Gospel, Communication and Contextualization

Contextualization is necessary and possible because of the incarnation of Jesus Christ. The incarnate God translated the divinity into humanity so that people can understand and receive the eternal salvation of God in Jesus Christ. Jesus was a first-century Galilean Jew and communicated the transcendent truth of God in a human language. The incarnation of Jesus Christ indicates that the gospel is translatable. The gospel is contextualized when it is translated from one language to another. Every attempt to translate the gospel from one language to another is an attempt to contextualize the gospel message in order that a particular cultural group can understand the gospel, believe the gospel, and be saved by the gospel. His incarnation makes contextualization necessary and possible.

In Encountering Theology of Mission (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2010), Craig Ott, Stephen Strauss, and Timothy Tennent define the term contextualization as follows:

Contextualization means relating the never-changing truths of Scripture to ever-changing human contexts so that those truths are clear and compelling. It is the process of engaging culture in all its varied dimensions with biblical truth (p. 266).

Contextualization is a constant engagement between the never-changing truths of Scripture and the ever-changing human contexts. Sound theology must be able to translate the never-changing gospel truth and adapt it to a particular, ever-changing culture without compromising the essence and particularity of the gospel. Thus, all theology is contextual theology. Thus, it is not a matter of whether or not contextualization is necessary. Rather, it is a matter of how contextualization is understood and applied in particular time and space with scriptural integrity and missiological relevance.

Paul is a great contextual theologian, pastor, and missionary in the New Testament. He uses various ways and metaphors to express the same gospel to different Christian churches. In Romans and Galatians, in order to address the significance of the Jewish law and the inclusion of Gentiles as God’s people through faith by grace, Paul uses the language of “righteousness” by faith. In 1 Corinthians, he talks about the wisdom of the world and the foolishness of the cross. In 2 Corinthians, he turns to the “weakness” of the cross. To the church in Philippi, he speaks of “citizenship,” which is in heaven (Phi. 3:20). Every Philippian understood this political metaphor well, for Philippi was a Roman colony (Acts 16:12). In Colossians, in response to false teachings, the supremacy of Christ is greatly exalted over all other powers, and Christ’s divinity and humanity are skillfully balanced and highly affirmed. In Recovering the Full Mission of God: A Biblical Perspective on Being, Doing and Telling (Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 2013), Dean Flemming says, “In each case, Paul crafts a theological response that fits the context. The one abiding gospel can address different audiences in a whole variety of forms” (p. 170).