V — ESSENTIALS
V — WHAT ARE THE ESSENCE AND ESSENTIALS OF THE GREAT SENDING AND CHRIST-APOSTOLIC AUTHORITY?
SENDER – Jesus did not send Himself! He did not presume the mission Himself without His Father. God the Father sent Him and in that sending, Christ was given authority. Nor did the Holy Spirit presume the mission Himself. The Sender of the Holy Spirit was God the Father and the Son Jesus. Individual believers and the community of faith do not ascribe their mission unto themselves. Their Sender is Christ, who gives authority in His sending of the believers to be co-heirs and co-associates with Him in His mission to the world. The Sender is the initiator!
THE SENT – Jesus was a sent one and the recipient of authority; the Holy Spirit was a sent one and authorized; those who are baptized into Christ are sent ones by Jesus and are granted authority to go into the world with the Gospel.
THE SENDING NATURE (THE FULL CHARACTER AND SIGNIFICANCE OF “SENDING”)
An official act or an official function
“Sending” is, in its essence, the granting of authority
The Sender is authorizing an official representation of the Sender
Sending always involves relationship between the sender and sent
Sending always requires the sacrifice of leaving (as Jesus left His heavenly home for earth, the disciples left their nets and boats, and the Samaritan woman left her water pot)
Authorized sending always requires the sacrifice of going (see Matthew 28:19 – “as you go”)
Sending always is the giving of an authorized task, such as Christ’s rescue mission and the believers or disciples proclaiming the Gospel, witnessing, etc. (see Luke 24:47-49 and Acts 1:8)
Sending always involves an authorized message such as reconciliation through Christ alone, the Gospel message (2 Corinthians 5:14-21)
The sending always involves the providing of resources, such as the power of the Holy Spirit (John 20:22), the consistent presence of Jesus (Matthew 28:20), the Word, and prayer
A core ingredient of sending is its purpose, God’s ἵνα (hina, so that), such as forgiveness, eternal life, unity with and in Christ, salvation, know God’s love, believe, etc.
A final and necessary essential of being sent is the recipient or target, the audience – that is, the world, every tribe, language, nation, and all people living on earth
16. John 20:21-23 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.”
17. Galatians 4:4-5 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.
18. Hebrews 2:14 Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil.
19. Hebrews 3:14 For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end.
20. 1 Corinthians 1:9 God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
21. Matthew 9:6 “But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins” — he then said to the paralytic — “Rise, pick up your bed and go home.”
22. John 20:31 But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
23. 2 Corinthians 5:14-21 For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised. From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
(For further study, see the Second and Third Articles, the Apostle’s Creed, and the Office of the Keys, Luther’s Small Catechism.)
