Lausanne World Pulse – Themed Articles – Evangelization and Worship: Toward a Doxological Evangelization

By Alberto Fernando Roldán

(Editor’s note: This article is also available in Spanish. To read the Spanish edition, click here.)

Biblical evangelization is doxological because it always tends to glorify the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Introduction
One of the first things we should keep clear when we speak of evangelization is that it represents much more than a mere transmission technique of certain “spiritual laws” or “essential things we need to know.” This kind of content ends up being a reductionism that has no solid base in scripture. In fact, it represents a type of sales technique. The gospel, as expressed in the New Testament, is an exposition of the totality of God’s purpose for humankind and all of creation.

Therefore, the transmission of the gospel—that is, evangelization—implies a message that displays what God has proposed to do with his creation through Jesus Christ. How is evangelization related to worship? What should an evangelization that promotes the glory of God look like? In what sense is a doxological¹ evangelization an eschatological anticipation? There are at least three aspects of doxological evangelization.

1. A Doxological Evangelization Is Trinitarian in its Content and Exposition
In the hymn of Ephesians 1:4-14, Paul refers to the spiritual blessings that demonstrate the redemptive plan of the triune God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Each of the persons of the Trinity—in what theology calls “economic Trinity”²—carries out its saving action following an eternally pre-elaborated plan. In effect, Paul says the Father “chose us in him (Christ) before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will” (1:4-5).

Subsequently, in Jesus Christ, we have redemption, forgiveness of sins and knowledge of the mystery of the will of God to bring all things together in Christ and an eternal inheritance. Finally, the Holy Spirit seals us as God’s property, thus guaranteeing our inheritance in the triune God. There is no doubt this brief synthesis of the purpose of God is the gospel. Paul himself says, “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit” (1:13).

Alberto Fernando Roldán is Argentinian. He is pastor of the Presbyterian Church San Andrés in Buenos Aires, Argentina; director of the masters of religion program at the Theological Institute FIET; and director of the magazine Teología y cultura.