The Quote Attributed To St. Francis Of Assisi Is Wrong! Why The Great Commission and The Great Commandment Are Not The Same

"Preach the gospel at all times.  Use words if necessary."  

~ St. Francis of Assisi

You have probably heard the previous quote before that has been attributed to St. Francis of Assisi.  It seems from my perspective that this quote has been in high use in many circles as we are encouraged to focus on deeds, not creeds.  The amazing thing is that according to Father Pat McCloskey, "This is a great quote, very Franciscan in its spirit, but not literally from St. Francis.  The thought is his; this catchy phrasing is not in his writings or in the earliest biographies about him.  In Chapter XVII of his Rule of 1221, Francis told the friars not to preach unless they had received the proper permission to do so.  Then he added, 'Let all the brothers, however, preach by their deeds."  


Even though the popular quote is not directly from Francis, only derived, this popular quote is still simply wrong.


We need to keep in mind that there is a large difference between the Great Commandment (See Matthew 22:36-40) and the Great Commission (See Matthew 28:16-20).  Too often these days Christians are confusing the Great Commission with the Great Commandment.  Let me briefly outline the two.

1. The Great Commandment is about serving neighbors through loving works.
2. The Great Commission is about making disciples through the Gospel.
3. The Great  Commandment put into words says, "I love you."
4. The Great Commission says, "Let me tell you about God's Love for you in the Life, Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ."
5. The Great Commandment consists of good deeds that we do for our neighbor.
6. The Great Commission consists of a good message about what God did for the world.

What does this mean for the “Preach the gospel at all times and use words if necessary” quote? It means that we can’t ‘be’ the Gospel for our neighbor.  The reason why we can’t ‘be’ the Gospel is that the Gospel is an external message found outside of us, not within our actions. Our deeds do not atone for sin, they are simply deeds that are a worshipful response to Christ’s atonement for us.  Our deeds are a response to the message of the Gospel, our deeds are not the Gospel itself. Therefore, when we go and rake leaves for a neighbor we are not fulfilling the Great Commission but rather we are doing the Great Commandment. Good works towards our neighbor are prepared in advance for us to “walk in” and the Gospel is the Good News of Jesus that we get to “proclaim.” The Great Commandment is not the Great Commission and the Great Commission is not the Great Commandment.

The good news is that we do not have an “either or” decision with the Great Commission or the The Great Commandment. They are not in competition! Rather, we get to not only love our neighbor with good works but we also get to be a part of a church where disciples are made of all nations through baptizing and teaching.

So, proclaim the Gospel and yes, use words!

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