When people toss around the phrase “Great Commission,” it often feels like gospel truth for every believer to be out there knocking on doors or preaching on street corners. But if you’ve spent time digging into Paul’s letters with an eye on “rightly dividing the Word of Truth” (2 Timothy 2:15), you quickly realize something’s off. The message we’re called to live by isn’t the same as the marching orders Jesus gave His disciples before heading back to Heaven. Why? Because grace changed everything.
The Great Commission Was a Jewish Commission
Think about it: Jesus delivers the Great Commission to His disciples—Jewish men who were called to usher in the kingdom promises specifically to Israel first. Matthew 28:18-20 isn’t just, “Go tell everyone, everywhere.” There’s a particular audience implied that often gets slipped under the rug. When Jesus commanded, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations,” those “nations” were still operating in an Old Testament kingdom mindset. The Kingdom was at hand, right? The Temple was standing. The Law was the foundation. The commission was about Israel’s restoration.
The Great Commission belongs to that era, to that covenant. It was fulfilled, fought through, and redefined once Jesus died, rose, and sent Paul with the message of grace. This shift from a kingdom gospel to a grace gospel cannot be overstated. Paul’s letters make it clear: the Law, the Prophets, and the Kingdom commissions now occupy a different space. It’s a new revelation, given to Paul, that we walk in today.
Paul’s Gospel — The Grace Gospel — Isn’t the Great Commission
Here’s the kicker—Paul’s gospel, starting after Pentecost and emphasized in letters like Ephesians, Galatians, and Romans, revolves around faith apart from works of the Law. This is a game-changer. Paul repeatedly points out that the Great Commission doesn’t define the believer’s mandate under grace. Why? Because we are not under the Law, nor under the Kingdom commission to Israel.
In Acts 9 and 13, Paul’s called to open the door to the Gentiles as a mystery previously hidden. What mystery? That salvation by grace through faith is extended to all men, Jew and Gentile alike, by the revelation given to Paul. Ephesians 3:6 is clear: Gentiles are fellow heirs and partakers of the promise in Christ by the gospel Paul preaches. This is a different set of instructions than Jesus gave His disciples before His ascension.
Are We Ignoring the Great Commission?
Not exactly. More like we’re not under it. It’s a subtle but massive distinction. When you understand that the Great Commission was a kingdom call to Israel and that Jesus laid down different plans for the body of Christ through Paul, the pieces start to fit. We’re under the “ministry of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:18), the grace message. We preach Christ crucified, risen, and seated at the right hand of God.
This isn’t about diminishing the call to share the faith. As Paul told Timothy, sound doctrine and witnessing to the gospel are still vital. But the nature and content of the gospel we proclaim are not the “kingdom” gospel of the Great Commission. We proclaim the grace gospel of the mystery now revealed.
Why Does This Distinction Even Matter?
Because if we stumble over these differences, it’s easy to undermine what Paul suffered for. Grace believers risk falling back into legalism, or worse, becoming frustrated because the Law-based commission doesn’t align with our experience or calling. Have you ever heard someone insist that every Christian’s job is to win the lost with repentance and baptism for the remission of sins? Sure, that’s in the kingdom message. But our calling under grace is to preach grace by faith alone, not works.
Trying to shoehorn believers today into the Great Commission confuses people and can weigh down their conscience unnecessarily. Instead of resting in what Christ did once for all (Hebrews 10:10), they feel perpetually tasked with obeying an outdated command—a command that brought people to kingdom discipleship, not grace salvation.
What Does This Mean for Us Practically?
OK, so if we aren’t under the Great Commission, what are we supposed to do? That’s where it gets exciting. Paul tells us that we have been entrusted with the message of reconciliation. Our commission? To vigorously proclaim Christ as the risen Savior, exalt His finished work, and welcome people into the family of God through faith.
Here’s the secret sauce:
🌟 Focus on Christ alone—His death and resurrection fully pay the price.
🌟 Recognize salvation is a gift—not a checklist of kingdom requirements.
🌟 Live out grace daily, loving others as a reflection of God’s kindness, not legalistic law-keeping.
🌟 Share the Pauline gospel, the message of mystery revealed, which makes us one body regardless of background or works.
No guilt-tripping people for “not being baptized for remission” or “not repenting in a kingdom way.” Grace comes by hearing with faith (Romans 10:17), plain and simple.
A Word to Grace Believers: Keep Holding the Line
This might ruffle some feathers in circles still tied to the kingdom gospel. But maintaining this distinction is absolutely crucial to living free in Christ. We’re not rebels dodging responsibility. We’re heirs, walking by faith. Ironclad faith. The Great Commission calls kingdom citizens to kingdom work. Our call is different, not less important.
Contend for the faith, yes—but rejoice that your standing is based on grace, not human effort. No baptismal formula or repentance agenda from that era can claim priority over the finished work on the cross. Let’s not confuse kingdom laborers with grace-led believers.
When Grace Believers Hear “Go Make Disciples,” They Often Pause
It’s understandable why so many feel conflicted when confronted by the traditional “Great Commission” mandate. But anyone who rightly divides Scripture sees that the hitch isn’t in loving others or sharing faith. It’s in what gospel we share and under which covenant we live.
It’s a breath of fresh air to remember that God’s way of salvation hasn’t changed, but the administration and revelation have. Our commission today is grace-driven, faith-exalting, and anchored in Paul’s ministry of reconciliation. That’s the freedom that makes missions and evangelism joyful, not burdensome.
If you wrestle with this, take heart: your calling is real, your message powerful, and your Savior supreme. The Great Commission isn’t your burden. The grace message is your strength.
Grace for the Journey
So, walk boldly on the grace path. Share the gospel that Paul preached when the mystery was revealed. Rejoice that you’re freed from the obligation of kingdom law and ushered into the family of God by faith alone. It’s a different call than before—one that changes everything anyone has ever assumed about “going” and “making disciples.”
The Great Commission? Not today. We’re under the ministry of grace, the message of the blessed gospel, and the power of God that saves everyone who believes. Isn’t that worth shouting about?