Matthew 28:18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Before his ascension, Jesus left some final instructions. He told his disciples to make more disciples. It seems to me that he then describes basically – and fairly simply – what that means.
“Baptizing them” – The New Testament fairly consistently says that baptism is a part of proper response to the gospel message. It is not an isolated practice, but associated with repentance and faith.
Acts 2:38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.”
Acts 8:12 But when they believed Philip as he proclaimed the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.
A disciple must, of course, believe in Jesus.
“Teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you.” – I believe that is is simply the core of what it means to be a disciple.
The corresponding position to teacher is learner. Disciples are learners. We learn from the master, Jesus. We also learn from other disciples who are learning from and following Jesus.
Learning to obey Jesus is the fundamental task of disciples.
John 14:15 “If you love me, keep my commands.”
We often wonder, which ones? The great commandment – love the Lord, love your neighbor? Take care of the least of these? Love your enemies?
While I believe it is helpful to go back to core ideas that encompass many others, like the great commandment, there is also a danger here.
The answer is not in choosing specific commandments, but all of them.
When we pick and choose certain things we can move ourselves away from the Bible – more specifically the Gospels. The Gospels are the field manual for disciples. Disciples of Jesus will keep going back to the teaching of Jesus to learn not only what to believe, but how to live.
So, my simple proposal is this: A disciple is someone who is learning to obey everything that Jesus commanded.
This includes what to believe about Him, how to view and treat others, how to live in this world in light of the world to come.
What are your thoughts?
Dan Masshardt
At the Church of God of Landisville we use this definition: A DISCIPLE IS A PERSON LIVING IN DAILY OBEDIENCE TO THE WILL AND PURPOSE OF GOD. COMMITTED TO BEAR FRUIT FOR THE KINGDOM