I have a question I’d like you to consider. I raise it because yesterday I was interviewed about this very question by Jim Burns for his nationally syndicated radio program, HomeWord with Jim Burns, who was talking with me about my book, I’m Okay-You’re Not.
The question I explore in I’m OK—and the one I’d like to ask you now—is whether or not you think that The Great Commandment and The Great Commission are (at this point in our culture) incompatible. I’m OK asserts that they are (and then, lest I be accused of being just a troublemaker, goes on to reconcile the two). I don’t want to sum the book up here; it is, after all, a question that demands some real respect and time to deal with properly. But let me here throw out this basic Stack O’ Propositions to you, and see if they don’t bring you to the same conclusion I keep coming to:
1. Fulfilling Jesus’ “Great Commandment” means loving our neighbors as we love ourselves.
2. Fulfilling Jesus “Great Commission” (“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations …”) means sharing the gospel with nonbelievers, in the hopes that they’ll really hear the message of Jesus, believe in Him, and become Christians.
3. Putting The Great Commandment into words means saying to a nonbeliever something that, in essence, amounts to, “I love you with all of my heart.”
4. Putting The Great Commission into words means saying to a nonbeliever something that, in essence, amounts to, “You should exchange whatever you believe in now for belief in Jesus Christ.”
5. Boiled down even further, “You should exchange whatever you believe in now for belief in Jesus Christ,” amounts to, “You need to radically change who you are.”
6. ”I love you with all my heart,” and “You need to radically change who you are” is a confusing, unhelpful message.
7. Maybe we should rethink how we do evangelism.
What do you think? Does all that make sense? Have I totally missed or boggled something in this line of reasoning?
I’m no logician; I’m no theologian; I’m no Bible scholar. I’m just a regular guy who, before I was a Christian, used to wonder how Christians could think that anyone would ever react positively to the message “I love you; now change.”
And now that I am a Christian, I still wonder about that.
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Hi John,
First, thank you for asking the question. Most people would think it is a contradiction based on the answers you have recieved. Here is what my take on your question is. If I love my neighbor like myself then I know my neighbor has a terminal condition that leads to eternal death. I have the antidote, Christ. The most loving thing I can do is build a relationship with that person so they know I care and introduce Christ through my everyday witness so eventually they want to know why I do what I do for them. In time they come to understand I care about them and that they are not just another number. Once they know I care, they begin to care about what I know. Then I introduce them to the medecine, solution to sin, that can heal them and give them eternal life versus death. If I love my neighbor I will do what it takes to help them see the need for change in their lives based on the example I set through Christ. We have the mindset that everything needs to be instantaneous based on our western culture, but 99.99% of people will never respond that way. That is why we must take the time to build relationships so they want to hear. Here is something I tell my congregation every time I have the chance. “People do not care how much you know until they know how much you care.” The only way they will know how much you care is through relationship. We don’t beat our neighbor down because they are living like a heathen. We build a relationship so they can see how much better life can be as a believer through our example. I hope this helps. When I came to this realization suddenly people no longer ran when they saw me coming because I stopped shoving the proverbial 10 Lb Bible down their throats and I began to care like Jesus and met their needs first. Once their needs were met they were willing to hear about Christ in an open, non-threatening way. Thanks for your post and I wish you much success in reaching those around you by loving them as you love yourself.
Cory
“I love you; now change.”
But is this what christians are told to tell people?
The bible says that we are all spiritually dead. What is it that a dead person can do? Change that fact?
So maybe the Holy Gospel is proclamation and not invitation or command?
And maybe that proclamation is like God speaking "Let there be light!" Light spoken is not light that choses to be.
Jesus is the bridegroom. the church is the bride. In his day, marriages were arranged. The bride did not choose the groom.
Find a Lutheran church John. because you are Lutheran whether you know it or not.
Btw, I have found sucess in witnessing by being direct, dealing with the big issues. Asking questions with a smile works very well and trusting God to use His word is great. Definitely a learning experience every time. Questions work well … offer a tract … if its received the ask,"Are you interested in spiritual things? What do you think happens after we die? Do you believe in Heaven and h
Hell? Where do you think you will go after you die? Why? Naturally, give time for responses and try to be brief on the street unless the person shows that they really want to continue. Do not argue or take offence.
