Topic: Pauline Understanding of Missiology

1. Introduction

Paul, a great theologian as well as the greatest of all missionaries, has been a controversial figure during his life time and throughout history. The complexity, specialty and uniqueness of his thought and the way it is expressed in his writings are in no small way responsible for this. He holds a prominent place in the New Testament texts after Jesus. Good portion of the NT texts speaks about him, his activities and his teachings. The life of this great man is a perfect example of God’s grace and human freedom.^[1] He was an apostle and church planter too. In less than fifteen years he was able to establish churches in the four provinces of the Roman Empire. He established churches which were indigenous in nature. Paul’s mission has proven foundational for understanding the apostle himself. The outlines of his career, the contents of his letters and the structures of his thinking are all substantially determined by implications of his missionary vocation.^[2]

2. Paul was called and chosen to be an Apostle

Paul’s encounter with the risen Christ changed a Pharisee of the Pharisees in to Christ’s apostle to the Gentiles and a persecutor of the early Christian movement into its chief protagonist (Acts 9:1-19, 22:4-16). Paul was clear about his missionary call and it was focused. The clarity of vision gave him the assurance about his calling and involvement in mission. There was no confusion or wavering in his mission. In several places he affirms that the Lord called him to be an apostle to the Gentiles (Gal.1:15, 2:7, 2:8, 9).^[3]

2.1 Apostle to the Gentiles

Paul had the burning conviction that he had been set apart, by Christ himself, to be the apostle to the Gentiles (Gal.1:16). The idea that the Gentiles would be privileged to participate in the glories of the new age was shared by Paul’s Jewish contemporaries. He lived in and served the Gentiles world for over 15 years. At the end of his life, he was able to make the following statement which reflects on his life’s ambition and accomplishments. The passages Romans 15:17-21 and 2 Cor. 10:16 are important to understanding Paul’s mission to the gentiles.^[4]

3. Paul’s Missionary Strategy

It is unlikely that Paul set about his mission work with any type of a preconceived master plan. Very often he found himself in a particular place by sheer force of circumstances. In the Epistles to the Galatians, he clearly states that he preached to them, not out of any design when he started out from Cyria (Gal. 4:13). Similarly, in his second journey, if he had any definite plan, it was go through Cilicia and South Galatia to Ephesus. But he was forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach in Asia. Then he attempted to go Bithynia when again Holy Spirit to preach in Asia. Then he attempted to go to Bithynia when again the Holy Spirit forbade him to do so (Acts 16:6-7). So lot of deliberate design can be seen in the Paul’s journey. His usual practice in a new place was to preach in the Synagogue first. It may be the reason that the Synagogues were not merely a collection of ‘Diaspora Jews’. Thus, preaching in the synagogues provided Paul with outstanding advantages. He had an audience provided for him that understood the main principles of his religion and was familiar with the texts on which he based his arguments.^[5]

3.1 Mission to the Principal Cities

He chose Greek Civilization centre’s for the establishment of his churches. This helped him to restrict his preaching and writings to one language. Here again Paul concentrated on certain strategic centre’s. There is undoubtedly a certain method in the selection of the centers. He preferred the district or provincial capitals such as Philippi, Thessalonica, Corinth and Ephesus each of which stood for a whole region. These metropolises were the main centre’s as far as communication, culture, commence, politics and religion were concerned. Thus, Paul chose cities that had a representative character. By using this strategy Paul hoped that the gospel will carry into the surrounding countryside and towns. A third aspect is that Paul had a worldwide missionary ambition; at least he wanted to take the gospel as far as the world that was known to him.^[6] Up to the time of the apostolic council (48 CE) the missionary outreach to Gentiles was probably confined to Syria and Cilicia. Soon after the council, Paul begins to see mission in “ecumenical” terms: the entire inhabited world has to be reached with the gospel.^[7]

3.2 Paul’s Missionary strategy in Athens

Paul started his mission in Athens with significant strategy. Paul began his sermon by identifying with the interests of the audience. In Acts.17:16, Luke reports that Paul was shocked by the profusion of idols, he found there. His exposition is primarily theo-centric. It focuses on God’s character, revelation in nature, and relationship to humanity. He disdained attack or authoritarian pronouncement to begin where his audience was intellectually and culturally. Paul apparently took the sculpture of Athens to be of religious rather than aesthetic significance and therefore, regarded it as idolatrous (vs.16). His displeasure led him to engage in debate not only in the synagogue as had previously been his custom but even in the public market place (vs.17)^[8].

