# Matthew 28:20 ?



## BG (Dec 23, 2017)

Matthew 28:20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.

What all is included in this Phrase?


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## Herald (Dec 24, 2017)

The sum total of all that Jesus commanded His disciples to observe. Those commands extend to us through the teaching of the Apostles as recorded in the New Testament.

Reactions: Like 2 | Amen 2


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## Ed Walsh (Dec 24, 2017)

BG said:


> What all is included in this Phrase?



I am just agreeing with what Herald said above.

The "all things whatsoever I have commanded you" included as yet future revelation that was to be taught them after Jesus returned to the Father. These "all things" are called in Scripture "all the counsel of God." (Acts 20:27) The entire Bible from beginning to end and nothing less.

John 16:12
12 I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.
13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.
14 He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.

Acts 20:27
For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.

Reactions: Like 1 | Informative 1 | Amen 1


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## BG (Dec 24, 2017)

Would the command to preach the Gospel to others be included?


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## Scott Bushey (Dec 24, 2017)

Yes. For those called and ordained to the office.The charge to teach others to do this task would be within the confines of a legal representative of the means of grace only.


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## Ed Walsh (Dec 24, 2017)

BG said:


> Would the command to preach the Gospel to others be included?



In a word, YES!

Matthew 10:27
What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops.

Reactions: Amen 1


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## Alan D. Strange (Dec 24, 2017)

Matthew 28:18-20 is a command given by our Lord to the apostles as representatives of the church. Thus by this He gives a commission to the church _as an entity_ to proclaim the whole counsel of God to the whole world.

All of our church orders address this in their beginnings (in the Form of Government section). Mine (the OPC, in FG 3.1) says this, "The power which Christ has committed to his church is not vested in the special officers alone, but in the whole body. All believers are endued with the Spirit and called of Christ to join in the worship, edification, and witness of the church which grows as the body of Christ fitly framed and knit together through that which every joint supplies, according to the working in due measure of each part. The power of believers in their general office includes the right to acknowledge and desire the exercise of the gifts and calling of the special offices."

The church as an entity carries out this commission, with the special offices doing that which pertains to them. Are all alike called to baptize? No, that pertains to the office of minister. The same with preaching. Think of this: are all called as wives to submit to their husbands as heads? No, wives are, as part of their calling to "observe all that I have commanded you." The "observe all that I have commanded you" is that which is fitting to your station and place. All are not called to all, but to that which pertains to their particular station and position.

So, yes, there is a general and universal call for the church to go into the world and proclaim the whole counsel of God. Those in general office do that in one way (witnessing, sharing, etc.), while those that hold the teaching office do it in another (preaching, baptizing, etc.). 

Peace,
Alan

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## Scott Bushey (Dec 24, 2017)

> that which pertains to their particular station and position.



Alan,
I believe you are collapsing distinctions here. I am uncomfortable with applying 'preaching', even in a wider sense, to the lay-person as in my opinion, it causes a breakdown in the local church polity. Witnessing and sharing are separate denotations with separate functions and should be defined as such.


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## Herald (Dec 24, 2017)

BG said:


> Would the command to preach the Gospel to others be included?


I am commenting on this after reading Alan's and Scott's posts. I agree with Alan, although the term "preach[ing]" is misused in evangelicalism. If I share the Gospel with my neighbor, I am not technically preaching, even if I share it with sermon-like depth. That said, preaching certainly is included in Matthew 28:20.

Reactions: Like 2 | Amen 1


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## Alan D. Strange (Dec 24, 2017)

Scott:

I teach polity for my seminary and for the OPC (MTIOPC). I deal with all of this regularly in the teaching office.

Read what I said: I collapsed nothing. I did not apply preaching to all. I did nothing of the sort in distinguishing (as does our polity) general and special office.

What I set forth here is standard OP polity and broader historic Presbyterian polity.

Peace,
Alan

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## Scott Bushey (Dec 24, 2017)

Alan,
Thanks for the clarification. Forgive me if I offended you.

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## RBachman (Jan 1, 2018)

I have been wrestling with the broader issue of Christ's repeated comments about obeying his commands (Jn 5:24 as well). Has anyone run across a summary volume that attempts to codify or list out Christ's commands, not doctrinally, rather didactically - a catechism of commands? I hesitate to even ask this due to the obvious controversies it spawns. So please don't come after me with digital pitchforks and torches. If I offend you, forgive me please.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Ask Mr. Religion (Jan 2, 2018)

Well, you could tease them out from this list of all the explicit words of Our Lord recorded in Holy Writ.


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## RBachman (Jan 2, 2018)

That is a great start. I was considering a DIY project, but wondered if someone had already done it - preferably someone with a white beard. And you are from my home state of Arizona too. So you win! Thanks I will start with your file.

Reactions: Like 1


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## TylerRay (Jan 2, 2018)

RBachman said:


> I have been wrestling with the broader issue of Christ's repeated comments about obeying his commands (Jn 5:24 as well). Has anyone run across a summary volume that attempts to codify or list out Christ's commands, not doctrinally, rather didactically - a catechism of commands? I hesitate to even ask this due to the obvious controversies it spawns. So please don't come after me with digital pitchforks and torches. If I offend you, forgive me please.


Try not to divide the commandments of Christ from the moral law. They are one and the same. You'll find them summarized in ten easy-to-remember commandments in Exodus 20. Christ himself gives a further summary of them in two commandments in Matthew 22:37-40. The Westminster Larger Catechism provides a wonderful exposition of the ten commandments.

Christ did not come to give a new law; rather, he came to fulfill the law.


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## Ask Mr. Religion (Jan 2, 2018)

RBachman said:


> That is a great start. I was considering a DIY project, but wondered if someone had already done it - preferably someone with a white beard. And you are from my home state of Arizona too. So you win! Thanks I will start with your file.


Kind words. Thank you.

*Fun facts:*
There are around 24,600 Greek words recorded as spoken by Our Lord in the four Gospels. Or around less than five percent of the total Hebrew and Greek words recorded in the Bible.

English word counts of various translations:


Spoiler



• Original 1611 KJV 774,746

• Current KJV 790,676 (Blayney 1769 version: 788,280, PCE: 789,630 words (counting all hyphenated and apostrophised words as one whole word)

• ESV 757,439

• NLT 747,891

• NIV 726,109

• HCSB 718,943

• NKJV 770,430

• NRSV 895,891

• NASB 782,815

• TNIV 723,393
*
New Testament translated Word Counts:*

RSV 173,293

NIV  175,037

ESV 175,599

NIV 2011 176,122

TNIV 176,267

NRSV 176,417

REB 176,705

NKJV 177,980

NET 178,929

RV 179,873

ASV 180,056

KJV 180,565

NASB 95 182,446

NASB 184,062

NLT, 2nd ed 186,596

TEV 192,784

Modern Hebrew NT 111,154

Vulgate 125,720

Italian La Sacra Bibbia 163,870

Luther 169,536

French Novelle Version2 184,449

La Sainte Bible (Geneve) 185,859

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