Mere Missions

I ntroduction • 25

heart in such a tragedy as this? Or what about the justice that is to, “roll down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream” (Amos 5.4). Yet the “eternal eye” of the Son of God, allowed Him to communicate the most caring, sympathetic, pastoral and just of all responses to be given to man(kind), “Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” The Greek word used for perish is, permanent (absolute) destruction, i.e. to cancel out (remove); “to die, with the implication of ruin and destruction”; cause to be lost (utterly perish) by experiencing a miserable end. What could be more caring, sympathetic, pastoral, and just than this? “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world [social justice] and forfeit his soul? For what can a man give in return for his soul?” (Mark 8.36-37). Mere Missions is ultimately about the salvation of human beings, the salvation of their “souls.” The Lord has bound (Matt. 12.29), disarmed (Col. 2.15) and inflicted a wound into our spiritual enemy that now allows souls to be set free (Luke 4.18) from the bondage and tyranny that all have been born into. Humanity is liberated from the chains of sin and death that Satan kept us in bondage to and, he himself, is now bound as a captive. The Gospel is the power that sets souls free when received in obedient faith. It was for freedom that Christ Jesus set us free (Gal. 5.1). This freedom, however, results in life-transforming good deeds done to our friends, families, and neighbors. These works of kindness, justice, and righteousness give full demonstration of the grace that has touched our souls and given birth to these works we do: “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them” (Eph. 2.10). The soul that claims to be saved should walk in the works that God has prepared for her or him to do; faith without works, in every case, is really dead (James 2.14-26). So, we see the challenge to be clear. The Holy Spirit directs the church to souls (with the biblical allusion to the eternal part of