Interesting insight from Stuart Dauermann:
The Great Commission is not,
“Go therefore 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 know all that I have commanded you.”
Nor is it,
“Go therefore 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 believe all that I have commanded you.”
Rather, it is
“Go therefore 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 observe all that I have commanded you.”
Observing is the Greek word “τηρέω” (“tēreō”), the Hebrew equivalent of which is “שמר” (“shamar”). In Hebrew, a Jew who keeps the Sabbath is called “Shomer Shabbat”, and a “Torah observant Jew”, who endeavors to keep the whole law is called “Shomer Mitzvah”.
To observe what Jesus has commanded thus means to keep or practice these things; making disciples thus involves teaching people what to do and how to live.
My own observation on this:
In the context of the medieval church, when Martin Luther kicked off the Reformation, “Sola Fide” was an important corrective to the legalism of the church. But when we make it into an absolute and tell people that becoming a Christian is all about believing and not at all about doing, we contradict not just Scripture but Jesus himself, and we set “Sola Fide” against “Sola Scriptura”.
And no, that does not mean that our works, our doing save us or contribute anything to our salvation.But if we condemn all teaching to do certain things or live a certain way as “legalism” and “works righteousness”, then we really we have to explain why Jesus, and Paul, and Peter, talked quite a bit about how to behave