"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 is probably one of the most misunderstood verses ever, so I will break it down here.
- Jesus was saying these things to his disciples this after they had finished their training with him, so this verse is primarily for pastors.
- In the Greek, the word "go" is not a command. It is more of "as you are going." The command is the phrase make disciples, which is specifically their job.
- Baptism saves you and you are made a disciple through it. It is done to you, not a work of you, so age does not matter.
- In the Greek the word observe, is not so much obey commands as abide in teaching (or doctrine).
- This makes sense because in John 8:31 Jesus defines discipleship in just such a way: So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples."
- If you hold to the true doctrine of the Bible (and are therefore a disciple) the world will hate you and persecute you for it (John 15:18-27).
Therefore, Jesus is telling Pastors, that as they are going about their ministry, the way they are to make people believe in Jesus and his doctrine is by baptizing all people of any ethnicity and age and teaching them the doctrine.
Additionally, Parents are primarily evangelists. The main job of parents is to get their kids baptized and teach them about Jesus. Parenting is fulfilling the great commission.
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