This morning we presented the Words of the Great Commission as found in Matthew, Mark and Luke, the Greatness of the Great Commission, the Power of the One who gave it, and the Apostles who first received it. Tonight we will continue our study of the Great Commission.

The Great Commission ended the covenant with the Jews. It was, in fact, never intended that the Jews should misunderstand God’s promises to all people. The Gentiles were included in the promises God made to Abraham. Paul asked, "Is He the God of the Jews only? Is He not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also. Seeing it is one God which shall justify the circumcision by faith and uncircumcision through faith. Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid; yea, we establish the law." (Rom. 3:29-31.)

"And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing. And I will bless them that bless thee and curse him that curseth thee and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed." (Gen. 12:2-3.) This certainly included the Gentiles. "Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?" (Gen. 18:8.)

The New Testament confirms that these promises were fulfilled in Christ. "Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many, but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ." (Gal. 3:16.) "If ye are Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the promise." (Gal. 3:29.)

God never left the Gentiles (other nations outside of Israel) out of His plan of redemption. The words of Jesus to the apostles included them. Peter’s words on Pentecost clearly included Gentiles. "And the promise is to unto you and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call." (Acts 2:39.) The apostles misunderstood the Great Commission and its inclusion of Gentiles. The vision to Peter on the roof top was to convince Peter that God intended the Gospel to be preached to the Gentiles. After the conversion of Cornelius’ household, Peter explained to those challenging his actions, "Forasmuch then as God gave them the like gift as he did unto us, who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, What was I that could withstand God?" (Acts 11:17.) The prejudice was great against the Gentiles. The Jews were so blinded that for centuries they had read Genesis, but never understood that the promises to Abraham included everyone.

Like the Jews of old, we should go back and re-read the Old Testament Scriptures. I believe we would find that God never rejected a people just because of their race, gender, nationality. Remember Melchizedek. Did he not send prophets to the Gentiles, like Jonah to Nineveh? Did not Jonah despise the command to go preach to the Ninevites? The Law of Moses became a barrier that God never intended. I believe that God was dealing with two different situations at the same time. He was working with the Jews to convince them that they could not save themselves by law; and with the Gentiles to prove to them the folly of human wisdom. Paul addressed these two issues in 1 Corinthians 1. While it took some time (the right time) to send the Messiah, all the while God has always justified man by faith. To Abraham it was said that he believed in the Lord and it was counted to him for righteousness." (Gen. 15:6, Gal. 3:6, Rom. 4:3.)

People of almost every age have maintained that God was an exclusive God accepting only their sect or nation. It is good to be patriotic, but it is wrong to think that God favors America above other nations. Too many American Christians look at today’s world as Jonah looked at Nineveh. It is folly to imagine God as being white, black, red, or any other color! We misunderstand if we think of God as being a male or female. God has always desired the salvation of everyone; He respects no one above another.

The Great Commission told the apostles what they were to do (teach, baptize and teach all things), but it also tells the lost what they should do in order to be saved (two things named---believe and be baptized). This brief description of salvation is given in the course of telling the apostles what their mission would be. In preaching the Gospel to all nations, there would be a response to it by the people. As Acts so often puts it, Some believed; others mocked.

Since justification is by faith (not faith only), belief and confession of that faith is essential to salvation. These are proper candidates for immersion in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. John as well as Jesus taught a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. (Mark 1:4, Acts 2:38, Acts 17:30.) This response to the Gospel adds one to the body of Christ which is the church. The Lord does the adding to his body. (Acts 2:47.)

Mark’s account is a clear statement about how one lost may be saved. "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, but he that believeth not shall be damned." (Mark 16:16.) In one message, I gave ten reasons why one should obey the Gospel. Those reasons were:

1) Because all people everywhere should. "Repent and be baptized everyone of you," said Peter. (Acts 2:38.)

2) Because it is a commandment of God. Concerning the house of Cornelius, we find these words: "And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord." (Acts 10:48.)

3) Because it is part of his counsel for us. Some of the Pharisees had rejected John’s baptism. "But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves, being not baptized of him." (Luke 7:30.)

4) Because it is a part of the new covenant. "He takes away the first, that he may establish the second. By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all." (Heb. 10:9-10.)

5) Because it is one of the ordinances of God. "Then verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary. . . which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances imposed on them until the time of reformation." (Heb. 9:1, 10.) There are physical ordinances (things God created and ordained) to bless man on earth. In like manner, there are spiritual ordinances through which we receive God’s blessings. Just as we receive specific blessings from the sun and moon, we also receive specific blessings from spiritual ordinances. Baptism is one of the divine ordinances through which we receive forgiveness of our sins and by which we are united with Jesus.

6) Because baptism washes your sins away. (Acts 22:16.) If you have not been baptized into Christ, you are still in your sins. Without obedience to the Gospel, there is nothing that you can ever do to be saved. Attending services, praying for forgiveness, being benevolent to the poor, reading the Bible, giving money to ministers will never be able to substitute for your obedience. We must do what the Lord commanded.

7) Because of its connection with church membership. (1 Cor. 12:13, Acts 2:41, 47.) What saves a person also makes one a member of the body or the church.

8) Because Jesus was baptized. Jesus was baptized even though he did not need to wash away any sins. If Jesus obeyed what God commanded of the Jews, then we should because we have sins.

9) Because nothing hinders you. A treasurer wanting to be baptized asked, "See here is water, what hinders me to be baptized?" (Acts 8:36.)

10) Because of the judgment of Jesus. "He that rejects me and receives not my words hath one that judges him; the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day." (John 12:48.)

No one is ready to stand before the Lord unless one has obeyed the Gospel preached first by the apostles and handed down to us by them. If you have not repented and been immersed, why? The only thing that hinders you is your own interest and desire to obey the Lord. God commands all men everywhere to repent and be baptized. That includes you!