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Are all Christians commanded to go soul-wining?


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On September 2, 2016 at 10:42 AM, Pastor Scott Markle said:

Yes, all who are born again through faith in Christ are responsible for the ministry and word of the gospel toward the lost world.

On the other hand, upon what grammatical or contextual grounds may we claim that the "great commission" is a "church commission"?  In not one of the "great commission" passages (that is -- Matthew 28:16-20; Mark 16:14-20; Luke 24:44-53; Acts 1:4-8) is the "church" directly mentioned within the immediate context of those passages.

Tell me if I am understanding you correctly.  Are you saying that the great commission was given to individuals, but not to "the church?"  If so, what does that look like in a practical sense?  Would our churches tell us to share the Gospel on our own time, as it were, but not do any collective soul-winning as a church function?  I am just wanting to understand your position correctly.

Edited by Brother Stafford
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41 minutes ago, Brother Stafford said:

Tell me if I am understanding you correctly.  Are you saying that the great commission was given to individuals, but not to "the church?"  If so, what does that look like in a practical sense?  Would our churches tell us to share the Gospel on our own time, as it were, but not do any collective soul-winning as a church function?  I am just wanting to understand your position correctly.

Brother Stafford,

With my posting above, I was simply asking a question for the sake of precision in Bible study.  I was not actually presenting my position thereof.  The question concerns whether or not it is Biblically, contextually legitimate to call the "great commission" a "church commission" if in fact the "church" is not directly referenced in the context. 

That question would lead us further to note that in the immediate contexts for the Biblical recording of the "great commission," it was definitely delivered by our Lord unto the eleven apostles (excluding Judas), yet that it was also intended to extend "even unto the end of the world" as per Matthew 28:20.  So then, the "great commission" could not simply have been for the eleven apostles alone, and none else, since they would die before "the end of the world."  As such, we would conclude that the "great commission" was delivered unto the eleven apostles as a representative group; and we would be brought to ask what grouping they represented in relation to the "great commission." 

Option #1: Were they representative of church leadership, such that the "great commission" is a church leadership commission? 

Option #2: Were they representative of believers in general, such that the "great commission" is a believer's commission? 

Option #3: Were they representative of a church body, such that the "great commission" is a church commission?

The first place that I would look for Biblical evidence as to an answer would be within the immediate context of the "great commission" passages -- Matthew 28:16-20; Mark 16:14-20; Luke 24:44-53; Acts 1:4-8.  As for myself, I am unable to discern anything in these contexts that might help to answer the question.  (Note: If others are able to discern something, I would be interested in their thoughts on the matter.)  Thus I would broaden my search with comparing Scripture to Scripture, considering specifically other New Testament passages concerning the responsibility of gospel ministry. 

Even so, this search leads me to 2 Corinthians 5:17-21.  To me this passage appears quite clearly to indicate that the responsibility of gospel ministry is not simply for church leadership, but is universally for all believers, that is -- for all who are regenerated by faith in Christ as "new creatures" in Christ.  Thus I would remove option #1 from my consideration.  To me this passage also appears to indicate that the responsibility of gospel ministry is for all believers from the very moment that they become "new creatures" in Christ.  As such, I believe that this passage would provide evidence for option #2 (over option #3) above; and thus I would hold that the "great commission" is a believer's commission.

So then, how would we then apply the "great commission" as a believer's commission in a practical manner?  First, all believer's must recognize their individual responsibility before the Lord to minister the gospel unto the lost world.  Second, all believer's should carry a burden for all individual souls ("every creature"), for all ethnic groups ("all nations"), for the gospel to spread throughout all the world ("all the world"), and for the gospel to spread outward from their own location ("in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth").  Third, all believer's must recognize the importance of the Lord's church in relation to the "great commission;" for into what are new converts to be baptized and through what are new converts to be taught all of the things which the Lord has commanded us?  According to the whole of New Testament doctrine, it seems clear to me that they are to be baptized into the Lord's church and are to be taught through the Lord's church ministry.  Thus in my position I hold that the "great commission" is a believer's commission unto gospel ministry; but I do not wholly separate it from every believer's responsibility to be involved with church ministry.

I pray that this "long" explanation (which is common for me to do) was helpful for your understanding, and not confusing.  If you have any further questions (or even argumentations), I am willing to engage with them.

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