What is the Great Commission?

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Question 11023

The Great Commission is the final instruction Jesus gave to His followers before ascending to heaven, and it defines the church’s mission until He returns. It is not one task among many. It is the task, the overarching purpose for which the church exists between the ascension and the Rapture. Understanding it properly requires attention to what Jesus actually said, to whom He said it, and what it demands of every generation of believers.

---

The Text

The fullest form of the Great Commission is found in Matthew 28:18-20: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” The command rests on the authority of the risen Christ. It is not a suggestion from an inspirational teacher. It is a directive from the one to whom all authority has been given.

Parallel commissions appear in Mark 16:15 (“Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation”), Luke 24:46-48 (repentance and forgiveness of sins proclaimed to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem), John 20:21 (“As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you”), and Acts 1:8 (“You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth”). Each account adds a distinctive emphasis, but together they form a unified mandate: the gospel must go to all peoples everywhere, and the church is the instrument through which this happens.

The Structure of the Commission

The central imperative in Matthew 28:19 is “make disciples” (matheteusate). The three participles that accompany it describe how this happens. “Going” assumes movement. The gospel does not stay in one place; it goes where people are. “Baptising” establishes the public identification of new believers with Christ and His body. “Teaching” is the ongoing, lifelong process of instructing believers in everything Jesus commanded. The scope is “all nations” (panta ta ethne), every people group on earth. The promise that sustains the whole enterprise is the presence of Christ Himself: “I am with you always.”

To Whom Was It Given?

The Great Commission was given to the eleven apostles, but it was never intended for them alone. The instruction to make disciples “to the end of the age” extends far beyond their lifetimes. The Commission belongs to the whole church, in every generation, until Christ returns. It is not the special responsibility of missionaries or pastors. It is the shared calling of every believer, exercised in different ways according to gifts, circumstances, and calling, but binding on all.

The Authority Behind It

Jesus prefaced the Commission with a staggering claim: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” This is the foundation. The church goes not in its own strength but under the authority of the risen, exalted Christ who possesses all power in every realm. This means the mission cannot ultimately fail. The gates of hell will not prevail against the church that Jesus is building (Matthew 16:18). Opposition, persecution, and difficulty are real and expected, but they do not have the final word. The one who sends has all authority, and His presence accompanies His people into every situation the Commission leads them.

So, now what?

The Great Commission is not a historical curiosity from the first century. It is the standing orders of the church until Jesus comes. Every local church should measure its priorities against this mandate. Every believer should ask how their life, resources, gifts, and prayers contribute to the task of making disciples of all nations. The Commission has not been rescinded. The authority behind it has not diminished. And the promise of Christ’s presence that accompanies it is as real today as it was on that mountain in Galilee.

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20