What Is the Great Commission?

Young Woman Contemplating the Great Commission

What is the Great Commission? Is it something the church should practice today? If so, how does it impact the church and its mission?

We've developed this study to answer these questions. If you want to know more about the Great Commission, then take this mini-course.

Each lesson teaches you what the Great Commission is all about. At the end of each lesson is a short quiz to test your knowledge and help you learn the content better.

Interested? If not, we've prepared this page as a synopsis of the Great Commission. This page carries many of the important facts of the Great Commission. But if you really want to dig in, take our three-lesson mini-course.

Ready? Let's jump into the content.

What Is the Great Commission?

The Great Commission originated with Jesus. It's the risen Lord’s command that His followers go and make disciples of all nations. They do so under His authority and with His ongoing presence (Matthew 28:18–20).

In the New Testament, this Commission appears in parallel scenes after Christ's resurrection. They are detailed in Matthew, Luke, John, and Acts.

Dealing with the Difficult Stuff First

Some might object to the list we've presented. Why? Because they may notice something missing. And they would be correct to notice.

What's missing? One gospel: Mark.

Why isn't it in the list above? Doesn't it contain an account of the Great Commission?

Yes, it does. And, yes, Mark is the real deal. It's a genuine gospel that the church has held as true Scripture for nearly two millennia.

So why isn't it in the list of Great Commission passages? Here's the simplest we can put it:

It's because the ending to Mark (Mark 16:9–20) appears to have been added later. The style, vocabulary and other factors confirm this hypothesis. The Markian Great Commission is part of this longer ending.

Uh-oh. Does this mean this isn't Scripture? Now we can't trust our Bible? Does our Christian faith hang in the balance?????

No. Surprisingly, it's just the opposite. Let me explain:

Every statement made in the longer ending of Mark is a virtual copy from another gospel. In other words, the words are still from the Bible. They're just placed in a different location than they were originally written.

No one added to God's Word. They simply made some unwise choices in moving verses around. Mark may not have written it. But it's still God's Word.

So we aren't dealing with additions. We're dealing with redundancies. In other words, the reason why we aren't using the Great Commission in Mark isn't because it isn't Scripture. We're not using it because everything it mentions is already in the other gospels.

For the sake of keeping this short, we're going to move past Mark and deal with this topic from the standpoint of the other three gospels and Acts. Mark 16:9–20 won't serve as a primary foundation here as a Great Commission text.

However, if you want a lesson on the details of the longer ending in Mark, click here to tell us!

Let's glance at what we'll be studying.

How the Study Will Shake Out

As we answer the question, "What is the Great Commission?", we'll inspect the topic from several perspectives. Each lesson will deal with a different perspective about the Great Commission.

Each lesson is short and to the point.

Here's what it looks like:

Lesson 1 -- The Great Commission in Matthew

In the first lesson, we'll consider the Great Commission in Matthew. He gives us the most detailed account. So we'll focus on the overarching idea behind the Great Commission first.

Find Lesson 1 here.

Lesson 2 -- The Great Commission Beyond Matthew

We'll broaden our scope in the penultimate lesson. We'll look at the other accounts of the Great Commission. Although not as detailed, they color in some of the areas that Matthew doesn't go into detail on.

Find Lesson 2 here.

Lesson 3 -- The Mission of the Church

In Lesson 3, we'll trace how the Great Commission was obeyed in the book of Acts. The principle only works if Jesus' followers actually obey it. Did they? If so, how far did they go to actually obey Christ's commands. We'll also observe how that scenario plays out in the modern church.

Find Lesson 3 here.

What's Next?

If you want to answer the question "What is the Great Commission?" then this is the study for you. Jump in and enjoy.

But understand something first. The Great Commission is about Jesus Christ. It's about how He came to save sinners who couldn't save themselves.

Have you accepted that forgiveness? Have you turned from the world and committed your life to Jesus Christ?

That's what the Great Commission is all about. It's more than just evangelism. It's victorious salvation that leads to a fulfilling, happy Christian life found only in Jesus.

If you haven't already, accept Him today.

Lesson 1

Lesson 2

Lesson 3