Is the Great Commission irrelevant for the church now?

Good point about the Trinity. My purpose is to address the obsession some churches have over the GC, it is as if the only reason why anyone becomes a Christian, or stay a Christian, is to win others to Christ/make disciples.

Matthew gospel is written to the Jews specifically. The Gentile church can of course learn from those words. For example, it is just like the book of Genesis, God commanded Noah to build an ark, but no Christian now would say that those set of instructions carry over to us now. We can learn from the faith Noah had, to build that ark while everyone else saw no rain, and probably laughed at him.

As for the specific GC instructions, why are we not willing to put the GC under the same category? Why do so many seem to elevate the GC to apply to all of us now?

To whom is thesuthorship of the Book of Acts attribute?


We are all to follow the Example of our Savior, Jesus.

Not all are Evangelists. Jesus did not go out into the world, rather He gave the Gosple to His own Tribe, His own peoplee.

Yes, we are to win others by our very being, but not all are evangelists, and to expect this of ALL is a ridiculous notion while each peron is given his speicial abilities to serve God.

Do not teach others they muist be evangelist if God has not told them to be so.

Sharing the Gospel does not make one an "evangelist" if you are speaking of those that do it as a profession or do so full time. We are to be able to share the hope we have within us. That is for all believers.

To whom is the authorship of the Book of Acts attribute?

We are all to follow the Example of our Savior, Jesus.

Not all are Evangelists. Jesus did not go out into the world, rather He gave the Gospel to His own Tribe, His own people.

Yes, we are to win others by our very being.......

Have you tried to find out why? In fact, every genuinely Christian church should be *overly obsessed* with the Great Commission. And if you are a Christian, so should you.

I suppose you will not urge Christians to come together to build an ark, even though God commanded Noah to do so in Genesis 6:14? Why not when God the Father said it.

If the clear answer is no way, then God the Son commanded this 11 disciples to preach the same gospel he preached in the gospel of Matthew , which he specifically excluded the Gentiles from. In Matthew, we get commandments by the Lord Jesus to his 12 disciples like in Matt 10:5

Question: From this statement by Peter, did he really believed that the GC was for the whole world? What did Jesus commanded to them, in Matthew, regarding preaching to the Gentiles?

Had Jesus intended that they should go to the Gentiles, Peter would not need to say in Acts 10:34,35, “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right.”

After you realized all these things, its easier to understand better why there are some Christians who view the GC as a commandment for Jews to preach to Jews.

Rather for us Gentiles in the church, we should follow Paul's message of reconciliation explained in 2 Cor 5:11-21.

Some arguments why

1. The term "Great Commission" was never in the Bible, and Bible translators only added that in the heading.
2. Matthew's version, the most popular one, had Jesus instructing them to teach others to follow "everything" he has taught them, which if you read the entire Gospel of Matthew, had instructions which are clearly incompatible with Paul's Gospel. "Sell all you have'. 'do not go into the Gentiles' 'I was only sent to the lost sheep of Israel', 'Follow what the Pharisees instruct you as they sat on Moses's seat' etc.
3. John's version had an instruction that only the Roman Catholic church practiced, 20:23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.” No Protestant church that I know of practice this.
4. Mark's version said you must believe AND be baptized to be saved, safe to say, not many churches follow the latter. Furthermore, no church would tell their Gentile believers to pick up serpents as a sign now.
5. Luke's version say you must start from Jerusalem, obviously from what Paul said in Romans 9-11, that avenue is now closed since the vast majority of the Jews rejected the gospel.

What do the rest of you think?

I suppose you will not urge Christians to come together to build an ark, even though God commanded Noah to do so in Genesis 6:14? Why not when God the Father said it.

If the clear answer is no way, then God the Son commanded this 11 disciples to preach the same gospel he preached in the gospel of Matthew , which he specifically excluded the Gentiles from. In Matthew, we get commandments by the Lord Jesus to his 12 disciples like in Matt 10:5

"These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not"

And in Acts, after Jesus gave the so called "Great Commission", Peter understood that aspect completely, that was why he remarked to Cornelius the following in Acts 10

28 And he said unto them, Ye know how that it is an unlawful thing for a man that is a Jew to keep company, or come unto one of another nation; but God hath shewed me that I should not call any man common or unclean.

Question: From this statement by Peter, did he really believed that the GC was for the whole world? What did Jesus commanded to them, in Matthew, regarding preaching to the Gentiles?

Peter had never thought in his life of going to the Gentiles, which only demonstrates that the Great Commission given to them (the Twelve) does not include the Gentile people. For if Jesus intended that they should maActs.you are ciples among the Gentiles, Peter would have known it and would have not said to Cornelius and family, “You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with or visit a Gentile.”

The special revelation that Peter saw made him to say, “So when I was sent for, I came without raising any objection.” Had not God given him this vision he would have objected going to a Gentile family, which again demonstrates that the Great Commission, as clear as it was to the disciples, did not include the command to go to the Gentiles.

Had Jesus intended that they should go to the Gentiles, Peter would not need to say in Acts 10:34,35, “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right.” He does not need to say that if in the first place they were commanded to go to the Gentiles. But as it is, and as Peter and company understood it, the Great Commission was not including the Gentiles.

