“The Great Commission” refers to a charge Christ gave to His disciples (and by extension the Church) recorded in Matthew 28:18-20 – And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” This was among the last statements Christ made before His ascension, a final edict to guide the saved in their priorities. A “disciple” is one who earnestly devotes themselves to a teaching or standard; the Church was to spread the Gospel to everyone, so that all would know of Christ’s sacrifice, their opportunity for redemption, and the Way by which they were to live according to His love.
What was not commanded was for the Church to bring the world into subjugation under its stewards. Such a possibility would not only corrupt the message of Christ, but would also alter the internal functions of the Body. But men, either in greed or ignorance, would over time warp the holy institution into a power of governance, placing themselves in political authority over entire nations. Claiming to be God’s earthly messengers, they became enemies of Christ, condemning and even killing those who held to the Truth. Such were the travesties committed in the name of zeal, that to this day the world’s perception of God is tainted. On such misrepresentation is the greater condemnation amongst these various misconceptions, because those propagating it had been privileged to uphold the Gospel, but instead sought to crush it.
Modern secular skepticism may be partially influenced by this miscarriage of the Commission, being discouraged by the rampant hypocrisy in the institutional church. Nonetheless, the responsibility of understanding falls upon the individual, and ultimately the foundation of such beliefs remains consistent with the root of all sin; mankind desires to rule his own life as though he were God. By denying the existence of divinity altogether, we justify the autonomous lifestyle as free of objective standards; for from what could such standards otherwise come? From this point, philosophy becomes a game of justifying by other means the standards we wish to keep, while avoiding subservience to the Creator.
God does not suffer from lack in His sovereignty. The Holy Roman Empire could not add to His power, for it was already infinite. Those who deny His existence are no less dependent upon Him for their own. To doubt the sufficiency of His authority is futile, and ultimately only serves to distract from appreciating its perfection and purpose. God’s sovereignty is co-equal to His love, and we are privileged to appreciate this personally, if we can but trust in its truth.
Be at peace. TTT
PS: Hiatus was due to sickness.