Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2
BIBLICAL RATIONALE
This chapter will demonstrate that God calls the church to discipleship and evangelism, and biblical counseling is a ministry that seeks to fulfill that mission. This premise will be outlined in three sections. The first section will demonstrate that biblical counseling is a ministry flowing from the Great Commission found in Matthew 28:18-20 to go and make disciples. The second section will argue that, within the context of a local church, pastors are leaders in the Great Commission by nature of their calling and their equipping ministry. This argument is supported by Colossians 1, where pastors are called to teach and warn for the purpose of the maturity and assurance of the sheep, and Ephesians 4, where pastors are tasked with equipping the church to actively and practically serve in discipling one another. The third section is a Scriptural examination of the work the church is called to do together. In Colossians 3, believers are encouraged to use the Scriptures to teach and admonish one another, which is one of the fundamentals of the personal ministry of biblical counseling. Romans 15 shows the culminating work of a church practicing the Great Commission, a church full of goodness, filled with knowledge, and able to instruct one another. 
The Great Commission – The Mission of and Mandate for the Church         Matthew’s Gospel concludes with Jesus exalted as the risen Savior, possessing all authority, and issuing a mandate to His followers. This mandate has been referred to as the “Great Commission” for centuries as this passage of Scripture depicts Jesus commissioning His disciples for global ministry in His service. His words set the church’s mission in motion, which has continued and expanded for two thousand years. In this section, the content of Matthew 28:18-20 will be examined. Consideration will be given to whom this passage applies and an explanation will be provided on how the Great Commission relates to the ministry of biblical counseling.
Exegetical Overview of Matthew 28:18-20.         Readers of Matthew’s Gospel are led through the drama of Jesus’ agonizing final hours from the Last Supper (26:16-29) to His crucifixion and death (27:32-55). Eleven of His disciples had fled from Jesus at His arrest (26:56), seen Him briefly after the resurrection (28:9-10), and traveled to Galilee for a meeting Jesus requested (28:16). Upon seeing Jesus, they worshiped Him, while some doubted (28:17). The picture of the disciples in these final chapters is one of fear, shame, confusion, and doubt. Within this setting, Jesus “comes to them” (28:18). Jesus, the merciful servant, comes to these rattled disciples and settles their troubled hearts. Donald Hagner describes Jesus coming to them as “a comforting approach that takes the initiative to reestablish an intimate relationship with them.”[1] It is in this context of this wooing mercy of Jesus the Great Commission is given.
         Jesus addresses the disciples by first asserting His authority. He claims, “All authority in Heaven and Earth has been given to me.” These gentle and reassuring words were Jesus’ first words to his devoted but worried and uncertain followers. “He does not rebuke them for their disloyalty or doubt. He begins with a vitally important prelude to the formal commissioning of the disciples, namely, the assertion of his authority.”[2] This presents Jesus as one who has all authority yet graciously exercises that authority—first toward His disciples, fully accepting them with the promise of His constant presence, and then toward the world as He sends them on a redemptive mission.
         The authority Jesus claimed was not new to Him. Matthew explains that during Jesus’ life, He continuously demonstrated His authority through His teaching (7:28), His ability to forgive sins (9:1-8), His ministry of healing the sick and casting out demons (10:1), and His power over the created world (8:23-27). "In verse 18, Jesus explains that His authority, having been limited to the earth, has now been expanded to include heaven, emphasizing that He has been given authority over both realms."[3] This motivates Jesus’ followers to obey His mandate, for the One commanding is the One with all authority. Additionally, this empowers them to obey. John Calvin shares, “When they learn that he to whom they owe their services is the Governor of heaven and earth, this alone was abundantly sufficient for preparing them to rise superior to all opposition.”[4] This establishes the Great Commandment as a clear mandate that Jesus authoritatively gave His followers.
         The specific command Jesus issues is to make disciples (28:19). The main verb μαθητεύσατε is imperative and is accompanied by three subordinate participles, “go,” “baptize,” and “teach.” These participles take on the force of the imperative.[5] Daniel L. Akin, Benjamin L. Merkle, and George G. Robinson explain, “Thus, the heart of the Great Commission is to make disciples. The three other verbs (going, baptizing, teaching) are all subordinate to this main idea. What is stressed is not the idea of ‘going’ but disciple-making. Going is merely a means to an end.”[6] Thus, the Great Commission contains the primary command to make disciples, with three subordinating participles that reinforce the command while also serving as a means to accomplish it. Succinctly, Jesus commands his followers to make disciples, and the way to do that is to go to all the nations and, as people are converted (become disciples), they are to be baptized and taught. 
         Making disciples is a process that begins with evangelism and continues through baptism and the ongoing instruction of following Jesus’ teachings. A disciple is made when an individual responds to the gospel with faith (Rom 10:9-10). That faith is then professed through baptism (Acts 2:41; Gal 3:27) and lived out by following Jesus in obedience (John 14:15). Jesus’ command in Matthew 28:19-20 emphasizes that discipleship is more than conversion. Discipleship requires following Jesus in all of one’s life, beginning with baptism and continuing by following all of His commands. 
 This discipleship process starts with evangelism.[7] The modern missions movement reflects a history of believers going to the nations to fulfill the Great Commission. This is an evangelistic endeavor—seeking converts to Christ among the nations.[8] In Matthew 28:19-20, being made a disciple is distinct from the subsequent discipleship activities of baptism and learning to observe Jesus’ teachings. A person is first made a disciple, then baptized, and then instructed in obedience to Christ’s teachings. Thus, the Great Commission begins with evangelism and continues with discipleship through baptism in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, followed by instruction that produces submission.
         Jesus concludes His mandate with a promise. Being the only one with universal authority, He pledges to His disciples, “I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). This would be profoundly encouraging for Jesus’ disciples in two ways. First, the task He commands is overwhelmingly difficult. The promise of Jesus’ presence would encourage and empower these disciples to obey the task. W. D. Davies and Dale C. Allan address this tension followed by relief, “The Jesus who commands difficult obedience is at the same time the ever-graceful divine presence.”[9] Calvin is more specific, emphasizing not the difficulty of the obedience but the impossibility of the task, “As Christ gave to the apostles a commission which they were unable to discharge by reliance on merely human power, he encourages them by the assurance of his heavenly protection.”[10]
The second way this promise would greatly encourage His disciples was in knowing His promise would be with them without end. Jesus expands His never-leaving promise with the phrase “to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). This refers to the “end of the present age through the parousia of the Son of Man and the experience of the final judgment of the wicked and reward of the righteous.”[11] This concluding word in the Great Commission is a thrilling promise to followers of Jesus, assured of His continual presence. As Carson explains, the Greek expression does not refer only to a long-term commitment of Jesus’ presence but also his every-moment personal presence with His disciples, offering strength and hope each step of the way.[12]
Although carried by limited and powerless people, Jesus’ authority and presence ensured the success of His mandate. The Acts of the Apostles is the historical account of the Great Commission succeeding as Jesus’ followers obeyed, went into the world, and made disciples. This book tells the story of the activities of Jesus’ followers, yet emphasizes the activity of the Holy Spirit, who guides and empowers those disciples.[13] God has recorded in His eternal Word the triumph of His message through His witnesses, showing that nothing can stop the victorious spread of the gospel.[14] Acts testifies to the Jesus’ presence and authority as He advances His mission through His disciples.
Jesus has called on His followers to make disciples. They are sent to the entire world to do this. As disciples are made through conversion, Jesus’ disciples are commanded to baptize and teach these new converts. He claims all authority and promises His constant presence to accompany His followers to the end of the age. These are Jesus’ final words in Matthew’s Gospel and how the Gospel ends. The Great Commission is one of the church’s greatest treasures, offering comfort, strength, and hope until the end of time.[15]
The Audience Commissioned         Matthew 28:16 states the original audience for the Great Commission was the eleven disciples. The Acts of the Apostles traces Great Commission activity from Jerusalem to Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth. The concern for this research is whether the Great Commission was only for the eleven or if it was to be obeyed by all followers of Jesus throughout time. If the Great Commission was only given to the original eleven apostles, then the biblical rationale for this dissertation would be flawed. The original disciples would have fulfilled the Great Commission, and therefore it would not be in effect for Jesus’ disciples today. 
         Although the Great Commission was initially given to the eleven disciples, it is evident from the Commission itself and from Acts that the command is for believers throughout time. This is apparent for the following three reasons: First, Jesus commands His disciples to teach new disciples to “observe all that I have commanded” (Matt 28:20). One of Jesus’ commands is found in the previous verse, “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations” (Matt 28:19). Failure to continue the Great Commission would mean neglecting one of Jesus’ commands. If this were the case, new believers would be taught to observe many of Jesus’ commands but not all of them. Built into the Great Commission is it’s continuation to be followed.
         A second reason the Great Commission is commanded for believers throughout time is found in Jesus’s promise in Matthew 28:20. There, Jesus tells His disciples He would be with them “to the end of the age.” The phrase “end of the age” only occurs in Matthew’s Gospel (13:39-40, 49; 24:3; 28:20). These passages point to a completion or conclusion of this present age, showing the judgment of the wicked with Jesus’ second coming.[16] Jesus promises His presence with His followers until His second coming. Since this promise is tied to the Great Commission and would encourage and empower His followers to obey it, the Great Commission ordered by Jesus would outlast the eleven apostles and continue “to the end of the age” through subsequent followers of Jesus. 
         The third reason the Great Commission is a command for believers throughout time is found in the historic record located in the Bible. The book of Acts and the New Testament epistles record Jesus’ followers joining with the apostles in Great Commission work. The Acts of the Apostles records that following Stephen’s death, Jesus’ followers scattered “as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch” (Acts 11:19). As they fled some of them were “speaking the word” (11:19) to Jewish people, and some were “preaching the Lord Jesus” to the Hellenists (11:20). It is recorded that as they did this, “the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number who believed turned to the Lord” (11:21). Disciples were made by Jesus’ followers as they scattered throughout the world because of persecution. Further, in Acts, a Jew named Apollos is mentioned as an “eloquent man, competent in the Scriptures” (18:24) who “spoke and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus” (18:25) and who “greatly helped those who through grace had believed, for he powerfully refuted the Jews in public, showing by the Scriptures that the Christ was Jesus” (18:27-28). Acts shows non-apostolic believers obeying the Great Commission. 
         The New Testament epistles demonstrate local churches and individuals obeying the Great Commission. The church in Philippi was praised by Paul for their “partnership in the gospel from the first day until now” (Phil 1:5). Paul also notes that, due to his imprisonment, “most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much bolder to speak the word without fear” (Phil 1:14). The church in Colossae was taught the gospel by Epaphras, a “faithful minister of Christ” (Col 1:3-8). Paul was encouraged by the church in Thessalonica because “not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith has gone forth everywhere so that we need not say anything” (1 Thess 1:8). 
         The book of Acts and various epistles show the apostles laboring to obey Christ’s Great Commission. But they were not the only ones. Churches that embraced the gospel were also striving to fulfill the mission given by Christ in Matthew 28:18-20. Jesus’ command to go and make disciples is a task given by Him not only to the apostles but also to the universal church. 
Biblical Counseling and the Great Commission         The Bible calls all believers to respond to Christ’s command to make disciples of all nations. This involves evangelism in making disciples and discipleship in helping them mature. From Christian camping to Sunday School classes, outreach programs, missions movements, small group ministries, and Christian publishing, the church has creatively used various strategies to reach and teach. Biblical counseling is one ministry where the local church endeavors to fulfill the Great Commission through evangelism and discipleship. 
         The biblical counseling movement has understood biblical counseling to be fundamental to the task of the Great Commission. The standards of doctrine for the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors argue that the Great Commission and biblical counseling are “one and the same.” The doctrine of the Great Commission is one of fifteen doctrines that “represent the standards of doctrine that biblical counselors must embrace to do their work faithfully.” The doctrine is expressed in this way: 
The church has been called to go into the world with the task of evangelism and discipleship. In giving this commission, Jesus requires his people to use their conversations to point people to Christ in evangelism and to build people up in Christ in discipleship. The Great Commission requires that all faithful counseling conversations have Jesus Christ as their ultimate goal. Our Lord and Savior does not allow believers to avoid counseling conversations, or to avoid directing those conversations toward Jesus. The commitment of Christians to the Great Commission and to faithful biblical counseling is therefore one and the same.[17]
 
