Making Disciples, or Causing People to Become Disciples? (Rev. Young Gi Choi)
In House Church ministry, based on the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19–20, the purpose of the church’s existence is “to save souls and make disciples.” However, many House Church pastors do not describe the church’s purpose as “making disciples,” but rather as “change people into disciples.” This seems to stem from the wording used in the Korean Bible translations, which render the phrase as “changing them into disciples.” The expression “to changes someone’s into something” often implies a change of status. For example, when a company president’s son falls in love with a housemaid and marries her, people might say, “He made the housemaid his daughter-in-law,” indicating an elevation in status.
However, the original Greek word translated as “make disciples” does not simply indicate a change in status. It carries the stronger meaning of “to form,” “to make,” or “to cause someone to become a disciple”—that is, to shape a person into someone who follows Jesus in every aspect of life.
As you know, the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19–20 contains four Greek verbs: “go,” “make disciples,” “baptise,” and “teach them to obey.” Among these, only one is in the imperative form; the others are participles. The sole imperative is “make disciples.” Therefore, a more literal rendering would be:
“Go, baptise, and teach them to obey, and make disciples.”
Why, then, did Korean Bible translators shift the imperative from “make disciples” to “teach them to obey”? It may stem from a misunderstanding of the nature of the Church. In Chinese characters, the word for church is written as 敎會, using the character 敎, meaning “to teach,” giving the sense of a place of instruction, like a traditional school. From that perspective, it feels natural to end the Great Commission with “teach.” (In Greek, participles can indeed be translated as imperatives.) As a result, “make disciples” was rendered as “change them into disciples.”
It is said that Father Tori once remarked that if the church had been written with the character 交, meaning “to fellowship,” instead of 敎 (“to teach”), the essence of the Church would have been expressed more accurately. In that case, the Great Commission might have been translated more literally, ending not with “teach,” but with “make disciples.”
What the Lord commanded the apostles was not merely “change them into disciples,” but “make disciples.” Therefore, for House Church pastors who seek to follow Scripture faithfully, it is more appropriate to state the church’s purpose not as “saving souls and changing them into disciples,” but as “saving souls and making disciples.”
Word of the week
How do you use the church restroom? Your small, unseen consideration and care—before and after use—help make everyone feel comfortable and happy.
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이동주 2026.02.07 19:44
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In House Church ministry, based on the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19–20, the purpose of the church’s existence is “to save souls and make disciples.” However, many House Church pastors do not describe the church’s purpose as “making disciples,” but rather as “change people into disciples.” This seems to stem from the wording used in the Korean Bible translations, which render the phrase as “changing them into disciples.” The expression “to changes someone’s into something” often implies a change of status. For example, when a company president’s son falls in love with a housemaid and marries her, people might say, “He made the housemaid his daughter-in-law,” indicating an elevation in status.
However, the original Greek word translated as “make disciples” does not simply indicate a change in status. It carries the stronger meaning of “to form,” “to make,” or “to cause someone to become a disciple”—that is, to shape a person into someone who follows Jesus in every aspect of life.
As you know, the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19–20 contains four Greek verbs: “go,” “make disciples,” “baptise,” and “teach them to obey.” Among these, only one is in the imperative form; the others are participles. The sole imperative is “make disciples.” Therefore, a more literal rendering would be:
“Go, baptise, and teach them to obey, and make disciples.”
Why, then, did Korean Bible translators shift the imperative from “make disciples” to “teach them to obey”? It may stem from a misunderstanding of the nature of the Church. In Chinese characters, the word for church is written as 敎會, using the character 敎, meaning “to teach,” giving the sense of a place of instruction, like a traditional school. From that perspective, it feels natural to end the Great Commission with “teach.” (In Greek, participles can indeed be translated as imperatives.) As a result, “make disciples” was rendered as “change them into disciples.”
It is said that Father Tori once remarked that if the church had been written with the character 交, meaning “to fellowship,” instead of 敎 (“to teach”), the essence of the Church would have been expressed more accurately. In that case, the Great Commission might have been translated more literally, ending not with “teach,” but with “make disciples.”
What the Lord commanded the apostles was not merely “change them into disciples,” but “make disciples.” Therefore, for House Church pastors who seek to follow Scripture faithfully, it is more appropriate to state the church’s purpose not as “saving souls and changing them into disciples,” but as “saving souls and making disciples.”
Word of the week
How do you use the church restroom? Your small, unseen consideration and care—before and after use—help make everyone feel comfortable and happy.