Be friendly: I spoke to a lady about the 2 dogs she was walking as I handed her a tract. She took it and started telling me about her dogs, whom she obviously loved. She mentioned that one of them had been rescued after being abandoned. She remarked that the rescued dog always seemed much more grateful than the other dog. What an opening! I told her how Jesus Christ had rescued me and how I am going to be forever grateful to Him …
What if your understanding of the "greatest" commandment is wrong? I would like to say that the greatest commandment in the Bible is one that gives eternal life to the believer. "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved" is far better than asking dead men to love God.
Christ's answer about the "greatest" is in the context of the Ten. Do you not know that both Paul and Peter, James consenting (Acts 15, also Galatians 5) call the Law, all of it, all 10, a yoke of bondage unfit for the necks of new creatures in Christ?
The Law is like an xray machine which can reveal the cancer of sin but cannot cure it. Jesus Christ is the healer who plants a new nature in forgiven sinners. This new nature is equipped to grow and be transformed into the image of Christ as it is fed the Word of God rightly divided.
Oh for a return to Galatians preached and properly understood for a surge of truth and power through out the church of the Living God! Christ fullfilled the Law; both it's righteous requirements and its death penalty for every Law breaker. There is no Gospel but this Gospel and only Gospel believers will go to Heaven having been born again down here. That's a message worth sharing!
It is entirely possible to be saved and afterwards add requirements to grace, thus polluting grace and making it largely inoperative in the present earthly life of the believer.
That is what Paul was dealing with in Galatians. He said that little leaven (that's rotted dough, btw) leaven's the whole lump. We are to get rid of any teaching that contradicts the promises of grace in even the weakest believer's life. God bless, Dennis
John, I think that as christians we've omitted parts of the great commission. The greatest commandment though remains what it is. The thing with the great commission is that it is the "sharing the gospel with nonbelievers". But we often forget what the gospel, which means good news, is in this context.
Yes, it is the gospel of salvation that says "we are all sinners and we are doomed to burn in hell, but jesus christ paid the price in our place, so that if we believe in him, our sins are forgiven and we can now go to heaven". What we often forget though, is that there's also the gospel that the kingdom of god is right here on earth or "at hand". What I mean is that in the context of "sharing" my faith with unbelievers, it is the kingdom of god shining through from the inside out that people around us notice and want to know "hey, you're different. why?". Or showing kindness to someone
who didn't expect it and then wonders why we do what we do.
So it is first the kingdom inside of us that is demonstrated. And then it is communicating the gospel of the kingdom, that this kingdom can also be inside of the unbeliever because of the gospel of salvation.
Now, here's the tricky thing: the great commission can only be fulfilled by fulfilling the great commandment. They MUST go hand in hand, or none of them can be effective. (Otherwise the great commission becomes the great omission – see i told you i keep finding the funnies in everything!)
The great commandment and commission are not contradictory? Loving ones neighbor as one loves himself is the principle motivation behing sharing the gospel (the kingdom of God) the great commission. The kingdom of God first needs to be understood by believers before they can go out to share the "good news" with unbelievers. Christianity gets hung up on the physical cost of what Jesus did at the cross, however, he died to restore the kingdom of God back to man which was lost in the garden. Adam lost dominion over his circumstances in the garden and every man (plural term) on planet earth is seeking to have this restored in his life. Not religion, not New Age, or any world system, but the gospel (the kingdom of God).
I am sorry if my comments are repeating those of others I am not very familiar to your writing or work but i just read your post "Are The Great Commandment and The Great Commission Incompatible?" And thought I would a my thoughts.
I am a follower of Jesus Christ and have been for the last 17 years. I am recently moved to India to share the message of Christ's redemption with those that haven't heard here.
I find the concept that the The Great Commandment and The Great Commission could be Incompatible to be quite absurd, however do see how some could misunderstand the the two to be in a sort of conflict.
SO.. a few quick points
1)
I don't think the gospel message -the heart of what the great commission is- says "I am ok, you're not" I think it says "WE are not ok." and HE is the way to redemption.