Other biblical counselors have shared similar statements[CRG1] .[18]
Fulfilling the Great Commission in Biblical Counseling through Evangelism         Through the ministry of biblical counseling, the church works to evangelize the lost. Robert Jones, professor of biblical counseling at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, states, “Why should a church and its leaders be committed to biblical counseling? Because biblical counseling is part of Christ’s marching orders for every local church.”[19] He argues, “Counseling and evangelism are ministries that too often remain segregated…. The segregation is unbiblical.”[20] H[CRG2] e grounds that argument in Matthew 28:18-20, explaining that the Great Commission is a command to “win people to Christ and teach them to follow Christ in daily living.”[21] He suggests churches consider this approach to biblical counseling “problem-based evangelism.”[22]
John Piper sees biblical counseling as one strategic way to obey the Great Commission. He appeals to biblical counselors to consider their ministry as a way to reach the unreached, using Japan as an example. He asks, “Might biblical counseling be a wide door for some of you into the greatest cause in the world?”[23] He grounds his appeal to missions work with the following: “There are thousands of people groups where there is no rooted gospel witness and no thriving church. Would you dream seriously about whether your calling to biblical counseling may be a door that God is opening?” 
Fulfilling the Great Commission in Biblical Counseling through DiscipleshipThrough the ministry of biblical counseling, the church also works to disciple Jesus’ followers. D. A. Carson explains that disciples made through the Great Commission “are those who hear, understand, and obey Jesus’ teaching (Matthew 12:46-50).”[24] Biblical counseling is one way Christ’s disciples are given an opportunity to hear, understand, and obey Jesus’ teaching. 
Paul Tripp argued “[t]he mutual ministry of the body of Christ is not just a foundation for the evangelistic disciple-making of the Great Commission; it is Great Commission work as well…. The Great Commission is not only a missionary commission; it is also a pastoral fellowship, and counseling commission.”[25] Tripp argues biblical counseling fulfills the command to teach disciples to observe Jesus’ commands. “Just as the first part of the Great Commission sets the direction for the missionary life of the people of God, the second half of the Great Commission defines and directs the life and ministry of the local church, for the pastor, the biblical counselor, the small group leader, and the brother and sister in Christ committed to biblical, mutual ministry.”[26]
David Powlison also connected the Great Commission to the fulfillment of that command through biblical counseling. He asked, “How can the body of Christ be persuaded that we have a mandate to do counseling?”[27]Powlison goes to Matthew 28:18-20 to tie biblical counseling to obeying the Great Commandment: 
Start with the Great Commission…. Counseling is intrinsic to remaking people. Discipleship means to remake marred, distracted, and distorted men, women, and children into followers of Jesus. It necessarily means dealing with ‘counseling issues’: anger and forgiveness; anxiety and trust; addictions and self-control; suffering and meaning; despair and hope; broken relationships and peacemaking; presumption and humility; isolation and community. [CRG3] 
 
