The Mission of God and the Witness of the Church

A Canonical Journey to Explore the Mission of the Eternal God

“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Gen. 1:1). This declarative phrase introduces fundamental questions circling the minds of skeptics and believers of Christianity alike. What was God’s mission when he chose to create? And why, through the Savior’s death on the cross and the witness of his church, does he continue to redeem the very creation that rebels against him?

To answer these imperative questions, author Justin Schell takes readers on a canonical journey exploring the mission of the eternal God―Father, Son, and Spirit. Drawing insights from creation, the exodus of God’s people, the suffering servant, the Great Commission, and consummation, this book examines the purpose and beauty of God’s great story. It is out of an abundance of love that God brings us into union with him, calling his church to bear witness to all that has been done in Christ, until the day that he returns.  

• Explores the Mission of God: Takes readers on a canonical journey to examine the purpose and beauty of God’s story 
• Academic yet Accessible: Perfect for pastors, college and seminary students, missionaries, and lay leaders
• Short Studies in Biblical Theology: Part of a series designed to give readers accessible volumes on God’s word. Other volumes include Sanctification as Set Apart and Growing in Christ; The Sabbath as Rest and Hope for the People of God; and more 

Justin A. Schell (MAR and MAME, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary) is the US Director for Union, a ministry that seeks the reformation of Christ’s church worldwide. He is also the Director of Executive Projects for the Lausanne Movement and has served cross-culturally in the Muslim world. 

Dane C. Ortlund (PhD, Wheaton College) serves as senior pastor of Naperville Presbyterian Church in Naperville, Illinois. He is the author of Gentle and Lowly; Deeper; and Finally Home. Dane and his wife, Stacey, have five children.

Miles V. Van Pelt (PhD, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) is the Alan Hayes Belcher, Jr. Professor of Old Testament and Biblical Languages and the director of the Summer Institute for Biblical Languages at Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson, Mississippi, where he has been serving for almost twenty-three years. He is passionate about teaching the biblical languages, biblical theology, and how the whole Bible, even the Old Testament, always points us to the person and work of Jesus Christ.