Paul’s missionary activity in Athens provides a different approach to mission. Paul’s theological strategy is interesting and one worth serious consideration in dealing with Christian or non-Christian audiences. Athens was still a great university town and symbolizes the ‘high culture, where important ideas have value and are carefully considered by the intellectually curious. It is here that the Paul of Acts delivers one of his three missionary speeches and the only one to the non-believers^[9].

3.3 Team Work

Paul made use of a variety of associates in his missionary practice. Some of them belonged to his most intimate circle, such as Barnabas, Silvanus and Timothy who were not just Paul’s assistants or subordinates, but truly his colleagues. A second group comprised of independent coworkers such as Priscilla, Aquila and Titus. A third and perhaps the most important part were the representatives from local churches, such as Epaphroditus, Epaphras, Aristarchus, Gaius and Jason. Thus, mission according to Paul’s style was a cooperative venture. Paul’s stay in any place was quite limited. But he saw to the nurture of the fledging church through correspondence, as well as by sending by representatives from time to time.^[10]

3.4 Adaptability

Paul is often portrayed as a missionary with an unambiguous message and uncompromising, clear cut stance on issues. In the Council of Jerusalem Paul was the champion of liberty for the gentile Christians and he insisted that they should not be burdened with circumcision. In 1 Corinthians he states that to the Jews he made himself a Jew, to the Gentiles he made himself a Gentile, to the weak he made himself weak (1Cor. 9:19 ff.). Adaptability is the key to any successful venture. Paul showed a remarkable sense of accommodation, not only in the type of activity which is in the above verse, but also in his willingness to compromise on statements and teachings if circumstances justified it.^[11]

3.5 Paul’s Apostolic Self-Consciousness

Paul’s apostolic self-consciousness and the way in which he presents himself as model to be follow, not only by his fellow workers, but by all Christians. Paul follows a method vividly practiced at the time particularly by moral philosophers. Paul’s life cannot be distinguished from what he preaches; his life authenticates his gospel. His amazing self-confidence and self-consciousness have been a stumbling block for many.^[12]

4. Paul’s Motives for the Mission

Paul’s primary motive for evangelism was a theological one.^[13] Michael Green has suggested that three main missionary motives were operative in the early church, all of which are identifiable in Paul: a sense of gratitude, a sense of responsibility, and a sense of concern.

4.1 A Sense of Concern

Over against the pervasive idolatry of the Greco –Roman world Paul proclaims (in full harmony with his Jewish religious roots) the uncompromising message of one God who lays exclusive claim to people’s loyalty. In absolute contrast to the idols Paul describes God as “living and true” (1 Thes1:9). This is the point where Paul’s concern comes into play. He sees humanity outside Christ as utterly lost. The idea of imminent judgment on those who “do not obey the truth” (Rom 2:8) is a recurring theme in Paul. Precisely for this reason he allows himself no relaxation. The purpose of Paul’s mission is to lead people to salvation in Christ. This anthropological perspective is not the ultimate objective of his ministry. In and through his mission he is preparing the world for God’s coming glory and for the day when the entire universe will praise him.^[14]

4.2 A Sense of Responsibility

Paul’s sense of concern for the gentiles for the Gentiles of the Roman Empire proves itself in a deep awareness that it is his obligation to proclaim the gospel to them. “Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel” (1 Cor 9:16). Paul is indebted to Christ and this is transformed into a debt to those whom Christ wishes to bring to salvation.1 Cor 9:19-23 say more about Paul’s sense of responsibility than about his missionary methods. Paul’s manner of preaching the gospel is “one of flexibility, sensitivity, and empathy” and that for him; mission means neither the Hellenization of Jews nor the Judaization of Greeks. For him, gospel of Jesus Christ is intended to all, without any distinction.^[15]

