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And Jesus came and said to them “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”¹

I was asked this question, is the promise conditional or not? The promise is as stated, I am with you always, to the end of the age.

There are several aids to help us understand the verse in context; e.g., one of the general principles, “For every promise there is a premise.” Do you recognize the premise? The command to ‘Go therefore and make disciples . . .’

We can likewise be guided by the principle of First Mention. Are there any similar commands that come to mind in the OT? In the Book of Deuteronomy, God commanded Israel through Moses to “go to the hill country . . .”² See, I have set the land before you. Go in and take possession of the land . . .³ See, the LORD your God has set the land before you. Go up, take possession . . .⁴ Yet you would not go up, but rebelled against the command of the LORD your God.⁵ Their rebellion angered the LORD and swore that none of the men of that generation would see the good land that he swore to give them. They were made to turn back and perish in the wilderness. Only Caleb, Joshua, and the children would enter.⁶ Although they repented and prepared to conquer the hill country, the LORD bluntly said, Do not go up or fight, for I am not in your midst.⁷ Today if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, as on the day of Massah in the wilderness, when your fathers put me to the test and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work. For forty years I loathed that generation and said, “They are a people who go astray in their heart, and they have not known my ways.” Therefore I swore in my wrath, “They shall not enter my rest.”⁸ There were dire consequences to their disobedience.

But did God renege in his promise to be with them? After 40 years in the wilderness, that generation including Moses died. And the covenant promise to give the land was assigned to Joshua. No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you. . . . Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”⁹ Blessed is the man whom you discipline, O LORD, and whom you teach out of your law, . . . For the LORD will not forsake his people, he will not abandon his heritage. . .¹⁰

Yes, through Jesus we are accepted as children of the Father.¹¹ By whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”¹² We are sealed with the promised Holy Spirit.¹³ Yet we dare not grieve the Holy Spirit by our disobedience.¹⁴

Is the promise therefore conditional? Perhaps yes and no. Yes, since there is a command that requires that it be obeyed; if we do not go and make disciples, experientially, we may not witness how God manifest his presence—say through favor, divine revelations, healing, provision, and more. No, since God cannot go against his own words.¹⁵ Thus, the promise stands.