Similar Verses in Bible and Chinese Classics 8 on Commission & Transformation

The Book of "Great Learning" of the Confucius School begins with "大学之道，在明明德，在亲民，在止于至善" can be translated as

The Great Commission:

"the way of the 'Great Learning' is 

1. to make know the glorious virtue of God that man may follow, 
2. on loving people to transform them to be new creation, 
3. and to reach the utmost goodness of abundance and harmony, the heavenly home for all to rest in. 

(note: See (see Understanding The Great Learning DaXue in One Minute for details. My translation added descriptions explained in the other part of the book). 

The intentions and virtues of God are discovered by the Confucius (and Lao Zi too).  The ideal state of heavenly home of abundance and harmony is the dream of man. To reach the ideal state, men need to be transformed into new men of creation. Confucius' approach is by education. It is a journey of man reaching up to God. 


The Bible tells us that Jesus came to show forth the grace, goodness and glory of God as the Heavenly Father. Jesus not only just tell us about the virtuous living but also give us the grace and empower us through the Holy Spirit by a rebirth as a new creation (2Cor 5:17) so that we may attain the Kingdom of God on earth as it is in Heaven!


The method and the ideal state are same for the Chinese Classical teachings and the Bible. The only difference is Jesus Christ. Man don't have to struggle to reach God. God send His son Jesus to reach out to us and to bring us up to Him and to be with Him in peace and rest. 

• Joh 6:29  Jesus told them, "This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the One He has sent."  
• 1Jn 4:9  God showed how much He loved us by sending His one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through Him.  
• 1Jn 5:1  Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has become a child of God. And everyone who loves the Father loves His children, too. 

For believers like us, we are to do, amazingly, the three things that the "Great Learning" tells us, like the Great Commission: (Mark 16:15-20, Mat 28:19-20)

1. Proclaim the goodness of God 
2. Loving people so that they may know Christ and be rebirthed and transformed
3. Play a role in establishing His Kingdom on earth as it is Heaven that bring blessings to all and glory to God.

For more, see Chinese Classics & The Bible




Lim Liat copyrighted 2011