The Great Commission in the Old Testament and
its Place in the History of Redemption
- The Education Theology Perspective on Gen. 18:19 and the Shema -
By
Yong-Soo Hyun, Ph.D.
(Founder & President of Shema Education Institute)
E-mail: yongshyun@hanmail.net www.shemaiqeq.com
Abstract
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The writer proposes to have uncovered the ‘Great Commission’ of the Old Testament, which is found in the OT ‘Shema.’ The Shema calls followers to teach their children and make them disciples (Gen. 18:19; Deut. 6:4-9). This contrasts the Great Commission of the NT, which calls followers of Christ to go to all the nations to teach them and make them His disciples (Mt. 28:19-20a). The OT Great Commission relates to parental ministry in nurturing children; while the NT Great Commission relates to pastoral (evangelism) ministry through the Church. The OT Great Commission prepared Jesus’ first coming because OT Jews employed a ‘vertical’ method of conveying God’s word from generation to generation. In comparison, the NT Great Commission calls for a ‘horizontal’ method of spreading the Gospel of Jesus to all the nations. These two Great Commissions complement one another as the OT complements the NT. Accordingly, family and Church evangelism ministry complement each other and both manifest God’s plan of redemption. Therefore, in the NT era, both Great Commissions should be obeyed in balance and harmony by making children disciples of Jesus at home, evangelizing and disciplining unbelievers, and preparing for the second coming of Jesus Christ.
Key Words: The Great Commission of the OT and NT, Christian education theology, Shema,
Family ministry, Church ministry, Horizontal evangelism, Vertical evangelism,
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[This paper was presented at the 60th Annual Meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society, Nov. 19, 2008]
Eugene H. Merrill, Ph.D.
Distinguished Professor of Old Testament Studies
Dallas Theological Seminary
Having read Dr. Yong Soo Hyun's paper very carefully, find myself in total agreement with him. This message needs to be communicated to every Christian parent possible if the church hopes to strengthen our children in the faith and pass on the Christian life and message to unborn generations yet to come.
In my opinion, Dr. Yong Soo Hyun, in his various writings on the subject; ‘the OT Great Commission, Shema’, has incisively drawn attention to a fundamental biblical and theological idea, namely, the importance of parental responsibility for teaching children Torah along with the rest of God's Word in the Christian home.
He rightly makes the point that a major cause of ignorance of biblical truth and its application to the Christian life lies with fathers and mothers who either are themselves ignorant of these things or who, in their busyness about other matters, cede this responsibility to the church or, worse still, to the school.
I fully concur with him that the answer to this woeful neglect is the re-engagement of parents in the education and discipleship of their children in the confines of the family and home. I pray that his writings will find wide distribution and good acceptance in the churches and homes of children who, like our Lord Jesus, “[will increase] in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and with people”(Luke 2:52), a condition without doubt to be attributed to Jesus having been reared in a home that practiced the biblical model of instruction.