Powlison applies the biblical mandate of the Great Commission to biblical counseling. “The Great Commission … and counseling! We don’t usually put those words together. But Jesus’ final words don’t mention any of the specifics of how to do it. Like preaching, parenting, and quiet time, counseling is one more way that Christ makes his disciples.” [CRG4] 
Powlison argues the teaching ministry Jesus commands has three components. The first component is the public ministry of the Word, which is experienced in preaching, teaching, and worship, to name a few. The second component is the private ministry of the Word that includes a personal prayer life, personal Bible reading and study, and journaling, among other things. The third component Powlison calls the “interpersonal ministry of the Word.” This is the normal care believers provide to one another, which includes biblical counseling. Powlison shares, “Wise counseling brings that personalized relevance of interpersonal ministry of the eternal Word of Truth that turns our lives upside down and inside out.” [CRG5] 
Obedience to the Great Commandment[CRG6]  could come in many forms: sharing the gospel at work, discipling a teenager, providing a Sunday School program, or providing biblical counseling at a church, to name a few. Biblical counseling is not a biblical mandate, but it is one way the mandate [CRG7] is fulfilled. The following two sections will prove that the ministry of biblical counseling is necessary for pastoral care and fulfilling corporate care for one another in a local church. 
Shepherding and Equipping–The Mandate for PastorsThe second section will present the argument that, within the context of the local church, the fulfillment of the Great Commission is primarily led by pastors[CRG8] . This argument will be developed in three parts. First, pastors are called to lead in this mission due to their role as shepherds. The Bible describes pastors as shepherds, continuing the tradition of God’s shepherding care in both the Old and New Testaments. This ministry of shepherding promotes the spiritual health and growth of the followers of Jesus. Second, according to Colossians 1, pastors are tasked with teaching and admonishing the congregation to promote maturity and assurance among believers. Third, Ephesians 4 emphasizes that pastors are responsible for equipping the church to actively and practically engage in discipling one another.
Pastors as ShepherdsHaving argued that the Great Commission is the church’s task, consideration must be given to the role of pastors of the church in accomplishing this task. As God-sanctioned leaders, pastors play a pivotal role in leading the church in obedience to Jesus’ call to make disciples. This is addressed specifically in Colossians 1:28-29 and Ephesians 4:11-16 where pastors take on this calling and work by equipping the church to disciple one another. 
Pastors are called shepherds in the Bible. This analogy has roots in the Old Testament. In Psalm 23, the analogy of a shepherd is given to God. God ascribes this title to Himself, promising to care for His people as a shepherd watches over his sheep. God will care for the needs of His people to the extent that in Psalm 23:1, His sheep can say, “I shall not want.” He will nourish, guide, restore, protect, relieve fears, be compassionately present, and offer comfort. The sheep know that even when danger is present (Ps 23:5), His goodness and mercy will pursue after them daily, and they are confident that they will reside with and near Him forever (Ps 23:6). 
One way God has brought His shepherding care to His people is through human agents. God did this in the exodus and through the wilderness, “You led your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron” (Ps 77:20). As Moses faced his fast-approaching death, he appealed to the LORD to replace him with a man “who shall go out before them and come in before them, who shall lead them out and bring them in, that the congregation of the LORD may not be as sheep that have no shepherd” (Num 27:17).
The kings of Israel were God’s gift to His people to shepherd them. David was called by God to do this task. “He chose David his servant and took him from the sheepfolds; from following the nursing ewes he brought him to shepherd Jacob his people, Israel his inheritance. With upright heart, he shepherded them and guided them with his skillful hand” (Ps 78:70-72). Future kings after David failed horribly in their shepherding responsibility and the people suffered immensely. Ezekiel 34 contains God’s prophecy against the shepherds of Israel and indicts them for their failures:
The weak you have not strengthened, the sick you have not healed, the injured you have not bound up, the strayed you have not brought back, the lost you have not sought, and with force and harshness you have ruled them. So they were scattered, because there was no shepherd, and they became food for all the wild beasts. My sheep were scattered; they wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. My sheep were scattered over all the face of the earth, with none to search or seek for them (Ezek 34:4-6). 
 
