The everlasting mission of God: Eternity, temporality, and the missio Dei in Karl Barth’s theology

Abstract

This paper argues that the missio Dei continues into the new creation. God’s mission is his sending of the Son into the created world in his revelation, so it is a movement from eternity to time. Karl Barth’s ‘infinite qualitative distinction’ between time and eternity distinguishes God’s eternal being from human existence as temporal creatures, which is maintained in the new creation. Thus, it is necessary for God’s continuing mission in the person of Jesus Christ, who is the mediator between God and humanity in the union of his two natures.