Announced to All!

If I asked you to find one statement that made clear our responsibility to preach the gospel to the ends of the earth, where would you look?

You would probably open your Bibles to Matthew 28 or Acts 1. But what if I told you to find this kind of statement outside the Bible, where would you go then? You might find what I’m asking for in a John Piper book or in your church’s statement of faith, which is great. But what if I asked you to go back farther than that? What if I told you to find this statement—about our need to proclaim the gospel to the ends of the earth—in an old creed or confession or catechism? Depending on your background, this could be a very short search. Not because you know just where to find the statement I’m looking for, but because you aren’t familiar with creeds or confessions, other than the Apostles’ Creed, and that didn’t have it. And what if you were raised in a confessional tradition? That would help, but I still doubt you would find the statement I’m looking for. Because of all the places in all the Christian documents you could scour, you probably won’t think that a clear summons to worldwide gospel proclamation would be found in the Canons of Dort.

The Canons of Dort—if it’s known at all—often gets a bad rap. It’s considered by some to be too dogmatic, too scholastic, and too harsh. People outside of the Reformed camp don’t agree with its high view of divine sovereignty and especially its teaching that Christ died particularly for the elect. People within the Reformed camp often don’t read the points of doctrine carefully and sometimes aren’t comfortable with what they know (or think they know!) about them. And hardly anyone hears “Canons of Dort” and thinks, “Ah, yes, missions!” But it’s in there.

Second Head of Doctrine, Article 5

Moreover, it is the promise of the gospel that whoever believes in Christ crucified shall not perish but have eternal life. The promise, together, with the command to repent and believe, ought to be announced and declared without differentiation and discrimination to all nations and people, to whom God in his good pleasure sends the gospel.

What a beautiful statement. And notice the carefulness of the language.

• The promise we ought to announce is the good news of eternal life in Christ. And not just Christ but specifically “Christ crucified.”
• This promise should be announced together with the command to repent and believe. It isn’t enough to make an open promise. We must make known the means of entering into this good news: faith and repentance.
• This message should be announced to all nations and people. We must not differentiate or discriminate. Everyone needs to hear this saving gospel.
• Ultimately, that anyone receives this good news and than anyone hears it in the first place, is a testimony to God’s grace. It is according to his good pleasure that the gospel goes forth.

The call to go and make disciples of all nations began more obviously with Jesus. But we are not the first to see it. Many before us have taken up the call. Many others have heard it and made it known. We can find this divine summons to proclaim the gospel among all peoples throughout the history of the church. Even in a few surprising places.

This post also appeared at Cross Conference blog.