God’s Global Purpose in the Old Testament
In the opening pages of Genesis, it doesn’t take long to notice God’s global plan of redemption. After creating mankind in his own image, the very first words he speaks to them is a command to “be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth” (Gen 1:28). It is clear from the outset that he has plans to fill the earth with his image.
Well, you know the story. Man sins. God sends a flood. He starts again with Noah, and he says to him once again, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth” (Gen 9:1).
Once again, however, the intention of men’s hearts are exposed, as they show themselves to be more concerned with their own glory rather than the glory of God. In chapter 11, instead of filling the earth to make a name for God, they attempt to stay put and make a name for themselves. They begin building a tower with its top in the heavens, and when the Lord comes down to survey their tower, I am sure he is quite impressed! (Exaggeration intended). From there, he confuses their languages and disperses them over the face of all the earth (Gen 11:1-9). Languages are introduced, and nations are formed. And from there starts God’s global mission to bring all these nations back into relationship with himself.
It starts in the very next chapter. God instructs Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Gen 12:1-3).
Abram has a son named Isaac, and God repeats this promise to him, saying, “I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and will give to your offspring all these lands. And in your offspring all the nations of the earth shall be blessed” (Gen 26:4).
And once again, to Isaac’s son, Jacob, God repeats the promise, “Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and in you and your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed” (Gen 28:14).
We are not even out of Genesis and it is clear that God intends to bless the nations of the earth by bringing them back into relationship with himself.
After first discovering God’s global plan of redemption, I was amazed at how many Old Testament stories had this theme at the center. For example:
- The 10 commandments were given to show God’s “wisdom and understanding to the nations” (Deut 4:5-6),
- David defeated Goliath so that “all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel” (1 Sam 17:46).
- God gave Solomon wisdom, and as a result, “people of all nations came to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and from all the kings of the earth, who had heard of his wisdom” (1 Kings 4:34)
- God brought Israel out of exile so “that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth” (Isaiah 49:6).
- Even the stories of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (Dan 3:28-29), Daniel in the lion’s den (Dan 6:25-26), and Jonah (entire book) had this theme at the center.
And that just summarizes the Old Testament!
God’s Global Purpose in the New Testament
The New Testament displays this theme even more! The Great Commission, of course, has “all nations” as it’s focus (Matt 28:19-20). But consider some of these other examples:
- In the birth story, some of the first ones to meet the Messiah were wise men from the nations.
- When Jesus flipped the tables in the temple, his reasoning was that “‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations” (Mark 11:17).
- Even John 3:16, the most popular verse in Christianity, has the whole world as the scope of God’s love.
- Or consider the entire book of Acts, or any of Paul’s letters (written to the Gentiles – or to “the nations”).
From cover to cover – from Genesis to Revelation – the consistent theme seen throughout is that God has a purpose of redeeming people of every tribe, tongue and nation. This theme continues all the way to its consummation, where at the end of history, surrounding the throne of God will be people representing each of these groups. Revelation 7 says:
After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen” (Rev 7:9-12).
We Must Be Global Christian
Surveying this, John Stott concluded, “We must be global Christians with a global vision because our God is a global God.” I wholeheartedly agree.
Today, there are nearly 7.5 billion people scattered across 17.000+ different people groups in 195 different countries, and more than 40% of them have never heard the gospel. As a church, we must make those people a priority, because our God has made them a priority.
The West Virginia Baptist Convention is committed to making disciples around the globe both by partnering with long-term missionaries and by commissioning short-term teams. In our history, we have commissioned 41 different full-time missionaries, and in this year alone, we have already commissioned over 100 short-term missionaries to five different continents.
How might God be calling you to participate in his global plan of redemption? A quick survey of Scripture shows us that all of us have a role to play.