In that time of despair for Israel, God promised His personal shepherding care would extend into the future. “And I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and be their shepherd” (Ezek 34:23). Several centuries later, Jesus, the promised Messiah, fulfilled this. “I am the good shepherd” (John 10:11), Jesus proclaimed. He is the opposite of the self-serving, unfaithful Old Testament shepherds (Isa 40:11; Ezek 34:1-10; Jer 23:1-4). He knows His sheep and gives His life for them. 
When Jesus ascended to heaven, He did not leave His sheep without shepherds. He ordained that His people, the church, would be served by pastors. Jesus initiated this just before His death, repeatedly calling Peter to feed or tend to His sheep (John 21:15-25). Paul would appoint elders in each church (Acts 14:23, Titus 1:5). These elders are exhorted in Acts 20:28 to “[p]ay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.” Peter likewise exhorted elders to “shepherd the flock of God that is among you” (1 Pet 5:2). The elders appointed to each church were given the task of shepherding. 
Human shepherds overseeing sheep have many tasks to perform to care for their sheep properly. Likewise, God gives pastor-shepherds many tasks in His Word so the sheep can be well protected and flourish. Two passages highlight the activity of shepherds to mature and build up the sheep. This shepherding work results in people who are involved in the Great Commission ministry of speaking truth in love to one another and teaching and admonishing one another. 
Colossians 1:28-29         Colossians 1:28-29 is a synopsis of the Great Commission being worked out. This passage presents a minister of Christ pursuing the work Christ ordained. In two verses, the focused priority of pastoral ministry is presented. Christ is proclaimed. Disciples are made. Christian maturity is gained. The Great Commission is being accomplished.
         Paul and Timothy are attributed to be the authors of Colossians (Col 1:1). It is most likely written while Paul was imprisoned in Rome because he served as an apostle of Jesus Christ (Col 4:10).[28] The church is relatively young, having been started between seven and ten years before the epistle’s composition.[29] The primary theme of Colossians is the definition and clarification of Christ’s identity and authority. John Calvin explains, “This Epistle … to express it in one word, distinguishes the true Christ from a fictitious one.”[30] One of the highest points of the exaltation of Jesus Christ in the New Testament is found in the Colossian Hymn in 1:15-20.[31] It [CRG9] comprises two strophes, the first celebrating the role of Christ in creation and the second celebrating the role of Christ in redemption.[32] Christ is exalted over all things, and rightfully so, as He is portrayed as the creator of all things and redeemer of fallen humanity, reconciling all things to Himself through His sacrificial death on the cross. 
Paul presents this Christ to the believers in Colossae to encourage their faith and keep them from “shifting from the hope of the gospel” (verses 21-27). He calls himself a minister of the gospel, with the task of making the “word of God fully known” (vv. 23, 25). Verse 28 picks up on this task as Paul declares, “Him we proclaim.” The pronoun “Him” finds its antecedent in the previous verse in reference to “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (v. 27). The subject of Paul’s proclamation is Jesus Christ. The One who commissioned His disciples in Matthew 28:18-20 is now being proclaimed in an effort to fulfill that commission. F. F. Bruce sees both evangelism and discipleship in Paul’s proclamation, “This Christ, whose life flows in all his people, is the one whom the apostle and his associates proclaim. He is the sum and substance of their message, whether in the saving news they announce in the world to bring men and women to faith or in the teaching they impart to those who have believed.”[33]
This proclamation activity is specifically carried out by warning and teaching everyone (v. 28).[34] The verb νουθετοῦντες is translated as “warning” in the majority of English Bibles (ESV, NLT, NRSV, KJV, CSB, etc.) and “admonishing” in a few others (NASB95, NIV, ASV, etc.). David W. Pao argues in many instances in the New Testament, the term refers to general instruction, nearly synonymous with διδάσκοντες, translated in v. 28 as “teaching.” Following this understanding, the New English Translation translates νουθετοῦντες as “instructing” and διδάσκοντες as “teaching.” James D. G. Dunn concedes that the two words are “near synonyms” but carefully nuances its negative edge as seen in its usage throughout the Septuagint and the Greek New Testament carrying the idea of admonishing and warning.[35] Douglas J. Moo states it even more emphatically, “As the English ‘admonish’ implies, noutheteō focuses on the preacher’s warning of Christians who might be tempted to stray (see esp. Acts 20:31; 1 Cor. 4:14; 1 Thess. 5:14; 2 Thess. 3:15; it also occurs in Rom. 15:14; Col. 3:16; 1 Thess. 5:12).”[36] Part of the pastor’s duty, as a minister of the gospel, is that of instructive warning.
The minister of the gospel, like Paul, must also teach. This is the positive side of instruction. It is “imparting practical and theoretical knowledge to the pupil,”[37] and more specifically, in a Christian context, it is “the orderly presentation of Christian truth for converts so that they may know how to grow.”[38] It is then, by warning and teaching, everyone is presented as “mature in Christ” (Verse 28). This is the purpose of proclaiming Christ. It is not a moral code being proclaimed or a set of values set forth. The result is the “actualization of the redemption in Christ in personal and corporate Christian living.”[39] Real transformation happens through proclaiming Christ so those who once were alienated, hostile in mind, and doing evil deeds (v. 21) are now reconciled to God through the death of Christ and therefore presented to God as “holy and blameless and above reproach” (v. 22) and are mature in Christ (v. 28). One could say that through the proclamation of Christ, through warning and teaching, these believers are being taught to observe all that Jesus commanded (Matt 28:20). 
The ones responsible[CRG10]  for proclaiming Christ are given the third-person pronoun “we” in verse 28. In the previous context, Paul had been speaking of only himself (vv. 24-27) as the one acting as a minister of Christ. The change from first-person to third-person is abrupt, making the antecedent challenging to determine. From the context of ch. 1, especially vv. 3-9, this would include both Paul and Timothy. Several scholars believe this would extend to a larger group of those responsible for proclaiming Christ, from all apostles and evangelists to all Christians.[40]Minimally, this would be a requirement of all gospel ministers, particularly those involved in shepherding a local church, as Paul and Timothy were doing. 
Christ is to be proclaimed to “everyone.” This inclusive offer is mentioned three times in verse 28 so that everyone is warned, taught, and brought to maturity in Christ. This would disallow the discrimination of a particular people group, making sure everyone, Jews and Gentiles alike, received this ministry.[41] All are pursued with a call to follow Jesus. 
The Great Commission is a call to make disciples who observe all that Jesus commanded. In Colossians 1:28, a gospel minister is called to fulfill that through “warning and teaching everyone with all wisdom.” This calling is one of intense labor, in full reliance on Christ (1:29), which is similar to the mandate of the Great Commission to make disciples under the care and empowerment of Christ. As the Christian minister labors at warning and teaching everyone, the sheep mature in Christ. 
Ephesians 4:11-16         Colossians 1:28-29 established Christian ministers are called to proclaim Christ through warning and teaching with the result of bringing others to maturity in Christ. Ephesians 4:11-16 addresses pastors and teachers directly, laying on them the shepherding responsibilities of nourishing and leading believers toward maturity. The context of this passage flows out of an exhortation to the church for unity (vv. 1-6), followed by gifts given by God within the church (vv. 7-10). Verse 11 continues with a spotlight on the particular gifts God has given the church, with a short list of gifted people: apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. 
         In v. 11, pastors and teachers are linked by one article, giving the reader the option of understanding them as one person with two gifts or two distinct gifted people. Darrell Bock sees them as two distinct roles, basing this on Ephesians 2:20, which uses the same construction for two different roles.[42] Benjamin L. Merkle disagrees, showing that the first three in the list each have their own article, whereas the last two are governed by one and are connected with the Greek conjunction καί. Further, he argues from 1 Timothy 3:2; 5:17, and Titus 1:9 that pastors are required to teach.[43] He concludes that this points out those who would be considered “pastor-teachers.”[44] From [CRG11] either position presented, it is clear that pastors are among those required to shepherd the flock to their maturity and to do so with a particular aim: to equip the saints for ministry.
         The assumption presented is that these believers are unequipped and need help. They are untrained and unprepared. Grant R. Osborne points out that “equip” was used as a medical term “for the setting of broken bones and thus can be understood as restoring people to their God-given task in the body of Christ.”[45] The mission of God is carried out with His provision of pastors and teachers within the church who will labor to equip believers to serve in that mission. These believers are immature and need the gift of pastors and teachers sent by God to do this work. This discipleship leads to developing ministry skills and hearts that are made to serve. Francis Foulkes notes, “We may say with Robinson that the word denotes ‘the bringing of the saints to a condition of fitness for the discharge of their functions in the Body.’”[46][CRG12] 
Verse 12 carefully tracks this progression. Pastors and teachers are given by God to the church “to equip the saints, for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ.” The call of God for the pastor and teacher has one primary objective: to equip believers. The process of equipping carries two goals: to develop individual members and to strengthen and build up the whole body of believers.[47] Harold Hoehner carefully explains the grammatical progression and divine intent, “This signifies that the first preposition expresses the immediate purpose while the second and third prepositions signify the goal. The progression indicates that Christ gave gifted people to the church for the immediate purpose of equipping all believers with the goal of preparing them for the work of the ministry, which in turn has the final goal of building up the body of Christ.”[48]
         The church, being built up, is populated with members who are described as attaining certain marks of maturity. The disciples will be growing individually and collectively, “attaining the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the fullness of the stature of Christ” (v. 13). Like a garden nurtured daily by a gardener, where various seeds flourish over time, the church also thrives through the care it receives. As the “imperishable seed of the Word of God” (1 Pet 1:23) takes root, it brings forth life within the church body. This life matures, revealing the “reflection of Christ’s presence and character” in the community.[49] Further[CRG13] , Paul explains how this pastoral care addresses and eliminates immaturity within the church, resulting in the dangers that threaten the community being neutralized (v. 14). 
         The end result of this active pastoral care is replication. The church is alive in ministry. Truth is spoken in love. The body is healthily growing to be like Jesus, as each member is serving one another in love (vv. 15-16). As the pastor-teacher labors under Christ for the church, his ministry is replicated among the members. He speaks truth in love; in turn, they speak truth in love. He equips the saints for ministry; in turn, they do their part to build up one another in love. 
Colossians 1:28-29 displays a Christian minister laboring in Great Commission fulfillment. This is done through the proclamation of Christ, which comes through warning and teaching everyone with the result of maturity. Ephesians 4:11-16 calls pastors to labor in Great Commission fulfillment through the discipleship of believers by equipping them to minister. The result is maturity and a built-up body of Christ. These two passages present a mandate to shepherds in a local church to faithful gospel ministry.
Instructing and Admonishing One Another–The Work of the Church         As Ephesians 4:11-16 makes clear, both the elders and church members are responsible to minister within the church. God gifts the church with pastors and teachers to spearhead this, yet the intent is for all members to be maturing and serving for the upbuilding of the church. In this section, an examination of Colossians 3 will show that a Christ-focused and Christ-empowered laity will labor in the ministry of the Word of Christ through teaching and admonishing. Further, Romans 15:14 will be examined in this section, as it demonstrates how mature disciples of Jesus labor to counsel one another.
Colossians 3:16–Disciples Making Disciples         The book of Colossians is arguably the most Christological letter in the New Testament.[50] [CRG14] In ch. 1-2, the reader is presented with the Lord Jesus Christ, who is supreme over all things (see especially 1:15-20; 2:10), who is the One in whom “the whole fullness of deity dwells” (2:9), and who triumphed over the “rulers and authorities” (2:15). Jesus’ followers are taught in Colossians that they are “in Him,” “filled” (2:10) and have been given new life in Him (2:12-13). They are further taught the Lord Jesus Christ is the Head of His body and that His body is nourished and held together by Him (2:19). Chapter 3 calls believers to submit in specific ways to Jesus’ lordship.[51] These exhortations to follow Christ are intentional: they aid the believer in growing up in Christ (2:6-7). Moo provides a helpful summary, “The Christology of Colossians has a very practical concern: to demonstrate the sufficiency of Christ for the believer’s every spiritual need.”[52]
         The exhortations of ch. 3 list vices to put off (vv. 5-11) and virtues to put on (vv. 12-17). Each section begins with an imperative. The list of commanded virtues includes those graces that are lived out among other people: compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience (v. 12). These interpersonal virtues are demonstrated in the following verse, as they are called to bear with one another and forgive each other (v. 13).[53] Verse 14 elevates this devotion to interpersonal care, “And above all these put on love.” The full intent of this command is described in the effect of this love “which binds everything together in perfect harmony” (v. 14). “Love is σύνδεσμος τῆς τελείοτητος, the bond that unites all the virtues (which otherwise have no unity) in perfect harmony or the bond of perfect unity for the church (BAGD 785).”[54]
         Verses 15-17 sharply refocus on Christ and His work, mentioning “the peace of Christ” (v. 15), “the word of Christ” (v. 16), and “the name of Christ” (v. 17). This enhances Christian hope, knowing that putting off vices and putting on virtues is achievable, not based on the power of human effort but on the power of Christ and His gospel. Dunn makes this connection, “This verse [v. 15] actually provides the critical Christological lens through which the above-mentioned virtues [vv. 12-14] are to be understood. Instead of general exhortations that lead to a virtuous life, the above discussion points to a way of life that acknowledges God’s prior acts of grace and the centrality of Christ in such acts.”[55] The emphasis in this passage, and the entire Bible, is that grace precedes life, and the new life is empowered by ongoing grace. The words and work of Christ are sufficient to bring initial conversion and ongoing sanctification to the believer. This is the Christian hope that energizes gospel ministry to one another. 
Verse 16 does not generalize God’s Word. Specifically presented here is the “word of Christ” (Ὁ λόγος τοῦ Χριστοῦ). This would include the actual teachings of Jesus. This ties Colossians 3:16 to Matthew 28:20, as disciples are to be taught to observe all that Jesus commanded. But this also includes the totality of Christ and His work on behalf of His people, offering help and hope.[56] Paul is presenting not only God’s wisdom but also God’s power. Christ’s sufficiency is unfolded in His Word’s sufficiency. 
Verse 16 further explains that the ministry of the Word of Christ is applied explicitly to wisely teaching and admonishing one another. Christ is the one who has spoken His Word, yet His people carry it on. The faith of God’s people in the Word of Christ brings a level of confidence in their ministry of teaching and admonishing, for “there is a richness in ‘the word of Christ,’ which makes it an inexhaustible source of spiritual resource, intellectual stimulus, and personal and corporate challenge” which spurs them on to be filled with that Word, for “without the participants’ positive response its ‘indwelling’ might be feeble rather than rich.[57]
Equipped and led, believers now teach and admonish one another. In 1:28, ministry leaders are responsible for proclaiming Christ. Now, in 3:16, it is the responsibility of the church’s members. Dunn recognizes this pattern in Paul’s writings, “Indeed, it is a striking feature of the Pauline corpus how much Paul insisted that the members of the churches to which he wrote should recognize their mutual responsibility to instruct and admonish … each other (Rom. 12:7; 15:14; 1 Cor. 14:26; 1 Thes. 5:14; 2 Thes. 3:15; note also Gal. 6:1–3).”[58] The Great Commission is in the hands of all believers who are equipped with the words of Christ and given the responsibility to use those words among one another. Specifically, all believers are given the ministry of teaching and admonishing so their fellow disciples are served and enabled to mature. 
Romans 15:14–The Church Mature–Able to Instruct         The fruit of this Great Commission ministry is seen in Romans 15:14, where believers (disciples) were commended for being “full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, and able to instruct one another.” Most commentators see this new section as a necessary encouragement, following a critical part of the letter that includes strong exhortations (12:1-15:13).[59] It reminded the original readers that Paul still considered them to be genuine followers of Jesus, possessing a significant depth of Christian maturity. He commends them because “the fruit of the gospel he believes is plentiful among them.”[60] These character qualities are a result of the effect of the gospel. They are not produced by sheer human effort but through the sanctifying power of the gospel. Robert W. Yarborough clarifies that it is “thanks to gospel intervention [Paul’s] Roman audience is ‘full of goodness.’ This is derived from God, as ‘filled with all knowledge’ implies. God is the one who imparts such knowledge.”[61] Their hope for life and growth was built on nothing less than Jesus Christ, their righteousness.[62]
         The believers in Rome experienced supernatural growth in the gospel through ministers of the gospel. They had been discipled in such a way they were “filled with all knowledge.” This discipleship had a great impact. “The Roman Christians’ ‘goodness’ flows from their comprehensive understanding of the Christian faith (‘all knowledge’). Indeed, so complete is their understanding that they are ‘able to admonish one another.’” [63] The church was now filled with disciple-makers. The Great Commission had come full circle and was being replicated. Neither Paul nor any other pastor or teacher in Rome were the only qualified disciple-makers. “The wording of the last clause [καὶ ἀλλήλους νουθετεῖν] signals that Paul is not the sole source of the interactive learning they need to sustain them as disciples; they can also admonish and instruct each other.”[64]
         The instruction they were able to provide was exhortatory instruction. More precisely, the instruction was an admonition. The original word “Νουθετεῖν (pres. act. inf. of νουθετέω, ‘admonish, warn’) is a complementary infinitive; the verb describes the act of counseling someone about avoiding or stopping an improper course of conduct (BDAG 679d; cf. TDNT 4.1019).”[65] One could say believers were providing biblical counseling to one another. Hendrickson notes, 
Today, the word “counseling” is heard again and again. Ever so many books and articles have been written about it. Well, the apostle here reveals that also in this respect “there is nothing new under the sun.” There was mutual counseling already in his day, and it was of a high character. By and large, the members of the Roman church were “competent to admonish one another.”[66][CRG15] 
 