Rom 3:23, 5:12
2)
I don't think the great commandment SAYS so much "I love you with all of my heart." I think that it shows that love in a way that is often misunderstood. This idea -doing a loving thing that you don't understand- goes into many parts of our lives.
A few examples are:
a)As a parent you discipline your children for various reasons and often they respond with feeling and actions that are clear that they don't feel loved but they feel chastised.
b)friends and family may sometimes intervene into someones life when they are enjoying the destructive things in life -ie. drug additions- those being intervened upon don't always feel loved but may respond with feelings and thoughts that those intervening are arrogant and judgmental.
c)Often the a state's department for children's welfare will intervene a remove a child from the parents custody, to help both the parent and the child.
Without getting into the semantics of each of my examples these are a few examples of doing loving things that when done are not seen or heard as loving.
We as believers are commanded to love our neighbors AND to tell them the gospel. I believe these two are in fact the same. Sharing the redemptive love of Christ starts with understanding why you need to be redeemed -our sin-. Bringing people to an understanding of why they need to be redeemed in order for them to come into relationship with a infinitely good and perfect God, IS the best way to love your neighbor as yourself.
Mark
Wow. I am amazed to hear such words from a practicing Christian! I am an atheist and I am constantly bombarded with wanna be evangelists offering to “pray for me” or ‘talk about my soul” and other strange nonsense. I work at a restaurant as a waiter and people even leave me tracts with my tip! Why would anyone do such a thing?
It is very hard for me to understand because I have been an atheist since I was 13 years old (I am now 25). I have never known a serious Christian who talks about toning down the preaching.
This very same “morally superior” attitude is what keeps me from being able to maintain friendships with any religious folks at all. All of the people who I can stand being around are atheist, agnostic or pagan. If more religious folks thought like you, then maybe they would have less “militant atheists” to worry about.
I will not be converted and you will not be converted so why can we not be friends? Oh, well. You are in the minority so I guess things will not change anytime soon.
I am going to buy your book from amazon to see what all you have to say. Your message seems pretty positive to me and your fellows should listen closely.
Kerri & John, I see your points and Kerri, I also experienced the same polarizing effect of blurting out the gospel. What I learned was that if it isn't done properly (in love and compassion) it will be received negatively. I also learned that I feel the guilt of not sharing what is the most important relationship in my life if I hold back. Sometimes we wait too long if at the forefront of our minds is simply to build the relationship. Sometimes the best thng for a friend is confrontation, loving confrontation with the truth of the message. After all, their eternal life is at stake.
John, I do need to read your book to get a full understanding of your message.
We have the greatest message in the world. People are dealing with unending problems that range from substance abuse and physical abuse to pride and greed. We have the message to give at just the right moment. I don't you to think that I'm talking about standing on a street corner with a megaphone. I'm talking about lovingly demonstrating and talking about christ at EVERY opportunity. Sometimes people will not want to hear it. (Have you ever received a message you didn't want to hear, but needed?) We are called to bring the message. God prepares the heart. Matt. 13:3-23.
Sorry, Brian: didn't mean to be flippant. Was in hurry. And, in truth, I'm afraid I won't be able to much engage you here, simply because I've SAID everything I have to say on this matter in my book. You know what I mean? You write a book because you have something to say that you think SOMEONE should say–and you take a very long time to make sure you say it all, just right. And then that just sort of … stands as the entirety of everything you would ever have to say-or at least have to say at that point–about that subject.
If I can be perfectly honest with you, here's a truth: People sometimes object to my book for exactly the reasons you've here put forth. But except for one person, so far virtually everyone that's objected to my book hadn't READ it before they began arguing with what they assumed it said. The Outreach interview is good, and I stand by everything I said in it, for sure. But if you're terribly interested in the thinking BEHIND everything I said there, I can only suggest that you consider reading my humble little tome.
(OK, lemme say one thing: You see how you suggest above that what's vital is that we "help people to understand" what they as yet do not? Think about it. What's LESS charming or engaging than having someone try to "help" you understand something they're passionately convinced you need to understand in order for you to become more spiritually mature than you are? Nothing. Someone starts talking to you like that, and you grit your teeth, and try to get away from that person as soon as possible. Because it's obnoxious, and condescending, and patronizing. That's not love. That's … a sure way to violate the Great Commandment, since you can't love someone who ducks every time they see you coming.)
