Fount and foundation: The Trinity and the mission of the church

The foundation of the mission of the church, frequently described in terms of the task presented in New Testament commission texts or as necessary consequences of other biblical texts, is better described in terms of its relationship to the triune God. Proper recognition of how the church relates to the perfect, triune God requires first recognizing that all the works of God are indivisible, second that the biblical witness requires us to appropriate certain aspects of that work to the three persons of the Trinity. Following these dogmatic guidelines gives better purchase on biblical metaphors for the church as the people of God, the body of Christ, and the temple of the Holy Spirit, which serve to train the church in the manner in which it carries out its mission of witness to the world.