4.3 A Sense of Gratitude

For Paul, the most elemental reason for proclaiming the gospel to all is not just his concern for the lost, nor is it primarily the sense of an obligation laid upon him, but rather a sense of privilege. ‘Charis’ is the New Testament Greek word which is used for the words Privilege, Grace, and Gratitude. So, these are the notions Paul employs when referring to his missionary task. The debt or obligation he feels does not represent a burden which inhibits him; rather, recognition of debt is synonymous with giving thanks. The way Paul gives thanks is to be a missionary to Jew and Gentile.^[16]

5. Characteristics of Pauline Missionary Paradigm

5.1 The Church as a New Community

This paradigm says about the importance of the Church space in Mission. The churches have come into existence as a consequence of Paul’s mission to practice Christianity. In the world which was divided culturally (Greeks vs. barbarians), religiously (Jews vs Gentiles), economically (rich vs. poor), and socially (free vs. slave); Paul found a space to proclaim Jesus Christ. He found unity of the one body, in spite of all differences. He uses the theological principle “all are one in Christ Jesus” for church. So, the unity is indeed and non-negotiable. The church is the vanguard of the new creation and it has the necessity to reflect the values of God’s coming world. So, the segregation in church in terms of racial, ethnic, social, or whatever, is in Paul’s understanding a denial of the gospel and he calls the members of the new community to find their identity irrespective of this segregation.^[17]

5.2 An Inclusive Mission

There was a notion that Paul never believed in mission to Jews because of his belief that Church and Israel are inherently interrelated to each other. But it is a fact that for Paul the gentile Christian is a vital part of church and therefore related to Israel. Paul explains this relation with the help of a metaphor that defies every horticulture practice which the branches of the wild olive tree are grafted, “contrary to nature”, into the cultivated olive tree (Rom 11:24). Gentile Christians have never behaved as guests in the house of Israel. He proposed a serious dialogue between Gentile Christians and Jews while Christianity and Judaism share a common root and a common scripture. His understanding of Israel is in the covenant of God, not the modern nation. For Paul, the issue of a continuing evangelistic mission to Jews remains unfinished item on the agenda of the church.^[18]

5.3 Mission in the Context of God’s imminent Triumph.

Paul’s understanding of mission was within the horizon of Christ’s Parousia. So he proclaimed the impending end of the world without his expectation being fulfilled. Paul hesitated to stress too much about the world. It is due to the expectation of imminent Parousia as well as his conviction that human exertion will not usher in the new world. With Paul, we must expect an ultimate resolution to the contradictions and sufferings of life in the coming triumph of God. God’s triumph is in his hands alone and that it transcends our chronological speculations and anticipations. So the aim of the mission is to encourage one another to lead a new life with eschatological hope.^[19]

5.4 Mission for the transformation of Society.

Paul rejected the two mutually contradictory theological interpretations namely, “pure” apocalyptic and enthusiasm. His reaction to both these sentiments reveals the far reaching community implication of his gospel. Jewish apocalyptic view leads to a withdrawal from this world and its vicissitudes. The enthusiasts (particularly those operating in Corinth) adopt essentially the opposite attitude. In their excitement over what they have already received in Christ, the Corinth enthusiasts throw away the expectation of an imminent parousia and the hope for a future bodily resurrection of the dead.^[20] Christian’s responsibility in the world as the attitude adopted by the extreme apocalypticists. In the case of the latter, the world is irredeemable and should therefore be rejected. Only God will, at the end, put everything right. On the other hand, the enthusiasts disregard the world since it has already been “overcome” and is longer a factor to be taken into account. Paul opposes both attitudes of non involvement in society, and he does it with the help of a radically reinterpreted apocalyptic. Precisely because of God’s sure victory in the end Paul emphasizes not ethical passivity but active participation in God’s redemptive will in the here and now. At the same time, Paul is clearly hesitant about stressing too much participation in the world.^[21]

