“Jesus begins His Great Commission by asserting that all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Him. In view of this, He commands His disciples to go and make disciples of all nations… So we see that there are two parallel goals: the blessing of Christ to all nations and the reign of Christ among all nations. The first of these goals focuses on the need of people. People need to be saved. People need to be rescued from the wrath of God that is surely coming. People need to be redeemed from their futile, destructive, and empty ways of life. The blessing to all nations addresses the desperate need of people in those nations to hear and embrace the gospel, to trust in Jesus Christ as their Savior.
Jerry Bridges
The second goal focuses on the reign of Jesus Christ in the hearts of those people. Jesus came to save them so that He might reign in their lives. He came “to redeem us from all wickedness and to purily for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good” (Titus 2:14). This speaks of the rule and reign of Christ in the heart of every individual believer.
Now here is an important point. Both of these goals — the blessing to people and the reign of Jesus Christ—are accomplished through the successful proclamation of the gospel among all nations, or to the ends of the earth. As people believe the gospel and are saved, the reign of Christ, in principle, is established in their hearts. They are delivered from the dominion or kingdom of darkness and are brought into the kingdom of Christ (see Colossians 1:13). And it is God’s will that this process should be carried out among all nations, even to the ends of the earth. This, then, is our task: the proclamation of the gospel in all nations so that people of those nations will trust in Christ and be brought under His authority in their lives.”
Reflection:
Is there competition between Jesus as Savior and Jesus as Lord? Not if we believe in and proclaim the real Jesus. He is the Savior who died upon the tree, who redeems sinners, and who displays the love of God as the Lamb of God. And Jesus is the King who demands our allegiance, crushes our enemies, and will judge the world according to His unbending standard. The real Jesus is both Savior and Lord.
So our task, after believing in Him, is to declare His glory to the ends of the earth. We proclaim the good news of His redemption to draw people from every nation under His rule. This is what God is doing in the world through the Holy Spirit, so our calling is to submit to God’s will for our lives as it aligns with that plan.
Some of us will go to the nations. Some of us will give resources to support those who go to the nations. And all of us will pray for God’s favor in the work of spreading Christ’s glory to the nations. An integral part of our identity as the church of Christ is to embrace His mission. It won’t look exactly the same for each of us, but we will be unified as the body in the cause of Christ.
CLICK HERE to get your copy of The Gospel For Real Life by Jerry Bridges