Need[CRG16] 
Romans 15:14 presents the fruit of a church that has labored to disciple her people. This verse reveals that discipleship was happening among the church members. This specific discipleship was carried out by mature and capable members who could instruct one another. Thus, the act of discipling was not carried by a few but by all. 
ConclusionThe argument presented in this chapter is that God calls the entire church to fulfill His Great Commission, and biblical counseling is one way the church seeks to fulfill that mission. This premise was presented in three sections. The first section demonstrated biblical counseling is a ministry flowing from the Great Commission found in Matthew 28:18-20 to go and make disciples. The second section showed that pastors are leaders within a local church who lead the church to fulfill the Great Commission by the nature of their calling as shepherds and their equipping ministry.Some specific tasks of that shepherding ministry were laid out in Colossians 1 and Ephesians 4. In Colossians 1, pastors were presented as those responsible for teaching and admonishing the congregation to promote maturity and assurance among believers. And in Ephesians 4 pastors were presented as responsible for equipping the church to actively and practically engage in discipling one another.
A survey of two passages in the final section defined the work the church is called to do together. Colossians 3 depicted the church using the Scriptures to teach and admonish one another. Romans 15 explained the culminating work of the Great Commission, where the church is full of goodness, filled with knowledge, and able to instruct one another. 
The rationale presented from the Scriptures in this chapter uncovered that the mandate given in the Great Commission can be fulfilled through the ministry of biblical counseling. Pastors are responsible for personally engaging in this ministry and equipping others to do it. Church members are expected to follow Jesus in this ministry as they are equipped and empowered to teach and warn one another. 