Not, certainly, that you want my advice, but I can't help but suggest that you consider the value of ceasing to worry about who is and isn't a Christian. If Christianity is right and healthy and just, people will come to it. Trust in God.
What she said.
Brian, I don't disagree with you in the desire to see friends and loved ones come to Christ; however, I don't think "I'm OK…" contradicts that desire at all. Of COURSE we Christians want to share the good news with everyone…why wouldn't we want them to share something that is so important to us. For me the key is relationship. Until a person has more or less given me permission to speak into his/her life, I'm just imposing my own beliefs on them. Until that point, any proselytizing or other conversion attempts make me look like a crazed salesperson.
I can tell you, from experience, that I've seen the results of two approaches. In a friendship where my motive was conversion, I hurt and alienated a very good and fun person. I can tell you, she certainly knew my beliefs, and knew I had some good news…she respected them, certainly, but didn't think God or 'religion' was all that important, no matter how much I tried to pound into her that it was a relationship, not a religion, and she really should convert RIGHT NOW. Unfortunately I learned too late that, while I'm certainly willing to share my beliefs, it's up to God to do the actual heart-change in his own time.
Totally different result with another friend…once again, this one knew my beliefs early on thru simply getting to know me. This time, while I made it known that I was always willing to talk about God-stuff, I didn't push. I just enjoyed being friends just for being friends' sake. After several years, the person came to a point of desiring to know more about what being a Christian was all about–bingo. But if I hadn't spent all those years developing a friendship, I can pretty much guarantee I wouldn't have been the one to get to watch God work.
That's my two cents anyway…
There is an important distinction when it comes to our definition of love. Love is desiring the best for someone. God loves us. Not just an emotional feeling but also in desiring the best for us even when we don't know it is best.
An unbeliever doesn't know and doesn't beleive that if they continue in the path they are on it will lead to an eternity seperated from God-a place called hell. To love someone with actions "only" can still lead them to hell if they die before they ask you what you believe, according to your reasoning. Love with actions must include words. Love with words should include actions wherever possible.
Its true that we must love others with actions. But its not enough. I have relatives I love. But if I don't tell them I love them, won't they question my love in the back of their mind?
Making disciples means to come along side of someone and love them. Working with them, helping them to understand. Yes, sometimes it may seem that the messege is "I love you with all my heart and you need to radically change". Many people know they need to radically change. They are suffering with addictions, broken relationships, lack of hope and love. They want answers. The gospel of Jesus Christ provides those answers. Paul said, "I am not ashamed of the gospel for it is the POWER of God to all who believe"!
Mr. Shore,
In the article in Outreach magazine you stated that "And the reason we can meet it—the reason we really can absolutely ignore our concerns about the ultimate welfare of the nonbeliever—is because of the simple, joyous fact that here in America today, everyone already knows about Christ. In this country, the Great Commission has been fulfilled." http://outreachmagazine.com/library/webexclusives…
Is it your understanding that if people know "about " Christ is fulfilling the great commission? The Lord Jesus in the great commission tells His disciples to "make disciples", not tell people about the good news. There is a vast difference. In addition, there are many people today in America who still have never heard the good news even though we "think" it's readily available to them. To tell us that we need not to make disciples in following the command of the great commission is dangerous. The great commandment also tells us to love our neighbors. What greater love is it than for us to desire unbelievers to become believers? Unbelievers end up in eternal torment in hell. Is it love to "just be with nonbelievers, without having to worry about whether or not they convert."? I ache regarding my family and friends that do not have a relationship with Christ. There are thousands of people in rescue missions that are going to a lost eternity. There are millions of people in America that will die in their sins if we stop loving them into the kingdom by following the great commission. I pray for them to know Christ and be saved.
This article and your book "I'm OK-You're not" goes directly against scripture and I pray that you reevaluate the message you're sending to Christians. I hesitate to be stronger in my response to you at this time and I hope and pray that you receive this in love. Please respond.
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