The Great Commission of the Bible

The passage in the Bible that is known as the Great Commission, Matthew 28:18-20, is so called because a commission is defined as an authoritative order or directive. These are the last words spoken by Jesus to his disciples. Jesus identifies himself immediately as the authority in the universe, given to him by virtue of the fact that he is God made man. He commands, not only his disciples who heard his words, but all his disciples, all Christians, to teach and share the Good News as we have been taught. Jesus' words are a directive that spans time, and he promises he will be with us until the end of time.

As Christians, we are called to put our faith into action, to be witnesses to what we know and have learned. The Great Commission is the source of that call. We are told to go, and by extension, to get going if we aren't going already. Although we are individual people, we are not meant to live solitary, individual lives. We live in community and our responsibility is to go into the community, to everyone we meet, and make new disciples, or introduce them to a relationship with Jesus Christ. This doesn't mean we have to preach to the masses, but rather, evangelize one person at a time. Once we've introduced people to Christ, we're commissioned to teach them all that we have been taught. It is through this teaching that we will help the new disciples grow into a deeper relationship with Christ.

Everywhere we go, we are called to share the Gospel. The Great Commission is the responsibility of every believer and nothing else we can do in life will be as important as leading souls to Christ.