“‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” -Matthew 22:37-39
“All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. God therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” -Matthew 28:18-20
Too often in the Church today, the “Great Commandment” (Matthew 22:37-39) is pitted against the “Great Commission” (Matthew 28:18-20). Some question why they should venture cross-culturally overseas when there are people to love in their own backyard. Others emphasis our call to “go” the nations seemingly at the cost of our ministry locally. Who is correct?
Steve Hawthorne in the Perspectives Reader (pg. 128-129) points out that both are of equal priority but are not equal in nature:
-The Great Commandment is ongoing
-The Great Commission is a task to be completed
Both are commanded but one will completed at some point in history and the other will be ongoing throughout eternity. That means that we cannot approach each the same nor can we neglect one over the other.
However, both are similar in that both should be focused on God. The Great Commandment is loving God first and the Great Commission results in people following God as disciples. Pitting the two together can lead us to focus on human needs rather than God.
Hawthorne concludes by pointing out that both work together. We cannot effectively make disciples without love for others and ultimately we desire to make disciples who love God and love others.
May both “Great’s” continue to further the glory of our “Great” God.
