“Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20)

The Great Commission;  An often quoted verse in Christian circles and especially by  those on the mission field. But very often, verse 20, “..and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you”….is overlooked and skipped over by believers in Jesus. So I decided to take a closer look at the meaning of the first half of verse 20, especially in light of the fact that there is so much controversy in the Church of what Jesus said, meant and really believed.

First of all we are “to teach”, i.e., to instruct, to impart the knowledge of, to tell, to let it be known, to show how….So, we are to teach what? Obedience to everything, yes, everything that Jesus command

ed us to do..

Obey: to comply with the commands of, to be ruled by, to submit to the direction or control of, ..And so what were Jesus’ commands?

Easy answer. Everything that God the Father said applies to Jesus. Because Jesus said, “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30)….”Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.” (John 14:9b)…

Therefore, take heed of the commandments in the Old Testament along with Jesus’ commands in the New Testament and obey both.. Jesus said ,” Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” ( the Law and the Prophets encompassed the entire Old Testament) .. So how did Jesus fulfill the teachings in the Old Testament? He completed the teachings by  His performance , God in the form of Man , sinless and Holy,,,showing us how to live in obedience to God the Father.

Jesus sacrificed on the cross so that we could have forgiveness for our sin…. Let us not take the grace of God, through the sacrifice of his Son Jesus, the Christ, as a license to sin. Jesus said to the woman caught in adultery,” then neither do I condemn you,..Go now and leave your life of sin” ( John 8:11)

“To obey is better than sacrifice” (1Samuel 15:22b) …God honors His Word above everything…

“We know that we have come to know Him if we obey his commands. The man who says, “I know Him”, but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in Him.” (1John 2:3-4)

“If we claim to be without sin, we decieve ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” ( 1John 1:8-9)

Sin is rampart in the Church.. My fellow believers, we worship a Holy God, a righteous God, who, by His nature cannot tolerate sin. Yes, we are flawed human beings and we sin, and make mistakes. But, we have a Heavenly Father who, by His grace and mercy will forgive us if we repent and ask for forgiveness. What is repentance?  Repentance is a state of being penitent, contrition for sin. Repentance is such sorrow for past conduct as produces a new life.  That means, moving in a different direction, moving away from the things that God says are sinful and displeasing to Him.

“If you love me, you will obey what I command” ….the words of Jesus (John 14:15)