Preaching Door to Door and Making Disciples
Preaching door to door is a popular concept for a number of churches. Matthew 28:19 is a well known verse in the Bible that is often used to justify door-to-door evangelism.
The verse reads, “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, teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.”
A later Addition to the Bible
There is evidence to suggest that this verse was added to the Bible later by the church fathers. For example, the earliest manuscripts of Matthew do not contain this verse. Additionally, the verse does not appear in any of the other Gospels.
There are several reasons why the church fathers may have added this verse to the Bible. One reason is that they wanted to promote the doctrine of the Trinity.
The Trinitarian formula, “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” was not widely accepted until the 4th century.
By adding this verse to the Bible, the church fathers were able to give the Trinity a more prominent place in Christian doctrine.
Promoting Evangelisim
Another reason why the church fathers may have added this verse is that they wanted to encourage evangelism. Door-to-door evangelism was not a common practice in the early church.
However, it became more popular in the 4th century, as the church fathers sought to expand their membership.
By adding this verse to the Bible, the church fathers were able to give evangelism a more scriptural basis.
It is important to note that there is no consensus among scholars on whether or not Matthew 28:19 was added to the Bible later.
However, the evidence suggests that it is at least possible that this is the case. If this is true, then it means that this verse cannot be used to justify door-to-door evangelism.
Make Disciples?
In addition to the evidence that Matthew 28:19 may have been added to the Bible later, there are also other reasons to question the use of this verse to justify door-to-door evangelism.
For example, the verse does not specify what it means to “make disciples.” Does it mean to convert people to Christianity? Or does it mean to teach people about Jesus and his teachings?
If “make disciples” means to convert people to Christianity, then it is clear that this verse cannot be used to justify door-to-door evangelism. This is because door-to-door evangelism is often seen as a form of harassment or intrusion.
People who are not interested in learning about Christianity should not be forced to listen to a sales pitch.
Teaching People about Jesus
If “make disciples” means to teach people about Jesus and his teachings, then it is still not clear what this means for door-to-door evangelism.
Can people really learn about Jesus and his teachings in a short conversation on someone’s doorstep? Or is it more likely that they will be overwhelmed by the salesperson’s zeal and simply agree to be baptized in order to get the salesperson to go away?
Conclusion
In conclusion, there is evidence to suggest that Matthew 28:19 was added to the Bible later by the church fathers.
Additionally, there are other reasons to question the use of this verse to justify door-to-door evangelism. Therefore, it is clear that this verse cannot be used to justify this practice.