February 01, 1986 by Ralph D. Winter

A Theology of Redemption, Part I

The following article was originally written to help staff members of the U.S. Center for World Mission see their place in the larger context of the cause of Christ. We thought you, too, might be challenged by this view of history that has for too long been held "secret."

Chapter One: An Overview

1. Genesis I li, Introduction to the Bible

The Beauty of God's Creation. "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth ...and God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good.

The Distortion of Satan's Intrusion. But the evil empire of Satan deceived and tempted man and took control of this world.

The Romance of God's Redemption.

As a result, the only hope for the peoples of the earth listed in Genesis Ills through the grace of God, the blessing of God that is, to be discipled, to be reconciled through the death of His Son, to live in the fulness of His Spirit, and by His grace to "put on the full armor of God, that (they) may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places."

2. The Redemptive Mission (The Secret Mission)

Arrayed against the kingdom of evil is the Kingdom of God, now drawn into what turns out to be a secret mission to push the darkness back and expandGod's rule to the ends of the earth, to the last of all the world's peoples. Why must this mission continue seemingly forever to be a "mystery," a "secret"? Paul called it that in Romans 16:25 because that is what in fact it actually was, not because that is what it ought to have been! It became so and continues today to be so but by default, due to unbelief, to delayed or partial obedience, or to the triumph in our lives of "the carts, riches and pleasures of this world."

As a result, a veil has dropped doova our eyes (II Cor. 3:14 18), and, tragically, for the vast majority of saints, whether in the Old Testament, the New Testament, or the post. Apostolic period, the reality of this cosmic struggle, the "Kingdom Strikes Back," continues to be a 'mystery" or a "secret,'' just as it was to the vast majority of the Jews in Jesus' day. We are supposed to be praying for this secret mission when we say, "Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." 'Yet few understand these words in this light.

3. The People of God, the Instrument of Redemption

In this mission, the people of God,

"the church" "in so fat as it is responsibly aware of its task, constitutes an irreversible counterforce against which the powers of evil cannot prevail (Matt 16:18).

This concept of "the people of God." despite a wide variety of different views, is after all, I believe, best understood as simply "Abraham's offspring .. those who are of the faith of Abraham," (Rom 4:16. Gal 3:29). To assume continuity throughout the Bible is easy in light of statements such as "Christ redeemed us.

in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus ... if you belong to Christ then you are Abraham's offspring," (Gal 3:13 29). Thus, the church is and was the vast company of those that "will come from east and west and north and south, and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God," "with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob," (Luke 13:29, Malt 8:11), This is a worldwide community past, present, and future of all those kindreds and peoples who through the "obedience of faith" are called to be His ple His peoples.

4. His People/His Peoples

It is curious to realize that the church is both "His people" and "His peoples." Al the very end of time, in Rev 21:3, we see this vast host gathered "His people" as our translations have it. But it happens to be "His peoples" in the Greek text' This tells as something of the enormous power of cultural biases to which even Bible translators are subject.

American translators, who tend to think in terms of a melting pot church rather than a multi peoples church (a pluralism of peoples), have apparently given in to cultural bias in not reflecting the plural word which is in the text, even though they render the very same word in the plural in the same book in four previous instances (7:9; 10:11; 11:9; 17:15). In one sense, surely, the children of Abraham by faith are one people but, viewed more specifically, many peoples. The luxuriant beauty and wonder of the variety of the world's languages and cultures, and perhaps even physical types will not be submerged in the end of time!

Paradoxically, by grace, the unifying power of the Spirit of God within the global church is such that uniformity is not essential to unity, nor is diversity the source of disunity.

5. A Wartime Lifestyle (Eph 5:16)

For 4,003 years, then, we have been in a Covenant instituted and  guided counter effort, an essentially "wartime" situation, whether people know it or not, and whether they are part of the solution or are unthinkingly or deliberately pan of the problem.

We must therefore willingly adopt a "wartime lifestyle" as has been typical of missionaries for many years. This rarely mentioned characteristic of missionary effort should be known and embraced by all serious Christians throughout the whole church, not just by missionaries. We in in the United States must not act as though we are already in the Millenium and as if it is now, a time for relishing and wallowing in every abundance white our brothers in Christ in almost every other country of the world are undergoing much suffering and hardship which we could at least partially alleviate if we did not spend so much on ourselves!

6. The Covenant, the Plan of Redemption

God's way of mounting His counter force was to take the initiative in establishing a very unique, multifaceted agreement, or Covenant, with a singleindividual, Abraham and with all subsequent 'children of Abraham by faith. In that Covenant, by His Sovereign Grace, God invites us and requires us to do certain things, and promises us certain blessings. He selects us, guides us, and supports as. He loves us! He loves others!