understanding of salvation discourages rather than encourages missions. This view, however, could not be further from the truth. The rich heritage of Christian missions testifies to this through the work of such men as John Calvin (1509–1564), William Carey (1761–1834), and Adoniram Judson (1788–1850).

If salvation depended upon the free will of man, we would quickly grow discouraged in our attempts to reach the lost. We probably would soon feel pressure to compromise the message of the pure gospel to accommodate the pride and rebellion of man’s fallen heart. Through the doctrines of grace revealed in scripture, however, we can engage in missions with confidence. Christ’s people—who He has loved from before the foundation of the world—will repent and believe the gospel. The dry bones will live when they hear the voice of the Son of God (Ezekiel 37:1–10; John 5:25). Our confidence, then, is not in our charisma or in our carnal methods to sway fallen man, but in the pure gospel, the inspired word of God, and the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit.  

Christianity is a missionary faith because the Bible is a missionary book. The gospel proclaims the mission of Christ to save the world and the mission of the church to preach the gospel to the world (John 3:16–17; 17:18; 20:21). The Canons of Dort say, “That men may be brought to believe, God mercifully sends the messengers of these most joyful tidings to whom He will and at what time He pleases; by whose ministry men are called to repentance and faith in Christ crucified.”

The gospel should not be preached with limitations on whom it calls, and neither should sinners try to discern whether they are chosen by God before coming to Christ. The Canons of Dort also say, “Moreover, the promise of the gospel is that whosoever believeth in Christ crucified shall not perish, but have eternal life. This promise, together with the command to repent and believe, ought to be declared and published to all nations, and to all persons promiscuously [without restriction or discrimination] and without distinction, to whom God out of His good pleasure sends the gospel.”

The sound doctrines of scripture give us at least ten powerful motives to engage in the costly work of missions:

1. The universality of original sin. All of mankind lies under the dreadful darkness of corruption, sin, alienation from God, and enmity toward Him (Romans 3:10–12; 8:7).

2. The despondency of the human condition. Human beings are in a hopeless condition without Jesus Christ, dead in their sins and under God’s wrath (Ephesians 2:1–3, 12).

3. The reality of God’s love. Even though the world hates God and Christ, God still loved the world so much that He sent His Son to save sinners (John 3:16–19).

4. The insufficiency of general revelation. Although God’s creation reveals His glory, it is only the word of the Lord that saves souls (Psalm 19; Romans 1:16, 20).  

5. The indispensability of the blood of Christ. There is only one Mediator between God and man: Jesus Christ, who gave Himself as a ransom for all (1 Timothy 2:5–6).  

6. The necessity of faith in Jesus Christ. Christ’s death does not save people automatically, but they must hear of Him, believe Him, and call upon His name (Romans 10:13–15).

7. The authority of the risen Lord. Christ rose with all authority; His commission impels and authorizes the church to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19–20).

8. The urgency of the times. Sinners must seek the Lord while He may be found; today is the day of salvation, but the day will come to an end (Isaiah 55:6; 2 Corinthians 6:2).

9. The sovereignty of God’s grace. While we are powerless to change sinners, the Lord can make the dead come to life so that our labors are not in vain (2 Corinthians 3:5; Ephesians 2:4–5).

10. The ultimacy of the glory of God. God will be glorified in the salvation and damnation of men, and His glory is our highest love and aim (Romans 9:22–24; 11:36).

Missions matter, then, because theology matters. The doctrines of God’s glory, man’s fall, the gospel of Christ, the authority of the risen Lord and the sovereignty of God in salvation should inspire us to take the gospel to the nations. As we do so, we can be confident that the Lord is gathering to Himself a people from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation who He has loved from eternity (Revelations 7:9). The proclamation of the gospel will be effective for the conversion of the elect: “As many as were appointed to eternal life believed” (Acts 13:48). Our labor is not in vain in the Lord (Isaiah 55:11; 1 Corinthians 15:58). We can be as confident as Paul, who heard these words from the Lord Jesus Christ: “Do not be afraid, but speak, and do not keep silent; for I am with you, and no one will attack you to hurt you; for I have many people in this city” (Acts 18:9–10).

Let us then pray and labor, and labor and pray. Let us go, baptize, and make disciples. Let us pour out our earnest prayers for the propagation of the gospel and the advance of Christ’s kingdom in all nations. Let us give ourselves with all diligence so that the gospel call may go out to sinners, and the effectual call may bring elect sinners to Christ by a living faith. Let us persevere in the missionary enterprise, for the Lamb who was slain is worthy. He will receive everlasting glory for His sufferings as the redeemed saints around the throne praise His name forever (Revelation 5:12; 7:9).