[1] Donald A. Hagner, Matthew 14-18, vol. 33B, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 1995), 885.
 

[2] Ibid.

[3] D. A. Carson explains that “the spheres in which His authority was exercised had now been enlarged. ‘All authority in heaven and on earth’ belonged to Him, the entire universe under His sway.” D. A. Carson, God with Us: Themes from Matthew (Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock, 2009), 162.
 

[4] John Calvin and William Pringle, Commentary on a Harmony of the Evangelists Matthew, Mark, and Luke, ed. ??, vol. 3, Name of Series (City, ST: Publisher, Year), 380.
 

[5] Hagner, Matthew 14-18, 882.

[6] Daniel L. Akin, Benjamin L. Merkle, and George C. Robinson, 40 Questions about the Great Commission, ed. Benjamin Merkle (Grand Rapids: Kregel Academic, 2020), 133.

 
[7] R. T. France sees a new birth when one is made a disciple when he writes, “This then is the culmination of the theme we have noted throughout the Gospel, the calling of a people of God far wider than that of the Old Testament, in which membership is based not on race but on a relationship with God through his Messiah.” R. T. France, Matthew: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 1 (Downers Grove, IL: Intervarsity Press, 1985). Leon Morris uses conversion language when he shares, “The Master is not giving a command that will merely secure nominal adherence to a group, but one that will secure wholehearted commitment to a person.” Leon Morris, The Gospel according to Matthew, vol. ??, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids: W.B. Eerdmans; Inter-Varsity Press, 1992).
 

[8] See Akin, Merkle, and Robinson, 40 Questions about the Great Commission, 88.

[9] W. D. Davies and Dale C. Allison Jr. A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Gospel according to Saint Matthew, vol. 3, International Critical Commentary (New York: T&T Clark International, 2004), 687.
 

