Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
—Matthew 28:18-20
When Jesus says, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me,” he means it. There are no qualifiers here. He is the risen Christ of God; obedience to the law as prescribed by the religious authorities is not the way back to God.
Jesus says that following him only requires a willing desire to walk the path he walks. The message is this: Repent, believe, and be baptized “in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.” The imperative is this: Make disciples who will become the foundation, walls, windows, and roof of the church itself.
“As you come to him, the living stone—rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to Him—you also, the living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ (1Peter 2:4-6).