Some of us Gentiles try to "spritualize" the GC by saying, "Oh Jerusalem means our home country!" That is fine, but at least recognize that that version is not the one that is understood by the 12 disciples in the Gospels and Acts.

After you realized all these things, its easier to understand better why there are some Christians who view the GC as a commandment for Jews to preach to Jews.

As for that one off meeting between Peter and Cornelius, I believe the real objective of the Holy Spirit in arranging that is so that Peter could defend Paul in the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15 and mentioned again in Galatians 2, to protect Paul's gospel to the Gentiles.

The love message of God is indeed for the whole world but let me suggest that for us, Gentile Christians, we should not use the lens of the GC to view that. Rather for us Gentiles in the church, we should follow Paul's message of reconciliation explained in 2 Cor 5:11-21.

To whom is thesuthorship of the Book of Acts attribute?


We are all to follow the Example of our Savior, Jesus.

Not all are Evangelists. Jesus did not go out into the world, rather He gave the Gosple to His own Tribe, His own peoplee.

Yes, we are to win others by our very being, but not all are evangelists, and to expect this of ALL is a ridiculous notion while each peron is given his speicial abilities to serve God.

Do not teach others they muist be evangelist if God has not told them to be so.

The Ark was built for a very specific purpose, which is no longer relevant.


Had you continued reading to the end of Matthew, you would not have made this VERY SERIOUS ERROR.

MATTHEW 28
18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

You are definitely in error. The pre-resurrection preaching was to Israel alone, which was a proclaiming of the arrival of their King per prophecy. This was rejected per prophecy.

Had you continued reading to the end of Matthew, you would not have made this VERY SERIOUS ERROR.

MATTHEW 28
18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

Another example of how terms like "all nations", "all the world" etc are understood in the Greek language. Paul said in Colossians 1:5-6 King James Version (KJV)

5 For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel;

6 Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth:

Here Paul is claiming that "all the world" has heard the gospel. Surely he cannot literally mean everyone on Earth, since places in Asia, Africa and America have not been explored yet during his lifetime.

Some arguments why

1. The term "Great Commission" was never in the Bible, and Bible translators only added that in the heading.
2. Matthew's version, the most popular one, had Jesus instructing them to teach others to follow "everything" he has taught them, which if you read the entire Gospel of Matthew, had instructions which are clearly incompatible with Paul's Gospel. "Sell all you have'. 'do not go into the Gentiles' 'I was only sent to the lost sheep of Israel', 'Follow what the Pharisees instruct you as they sat on Moses's seat' etc.
3. John's version had an instruction that only the Roman Catholic church practiced, 20:23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.” No Protestant church that I know of practice this.
4. Mark's version said you must believe AND be baptized to be saved, safe to say, not many churches follow the latter. Furthermore, no church would tell their Gentile believers to pick up serpents as a sign now.
5. Luke's version say you must start from Jerusalem, obviously from what Paul said in Romans 9-11, that avenue is now closed since the vast majority of the Jews rejected the gospel.

What do the rest of you think?

#1 No others were given that direct assignment from Jesus, aside from Paul.

From this, are you supporting my point that the GC is irrelevant to present Christians in the church? By the way, Paul was given a totally different set of instructions that has nothing to do with the GC. He is to reach out to the Gentiles with a different message, the Gospel of Grace.

#2 You refer to Matthew 23, they sit in Moses seat. Well, not literally. But the scribes and Pharisees did teach the law of Moses. As for us, not under the law of Moses.

Only until Paul was commissioned by the ascended Christ, after the Jews rejected the GC thru the stoning of Stephen, then we get the "secret mystery" that was revealed to Paul, that we are not under the Law.

My point is that, once the mystery of the Church, comprising of Jews and Gentiles under equality, was revealed after the Jews rejected the GC, why is the church then subjected to the GC again?

#3 Remember, only God can forgive sins. But the forgiveness from the apostles is not them doing the forgiveness, it's God. People get forgiveness when they hear and follow the gospel. In that sense the apostles could be said to be forgiving. It's through the gospel they preached that forgiveness would be given to those who obeyed the gospel.

I think the Roman Catholics would disagree with this, like I said they are the only ones practicing that unique instruction in John's version of the GC. Again my point is that, if one were to elevate the GC to a special place in the church, at least be consistent and recognize that the GC is not just the version found in Matthew.

In that sense, its like following the Law. If Gentiles want to follow the Law, they have to follow EVERYTHING in the Law, and not just pick the ones they like, and drop the ones they don't.

#4 Yes, Mark records Jesus' command, He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved...believeth not damned. If you believe that is the truth, you need to follow it. Lots of people follow it.

Few people now preach that salvation is not just believing, you are only saved after you commit yourself to water baptism, for the remission of sins. Does this mean they also do not believe in the GC anymore?

#5 They did go from Jerusalem and preach. The apostles did. Read Acts. Began in Jerusalem.

But Luke's version say you have to start from Jerusalem. If you believe that the GC also applies to the church, why is this beginning no longer followed?

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Thanks for taking the time to comment, here are my comments to your points in red.

You are definitely in error. The pre-resurrection preaching was to Israel alone, which was a proclaiming of the arrival of their King per prophecy. This was rejected per prophecy.