[10] Calvin and Pringle, Commentary on a Harmony of the Evangelists Matthew, Mark, and Luke, 380.
 

[11] Hagner, Matthew 14-18, 888.

[12] Carson, God with Us, 162.
 

[13] See Darrell L. Bock, Acts, ed. ??, vol. ??, Baker Exegetical Commentary of the New Testament (City, ST: Publisher, Year), 24.
 

[14] Simon J. Kistemaker, Exposition of the Acts of the Apostles, ed. ??, vol. 17, New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1990), 34.

 
[15] Hagner (Matthew 14-18, 889) explains this well, tying the greatness of the Great Commission to the greatness of the gospel: “The great commission and its frame with which Matthew ends remain, like the whole Gospel itself, one of the priceless treasures of the Christian church, providing comfort, strength, and hope until the final dawning of the eschaton.”

[16] France, Matthew, 340-41.

[17] Heath Lambert, “The Standards of Doctrine of the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors, biblicalcounseling.com, ACBC, June 5, 2018, https://biblicalcounseling.com/resource-library/articles/the-standards-of-doctrine-of-the-association-of-certified-biblical-counselors/.

[18] See Julie Granschow, “Biblical Counseling is Part of the Great Commission,” Biblical Counseling for Women (blog), accessed date, https://bc4women.org/biblical-counseling-part-great-commission/. Granschow states, “Discipleship is part of the Great Commission, and biblical counseling is one means by which the Church is becoming more biblical.” Paul Tautges affirms this connection, stating, “Rightly understood, biblical counseling is an intensive aspect of the Great Commission to multiply disciples of Christ.” See Paul Tautges, “Reasons Why I Love Being an ACBC Fellow,” Biblical Counseling Coalition, April 16, 2021, https://biblicalcounseling.com/ resource-library/articles/reasons-why-i-love-being-an-acbc-fellow/. Similarly, Jim Newheiser asserts, “Biblical counseling helps the church fulfill the Great Commission.” See Jim Newheiser, “The Necessity of the Church in Counseling,” Institute for Biblical Counseling and Discipleship, April 2016, https://ibcd.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/newheiser-the-necessity-of-the-church-in-counseling.pdf.

         [19] Robert D. Jones, “Does the Great Commission Require Biblical Counseling?” Southern Equip, equip.sbts.edu, January 25, 2022, https://equip.sbts.edu/article/does-the-great-commission-require-biblical-counseling/.
 

[20] Robert Jones, “Biblical Counseling: An Opportunity for Problem-Based Evangelism,” Journal of Biblical Counseling 38:1 (Spring 2017): 75. 

[21] Jones, “Biblical Counseling,” 75.
 

[22] Ibid. This comes from the title of his article, which presents biblical counseling as an opportunity to evangelize. The rest of his article focuses on the practical ways a biblical counselor could evangelize through their counsel.

 
[23] John Piper, “Biblical Counseling for the Great Commission,” Desiring God Ministries, October 21, 2014, https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/biblical-counseling-for-the-great-commission.

 
[24] D. A. Carson, Matthew, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 8, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Matthew Mark, Luke (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1984), 596.

[25] Paul Tripp, “Name of Article,” The Journal of Biblical Counseling, 16, no. 3 (Spring 1998): 2.

 
[26] Ibid.
 

[27] David Powlison, “The Great Commission is a Great Place to Begin to Understand Biblical Counseling,” Christian Counseling and Education Foundation, April 14, 2016, https://www.ccef.org/great-commission-great-place-begin-understand-biblical-counseling.

[28] Douglas J. Moo, The Letters to the Colossians and to Philemon, ed. ??, vol. ??, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Pub. Co., 2008), 159. 
 

[29] Richard R. Melick, Philippians, Colossians, Philemon, ed. ??, vol. 32, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1991), 164.
 

[30] Cited in David W. Pao, Colossians and Philemon, ed. ??, vol. ??, Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament: (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2012), 19.

 
[31] R. McL. Wilson says, “The passage represents one of the high points in New Testament Christology.” R. McL. Wilson, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on Colossians and Philemon, ed. G. I. Davies and G. N. Stanton, vol. ??, International Critical Commentary (New York: T&T Clark International, 2005), 123-24. Douglas Moo wrote, “This passage, the most famous in the letter, is one of the Christological high points of the New Testament.” Moo, The Letters to the Colossians and to Philemon, 107.
 

[32] F. F. Bruce, The Epistles to the Colossians, to Philemon, and to the Ephesians, ed. ??, vol. ??, The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1984), 56.
 

[33] Ibid., 86.

 
[34] James D. G. Dunn, “The warning and teaching in all wisdom is also the proclamation of Christ.” James D. G. Dunn, The Epistles to the Colossians and to Philemon: A Commentary on the Greek Text, ed. ??, vol. ??, New International Greek Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1996), 124. He goes on to link the warning and the teaching together with the proclaiming as thus: “It should be noted that the idea of proclaiming Christ is thus supplemented, or indeed explained, by a double emphasis on instruction: the two belong together, and presumably the former without the latter would be dangerously lacking in content and guidance for everyday praxis” (Ibid).

 
[35] He references the Greek root words, nουθετέω, and διδάσκω are near synonyms, both meaning “instruct.” The former carries the implication of exhortation, warning, and correction, hence “admonish, warn” and its use in Jewish literature with reference to God’s chastening (Job 40:4; Wis. 11:10; 12:2, 26; Psalms of Solomon 13:9). Paul saw it as a characteristic ministry to be exercised widely within his churches (Rom. 15:14; 1 Thes. 5:12, 14; 2 Thes. 3:15).” Dunn, The Epistles to the Colossians and to Philemon, 124.
 

[36] Moo, The Letters to the Colossians and to Philemon, 160.
 

[37] Dunn, The Epistles to the Colossians and to Philemon, 124.
 

[38] Melick, Philippians, Colossians, Philemon, 242.

[39] Pao, Colossians and Philemon, 133.
 

[40] Harris holds that this “refers generally to the apostles and evangelists or specifically to Paul and his coworkers such as Epaphras (1:7; 4:12-13).” Murray J. Harris, Colossians and Philemon, Exegetical Guide to the Greek New Testament (City, ST: B&H Academic; WORDsearch, 2012), 65. Wilson (A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on Colossians and Philemon, 180) extends this further, stating that it includes “at least the apostles and evangelists, and Paul’s co-workers, but it could have an even wider reference, ‘we Christians.’” Pao (Colossians and Philemon, 131) agrees with Wilson, “It is more likely that Paul is intentionally including all who participate in the proclamation of the gospel message with this pronoun, and this group cannot be limited to those noted in this letter.”
 