5.5 Mission in Weakness

Paul does not permit his readers an illusory escape the suffering, weakness, and death of the present hour by means of the enthusiast’s proclamation that Christ has already won the ultimate victory. For Paul suffering is primarily an expression of the church’s active engagement with the world for the sake of the world’s redemption. So suffering is a mode of missionary engagement.^[22]

5.6 The Aim of Mission

For Paul, church is not the ultimate aim of mission. The life and work of the Christian community are ultimately bounded up with God’s cosmic plan for the redemption of the world. In 2 Cor 5:19, Paul says that in Christ, God has reconciled not only the church but the world. The taproot of Paul’s cosmic understanding of mission is a personal belief in Jesus Christ who is crucified and risen and as the savior of the world.

Bibliography

Barrett, C. K. On Paul Aspects of His Life, Work and Influence in the Early Church. New York: T&T Clark, 2003.

Beker, J. C.  Paul’s Apocalyptic Gospel: The Coming Triumph of God. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress, 1982.

Bosch, David J. Transforming Mission, Paradigm Shifts in Theology And Mission. Bangalore: Centre of Contemporary Christianity, 2006.

Dunn, James D. G. The Theology of Paul the Apostle. Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1998.

Meeks, W. A. The First Urban Christians: The Social World of the Apostle Paul. New Haven: Yale University, 1983.

Metzger, Bruce M. The New Testament Its Background, Growth and Content, Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1965.

Schnelle, Udo. Apostle Paul: His Life and Theology, Translated by M. Eugene Boring. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2014.

Spivey, Robert A. & D Moody Smith Jr. Anatomy of the New Testament. London: The Macmillan Company, 1969.

FootNotes

1. C. K. Barrett, On Paul Aspects of His Life, Work and Influence in the Early Church (New York: T&T Clark, 2003), 55. ↑

2. Udo Schnelle, Apostle Paul: His Life and Theology, Translated by M. Eugene Boring, (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2014), 444. ↑

3. J. C. Beker, Paul’s Apocalyptic Gospel: The Coming Triumph of God, (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress, 1982), 282. ↑

4. Beker, Paul’s Apocalyptic Gospel: The Coming Triumph of God…, 282. ↑

5. Schnelle, Apostle Paul: His Life and Theology…, 444. ↑

6. Barrett, On Paul Aspects of His Life, Work and Influence in the Early Church…,57. ↑

7. David J. Bosch, Transforming Mission, Paradigm Shifts In Theology And Mission (Bangalore: Centre Of Contemporary Christianity, 2006), 162. ↑

8. Bruce M. Metzger,The New Testament Its Background, Growth And Content, (Nashville:Abingdon Press,1965), 176-177. ↑

9. Robert A Spivey and D Moody Smith Jr., Anatomy of the New Testament (London: The Macmillan Company, 1969), 243. ↑

10. Barrett, On Paul Aspects of His Life, Work and Influence in the Early Church…,77. ↑

11. W. A. Meeks, The First Urban Christians: The Social World of the Apostle Paul (New Haven: Yale University, 1983), 114. ↑

12. Bosch, Transforming…,164-166. ↑

13. Meeks, The First Urban Christians: The Social World of the Apostle Paul…, 138 ↑

14. Bosch, Transforming Mission.., 166-168. ↑

15. Bosch, Transforming Mission .., 168-171. ↑

16. Meeks, The First Urban Christians: The Social World of the Apostle Paul…, 146. ↑

17. Bosch, Transforming Mission .., 214. ↑

18. Bosch, Transforming Mission.., 215-216. ↑

19. James D. G. Dunn, The Theology of Paul the Apostle, (Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1998), 565. ↑

20. Dunn, The Theology of Paul the Apostle…, 566. ↑

21. Bosch, Transforming Mission…, 220-221. ↑

22. Schnelle, Apostle Paul: His Life and Theology…, 146. ↑

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