"Declare his glory among the heathen, his wonders among all people." — Psalm 96:3 (KJV)
The short answer
The Great Commission is Jesus' final command to make disciples of all nations. It comes with power — His followers are empowered and sent to carry the message of repentance and reconciliation to the whole earth — anchored in Matthew 28:18-20 and Acts 1:8.
The Great Commission is the name given to the mission Jesus entrusted to His church in the days after His resurrection. It appears at the close of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, and again in John and Acts — the same charge from different angles: go to all nations, preach the gospel, make disciples, and do it in His authority and presence. It is not a suggestion for the few but a calling for all who follow Him. Below are eight passages, quoted exactly from the King James Version, grouped around the questions the commission answers.
What is the Great Commission?
The fullest statement comes at the end of Matthew, where the risen Jesus gathers His disciples and gives them their marching orders — grounded in His authority and sealed with His promise to be with them.
"And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen." — Matthew 28:18-20 (KJV)
The command is framed by grace on both sides: it opens with His authority — "all power is given unto me" — and closes with His presence — "I am with you alway." Between those two assurances stands the task: go, teach, baptize, disciple.
"And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." — Mark 16:15 (KJV)
Mark records the same charge in its widest reach: "all the world," "every creature." No people group is outside its scope, and no person is beyond the good news the church is sent to carry.
How are believers empowered and sent?
Jesus never sends His people out on their own strength. The mission is carried in the power of the Holy Spirit, and it flows from the very way the Father sent the Son.
"But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth." — Acts 1:8 (KJV)
The witness begins at home — "Jerusalem" — and widens outward to "the uttermost part of the earth." And it is empowered, not self-generated: the Spirit supplies what the mission requires.
"Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you." — John 20:21 (KJV)
Our sending is patterned on His. The same Jesus whom the Father sent in love now sends us — and He prefaces the commission with peace, steadying His people before He commissions them.
What is the message we carry?
The commission is not an errand without content. We are sent with a specific message: repentance and the forgiveness of sins, and reconciliation to God through Christ.
"And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem." — Luke 24:47 (KJV)
The heart of the message is "repentance and remission of sins" offered "in his name." It is not merely good advice but good news — a turning to God who forgives, proclaimed to "all nations."
"Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God." — 2 Corinthians 5:20 (KJV)
Paul calls us "ambassadors" — representatives who speak on behalf of another. Through our voices, God Himself makes His appeal, pleading with the world to be reconciled to Him.
Why does the mission matter?
The Great Commission carries an urgency and a promise. People cannot believe in one they have never heard, and Jesus ties the reach of the gospel to the very hope of His return.
"How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!" — Romans 10:14-15 (KJV)
Paul traces the chain backward: calling depends on believing, believing on hearing, hearing on a preacher, and the preacher on being sent. The mission matters because someone must go — and their feet are called "beautiful."
"And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come." — Matthew 24:14 (KJV)
Jesus links the spread of the gospel to the culmination of history. The mission is not a losing cause but a certain one — the good news will reach "all nations," and then the end will come.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Great Commission?
The Great Commission is Jesus' final charge to His followers before He ascended, recorded most fully in Matthew 28:18-20. There He declares All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth, then commands, Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them (KJV), and promises, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. It is the church's mission to make disciples of every nation.
Is the Great Commission only for pastors and missionaries?
No. Jesus gave the commission to His disciples as a pattern for all who follow Him. Acts 1:8 promises that ye shall be witnesses unto me (KJV), and 2 Corinthians 5:20 says now then we are ambassadors for Christ. Every believer is sent — in ordinary life, work, and relationships — to bear witness to Jesus, not only those in full-time ministry.
"For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek." — Romans 1:16 (KJV)
Take it deeper
These eight passages are the backbone of the church's mission. FlickerFaith is a Scripture-first study companion — open it to read the Great Commission in each Gospel, trace how the first believers obeyed it in the book of Acts, search related verses, and ask honest questions about sharing your faith. It keeps you close to the Word, not away from it.
Keep reading
The One who gave this commission is the same teacher who told parables, worked wonders, and preached on the mountain. Continue with the parables of Jesus, the miracles of Jesus, and the Sermon on the Mount. To know the One who sends us, read who is Jesus Christ? You can also browse all Bible topics, explore AI Bible study, or return home.