[41] Pao (Colossians and Philemon, 131) argues that “Paul is again emphasizing the universal scope and power of this gospel,” adding that this is “against the elitists.” Dunn (The Epistles to the Colossians and to Philemon, 125) argues the same, citing the theme of full inclusion of both Jews and Gentiles in Paul’s writings (Rom 1:16; 3:22; 4:11; 10:4; Gal 3:8, 26, 28). 

[42] Darrell L. Bock, Ephesians: An Introduction and Commentary, ed. Eckhard J. Schnabel, vol. 10, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (London: Inter-Varsity Press, 2019), 126.
 

[43] Benjamin L. Merkle, Ephesians, ed. Andreas J. Köstenberger and Robert W. Yarbrough, Exegetical Guide to the Greek New Testament (City, ST: B&H Academic, 2016), 128. See also Bruce, The Epistles to the Colossians, to Philemon, and to the Ephesians , 348, “Teaching is an essential part of the pastoral ministry; it is appropriate, therefore, that the two terms, ‘pastors and teachers,’ should be joined together to denote one order of ministry.”
 

[44] Ibid.
 

[45] Grant R. Osborne, Ephesians: Verse by Verse, Osborne New Testament Commentaries (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2017), 128-29. See also Bock, Ephesians, 127, who similarly shares, “The term to equip (katartismos) means to put things in order, like setting a bone.”

[46] Francis Foulkes, Ephesians: An Introduction and Commentary, ed. ??, vol. 10, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1989), 126-27. Foulkes is quoting Robinson, but there is no source cited for Robinson’s work. 
 

[47] Foulkes explains, “It is probably correct to understand the second to depend closely on the first, and the third on the two that precede: to [Gk. pros] equip the saints for [Gk. eis] the work of ministry, for [Gk. eis] building up the body of Christ.” Ibid., 126. Merkle (Ephesians, 129) shares the data from modern Bible versions as well as the consensus of scholars, “Paul is not providing parallel statements, but the second prep. phrase provides the goal of the first prep. phrase. That is, the purpose of Christ’s giving leaders to the church is so that they will equip the saints for the work of ministry. This view is favored by nearly every EVV as well as many commentators (Arnold 262–64; Barth 2:478–81; Best 397–99; Bruce, 349; Hoehner 547–49; Larkin 78–79; O’Brien 302–4; Thielman 278–80).”

 
[48] Harold W. Hoehner, Philip W. Comfort, and Peter H. Davids, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1&2 Thessalonians, Philemon., ed. ??, vol. 16 Cornerstone Biblical Commentary (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2008), 82.

[49] Bock, Name of Book, 127.

[50] Moo (The Letters to the Colossians and to Philemon, 52) shares, “Of course, Christ is the central theme of all of Paul’s letters, and much of the language about Christ can be found in these other letters as well. But the density of references to Christ, the critical contribution of some of these references (e.g., 2:6), and some unusual Christological expressions cause Colossians to stand out in this regard in comparison with the other letters of Paul.
 

[51] Commentators describe this in different ways in their outlines of Colossians, but they see a unified theme beginning in 3:5. Harris (Colossians and Philemon) entitles this section “Exhortation to Holiness.” Dunn (The Epistles to the Colossians and to Philemon) summarizes it as “General Guidelines and Practical Exhortations.” Wilson (A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on Colossians and Philemon) labels it as “Guidelines for the New Life.” Melick describes it as “The Preeminence of Christ in Christian Living.”
 

[52] Moo, The Letters to the Colossians and to Philemon, 52.

[53] Dunn (The Epistles to the Colossians and to Philemon, 230) wrestles over the grammar of v. 13, yet concludes with what he sees as result of obedience to Christ through the strengthening of the bonds of the Christian community called for in this passage: “The precise connection with the preceding clause is unclear: the verbs here could denote the way in which the five positive qualities are to be “put on”; or the order of thought could be simply sequential. At the very least the implication is that the test of these qualities will be when other members of the community act thoughtlessly or inconsiderately.”

 
[54] Wilson, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on Colossians and Philemon, 262.

 
[55] Pao, Colossians and Philemon, 245.

[56] For example, Dunn (The Epistles to the Colossians and to Philemon, 236) lays out the case that the “word of Christ” is not just referring to His teaching, but His entire work on behalf of believers, “The λόγος has already been identified as the gospel (1:5, 25). Ὁ λόγος τοῦ Χριστοῦ as a phrase occurs only here in the New Testament[56]…. As such it can denote both the word (gospel) of which (the) Christ is the content (so most; “the mode of Christ’s presence in the community,” Wolter 189) and the word which (the) Christ spoke (Jesus tradition); there is no reason why the genitive form should be pressed to an either-or decision (either objective or subjective). This again would accord with the double emphasis of 2:6–7. Indeed, it would be surprising if the cross and resurrection provided the only subject of earliest Christian meditation when there was (evidently) a fair amount of Jesus tradition, which must have been known by the earliest Christian churches. 
Pao concurs. He writes, “This objective genitive reading is built on the “word” that comes from Christ himself, but this “word” is not simply his uttered words, but “the ‘Word’ uttered by Christ in his life and ministry and through his person and repeated by each Christian as [he or she proclaims] the Gospel by life and witness” (Colossians and Philemon, 247).
 

[57] Schweizer, Colossians 209, as quoted in Dunn, 237.

[58] Schweizer, Colossians 209, as quoted in Dunn, 237.

 
[59] For example, C. E. B. Cranfield, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans, ed. ??, vol. ??, International Critical Commentary (New York: T&T Clark International, 2004), 752; William Hendriksen, Exposition of Paul’s Epistle to the Romans, ed. ??, vol. 12-13, Hendricksen and Kistenmaker New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1953–2001), 484; and Douglas J. Moo, The Letter to the Romans, ed. Ned B. Stonehouse et al., 2d ed., The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2018), 904.
 

[60] Robert W. Yarbrough, “Romans,” in Romans–Galatians, ed. Iain M. Duguid, James M. Hamilton Jr., and Jay Sklar, vol. X, ESV Expository Commentary (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2020), 197.

[61] Yarbrough, “Romans,” 197.

 
[62] This line was adapted from Edward Mote, The Solid Rock, first published in The Spiritual Magazine, December 1824, with revisions by John Rees in 1826.

 
[63] Moo, The Letter to the Romans, 904-05.

 
[64] Yarbrough, “Romans,” 197.
 

[65] John D. Harvey, Romans, vol. ??, ed. Andreas J Köstenberger and Robert W. Yarbrough, Exegetical Guide to the Greek New Testament (City, ST: B&H, 2017), 357.
 

[66] Hendriksen, Exposition of Paul’s Epistle to the Romans, 484-85. Mounce carries the same thought, “Williams says they were ‘competent to counsel.’ The believers in Rome were expected to help one another toward spiritual maturity. They were to advise and instruct one another. None were so wise that they had nothing more to learn, and none were so inept that they had nothing of value to share.” Mounce, 266.