In Matthew 22:34-40 Jesus states that the Greatest Commandment is total love for God which will express itself in selfless love of one's neighbor. All of God's commandments are summed up in this.
In Matthew 28:18-20 declared to all his disciples that He had universal authority, "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them ina 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.”
So how do the Great Commandment and the Great Commission work together? Are they merely two different ways of expressing the same mandate?
While certainly much could be said about how they complement each other there is one major distinction that must be pointed out.
The Great Commandment will never be completed. We will be loving God and our redeemed neighbors in heaven for eternity.
The Great Commission however will be fulfilled and will eventually become history. As pointed out in the previous post, the Great Commission's fulfillment is founded on God's promise to "bless all the nations", a promise reiterated by Jesus Himself (Matthew 24:14). There is a linear point in history where the Great Commission will become the Great Fulfillment.
We are closer than ever to that point.
As you strive for faithfulness to the Great Commandment, may you be used by God to complete the Great Commission.
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