The concept of perichoresis has long served as a profound theological framework for understanding the dynamic and relational nature of the Trinity. Describing the mutual indwelling and constant movement between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, perichoresis shows us that the Godhead is not a distant, static unity, but a community of love, eternally revealing Themselves in and through creation. This idea offers rich implications for both missiology and ecclesiology as it reframes how we understand God’s self-revelation and the role of the missionary in participating in His mission. Central to this understanding is the recognition that while God’s self-revelation may appear implicit to us, there is a salvific quality—a mystery of divine action that, while hidden from human eyes, brings about the saving knowledge of Christ.[1]
The mission of the church, then, is more than a mere task to be completed or a checklist of evangelistic goals to be fulfilled. Rather, it is participation in the coordinated movement—the perichoresis—of the Triune God, who, from eternity, has been in relationship within Himself. Gregory of Nazianzus was among the first to articulate the idea of perichoresis, although he didn’t use the term explicitly. He eloquently expresses the mystery of the Trinity when he writes,
“No sooner do I conceive of the One than I am illumined by the Splendour of the Three; no sooner do I distinguish Them than I am carried back to the One…. When I contemplate the Three together, I see but one torch, and cannot divide or measure out the Undivided Light” (Oration XL.XLI).
Gregory’s reflection demonstrates the paradoxical reality of God’s unity and distinction, a foundational element of perichoresis that frames our understanding of the Trinitarian mission.
Nearly 400 years later, John of Damascus introduced the term perichoresis into theological discussion, not only in relation to the Trinity but also regarding the two natures of Christ. Working within the apophatic tradition of the Cappadocian Fathers, Damascus was cautious about circumscribing God’s essence but sought to articulate how God reveals Himself to humanity. As Charles Twombly notes, John accepted the unknowability of God in as much as he believed that what could be known about Him was revealed and constrained in Scripture (Twombly 2015:38). Yet, Damascus did not shy away from introducing new theological language, particularly where it clarified God’s self-revelation following in the footsteps of Justin’s logos spermatikos, Tertullian’s una substantia, tres personae, and Origen’s theotokos. In his magnum opus, An Exposition of the Orthodox Faith, Damascus writes,
“The abiding and resting of the Persons in one another is not in such a manner that they coalesce or become confused, but, rather, so that they adhere to one another… and their mutual indwelling [en allais perichoresin] is without confusion” (The Orthodox Faith 1.14:11-18, trans. Twombly).
This rich theological heritage provides the backdrop for understanding the perichoretic mission of the church.
Perichoresis and God’s Self-Revealing Nature
At the heart of perichoresis is the understanding that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are eternally engaged in a divine dance of coordinated movement, mutually indwelling each other while simultaneously reaching out to the world in love. This relational essence means that God is not just revealing Himself sporadically or incidentally, but continuously, in accordance with His nature as a self-revealing God. Scripture consistently portrays God as self-revealing, beginning with the self-disclosure to Moses through the burning bush where God reveals His name (Exod 3:14), and continuing through the incarnation of Christ (John 1:14), and the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit (John 16:13).
Missiologically, this means that God’s revelation—even where it seems implicit—may in fact be salvific. God is not limited by our human perceptions of what constitutes explicit knowledge of Him. His power transcends human understanding, and as Jesus reminds us, “with God all things are possible” (Matt 19:26). This opens up a broader understanding of how God’s self-revelation might work, particularly in places where the gospel has not yet been formally preached by missionaries. While we may perceive that people in so-called unreached people groups (UPGs) lack explicit access to Christ, perichoresis suggests that God’s self-revelation is not confined to traditional evangelistic means, but can occur through mysterious and supernatural ways, often outside the missionary’s immediate perspective. This view is aligned with Paul’s assertion that “what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them” (Rom 1:19-20).
Salvific Self-Revelation: Dreams and Visions
One of the most compelling examples of God’s mysterious salvific actions is the growing number of testimonies from people, especially in the Muslim world, who have encountered Jesus in dreams and visions. These individuals, often with little or no exposure to formal Christian teaching, report seeing Christ and being called to follow Him in supernatural encounters. These experiences reveal that God’s salvific activity can operate outside the normal channels of missionary work or church planting (Acts 2:17-18).
These testimonies of God’s intervention demonstrate His desire that none should perish (1 Peter 3:15) and testify to the perichoretic movement of God to reveal Himself to people. For example, Ali from Turkey fully believed that he became a Christian after Jesus had appeared to him multiple times beginning on his hajj. Dini from Indonesia had a similar encounter when Jesus appeared and told her to follow Him. After that experience, she gave her life to Christ. Khalil, an Egyptian living in Yemen, also encountered Christ in a dream and was told that Jesus was the one he was reading about in the Bible. After reading the New Testament, Khosrow from Iran experienced a person in his dream who said that his life would change forever. Although he did have a prior encounter with an Assyrian Christian pastor, it was the dream that brought him to Christ. Finally, Muhammed’s prolonged encounter with Christ in Nigeria included instructions from the Bible and Jesus ultimately asked him if he would accept Him as his Savior. Mohammed agreed.[2] All these encounters are remarkable testaments of the extent that God will go to connect with people (motus Dei). They communicate that God is present and at work in what we commonly call spiritually dark places. Amazing stories of divine-human encounters, they exemplify the heart of motus Dei and the actions of the dynamic Trinity.
This phenomenon aligns with the idea of perichoresis as it emphasizes that the Trinity is always in motion—God is continually revealing Himself, reaching into the hearts of those who seek Him, even when no explicit human agent is present (John 6:44). The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are constantly working together in a unified movement of salvation. Thus, what may seem to us like an implicit revelation (the movement of God within a culture, a heart, or a dream) might actually be a direct and salvific encounter with the living Christ.
We see this reflected in the Apostle Paul’s theology as well as his experience (Acts 9:4-6). In Romans 1:20, Paul tells us that God’s invisible attributes—His eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen in creation. Paul’s argument is that God’s revelation is ever-present, and that it reaches all people, leaving no one without some form of witness. This is in line with the idea that God is not far from any of us (Acts 17:27) and invites all to seek Him in faith.
While there might be an uncomfortable skepticism to the missiological implications for perichoresis, Alister McGrath eases the feeling when he sums up the issue. He writes,
“Christians may have failed to make the good news available to all; this does not mean that God will fail in his intention to make salvation a universal possibility” (1996:180).
[1]This should not be understood as universalism or even evangelical universalism.
[2] The written and video testimonies of these five former Muslims are documented at More than Dreams (http://morethandreams.org).