bible verses about the great commission

Bible Verses About the Great Commission: 12 Scriptures on Matthew 28:19-20 to Go and Make Disciples

The Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) is Jesus' command to go and make disciples. Verses on going, making disciples, and sharing the gospel.

Illustrated portrait of Christopher McAllister

By Christopher McAllister

Founder of theBibleand.Love

Published October 1, 2026Updated October 23, 20267 min readMatthew 28:18-20 (NIV)

A teacher walks a dusty road with three followers, a hill town in the distance.

"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 (NIV)

People who search bible verses about the Great Commission want Scripture on Jesus' mandate to make disciples of all nations — not only the discipleship life-of-following list, the evangelism proclaiming list, the following Jesus list, or the church inventory alone. This page is a numbered list of twelve passages with the NIV text and a short note on each. Related lists: Bible verses about discipleship, Bible verses about following Jesus, Bible verses about evangelism, Bible verses about the church, Bible verses about Jesus, Bible verses about baptism, and Bible verse of the day. The Great Commission here means Christ's authority-backed send to baptize and teach the nations — distinct from discipleship as personal following, evangelism as proclamation alone, or church as people-inventory alone. Going and making disciples is how that send reaches the nations, and Bible verses about evangelism gathers the Scriptures on sharing your faith in love.

Word study (lead theme). In Greek, "make disciples" is μαθητεύω mathēteuō (Strong's G3100; Bible Hub G3100) — to make a disciple, train as a learner. Closely related is μαθητής mathētēs (Strong's G3101; Bible Hub G3101) — disciple, learner, pupil. "Send" / "apostle" language uses ἀποστέλλω apostellō (Strong's G649; Bible Hub G649) — to send forth with authority. Matthew 28:18-20 joins all authority, go, make disciples, baptize, teach, and "I am with you."

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Matthew 28 presses that Christ claims all authority and sends his disciples to teach all nations, baptizing and teaching obedience, with his presence to the end of the age (Bible Hub MHC Matthew 28; Blue Letter Bible, Matthew Henry on Matthew 28). (Discipleship and evangelism lists live on those pages; this list centers the Commission mandate.)

What is the Great Commission?

The Great Commission is Jesus' command in Matthew 28:18-20. He says, "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." The command is go, make disciples, baptize, and teach, with his presence to the end of the age.

Mark 16:15 says, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation." John 17:18 says, "As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world." Matthew 24:14 says this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations. Romans 10:14-15 asks how they can hear without someone preaching, and how anyone can preach unless they are sent.

12 Bible verses about the Great Commission

  1. Matthew 28:18. "Then Jesus came to them and said, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.'" All authority — heaven and earth. See Bible verses about Jesus.

  2. Matthew 28:19-20. "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." Go and make disciples of all nations. See Bible verses about baptism.

  3. Mark 16:15. "He said to them, 'Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.'" Go into all the world — preach the gospel. See Bible verses about evangelism.

  4. Revelation 7:9. "After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands." A multitude from every nation, tribe, people, and language. See Bible verses about worship.

  5. Psalm 22:27. "All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations will bow down before him." The ends of the earth will turn to the Lord. See Bible verses about Jesus.

  6. John 17:18. "As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world." As the Father sent the Son, the Son sends his people. See Bible verses about following Jesus.

  7. Matthew 24:14. "And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come." Gospel of the kingdom — whole world. See Bible verses about the kingdom of God.

  8. Romans 10:14-15. "How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: 'How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!'" How can they hear without someone preaching — unless they are sent. See Bible verses about faith.

  9. Romans 15:20. "It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else's foundation." Preach the gospel where Christ was not known. See Bible verses about salvation.

  10. Isaiah 49:6. "he says: 'It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.'" A light for the Gentiles — salvation to the ends of the earth. See Bible verses about salvation.

  11. Psalm 67:2. "so that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations." Your salvation among all nations. See Bible verses about hope.

  12. Acts 13:47. "For this is what the Lord has commanded us: 'I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.'" A light for the Gentiles — salvation to the ends of the earth. See Bible verses about the church.

How to use these verses

Pick one verse when you need the Great Commission — not twelve as a grind. If you need the full mandate, start with Matthew 28:18-20. If you need witness to the ends of the earth, open Psalm 22:27. If you need sending language, open John 17:18. For the life of following, open Bible verses about discipleship. For proclaiming, open Bible verses about evangelism. For a daily verse, open Bible verse of the day.

Questions people ask

What is a good Bible verse about the Great Commission?

Matthew 28:18-20 (go and make disciples of all nations), Psalm 22:27 (the ends of the earth will turn to the Lord), and Mark 16:15 (preach the gospel to all creation) are clear starting places.

Where is the Great Commission in the Bible?

Matthew 28:18-20. Jesus says all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to him, then, "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." Mark 16:15 is the parallel charge: "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation."

How do Bible verses about the Great Commission differ from discipleship, evangelism, or the church?

The discipleship page centers the life of following Jesus. The evangelism page centers proclaiming the good news. The church page inventories God's people. A Great Commission page centers the Matt 28 / Acts 1 mandate — authority, go, make disciples, baptize, teach, witness to the nations — then cross-links discipleship, evangelism, and the church. See Bible verses about discipleship.

What do mathēteuō and apostellō mean?

Greek mathēteuō (G3100) means to make a disciple. Greek mathētēs (G3101) means disciple or learner. Greek apostellō (G649) means to send forth with commission. Together they frame Jesus' send to train the nations.

Does the Great Commission still apply today?

Matthew 28 ends with Christ's presence to the end of the age. The mandate is not locked to the first century alone. See Bible verses about following Jesus.

Does the Great Commission apply to every Christian?

Yes. Matthew 28:19-20 sends disciples to go and make disciples of all nations, and Jesus promises, "I am with you always, to the very end of the age." John 17:18 says, "As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world." Romans 10:14-15 says people cannot hear unless someone is sent to preach. The mandate belongs to the church he sends, not only to the first listeners in that room.

Where can I read more about discipleship, evangelism, and the church?

Start with Bible verses about discipleship, then Bible verses about evangelism, Bible verses about following Jesus, and Bible verses about the church.

Sources

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