The eternal truth of God is the antidote for overcoming the ever deceptive philosophies of men, and to keep the first commandment the first commandment. This biblical priority of Scripture develops a theocentric faith for the renewal, and then the mission of the church. To truly uphold the mission of loving our neighbor, the PCA must first be Spiritually renewed by the Great Commandment so as to fulfil the Great Commission.  

Recently the National Partnership in the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) has been updated and now has become the Alliance for Mission and Renewal, the AMR. Their website is, www.A4MR.org, where they describe their vision and purpose. This Alliance is seeking to influence the PCA with an open outreach and mission to all people for the advancement of the PCA to the world. But their promotional video raises questions of their priority of mission.

Promoting the Great Commission is a worthy endeavor for all Christians. One must ask however, what is the new emphasis of mission and renewal all about? There’s nothing new under the sun, and reformed theology is established on the unchanging truth of the character of God, which has historically been the inspiration for church renewal. This theological foundation is still necessary for the spiritual revival of all people today. And contrary to popular opinion this was the original position and purpose of the PCA in 1973, to remain true to Scripture and to not conform to the traditions of other denominations. Did not the PCA specifically seek to escape from a man-centered interpretation of Scripture and uphold a theocentric perspective? Yes, indeed it did.

For this reason, the Great Commission must always be established in the context of the authority of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Mt.28:18-20 describes Jesus’ words. “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.’” It is the truth of Jesus’ divine and eternal character that gives him authority in the church and for his commission. Because Jesus has all authority in heaven and earth the context of mission must remain in the renewal of the truth of Scripture.

After establishing his authority Jesus then says, “Go”, which is to say, don’t sit on all that I have taught you, but go out into all the world. He continues by saying, “make disciples of all nations.” Making disciples is to make students, learners, and followers of Christ, and this requires theological study. Jesus also instructs his disciples to observe all the teachings he had given them, and not just his commission to go into all the world. The first disciples were to teach new disciples that Jesus is Lord, to become his students, to be baptized in his name, and to observe all his teachings in Scripture.

One teaching of Jesus was emphasized above all others. When Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment in Scripture was, he quoted the Shema prayer of Deuteronomy 6. In Mark 12:29-30 Jesus answered, “The most important is, Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” This was a central prayer of Moses and it served to prepare and preserve Israel before going into Canaan. It also served as an indicator to determine if their love for God was above all other gods in the world. As Jesus proclaimed the Shema prayer of loving God with all the heart, soul and strength, he also expanded it to include loving God with all the mind. This is especially important today as the world is hostile to God and filled with many false gods and false teachings.

In addition, Jesus not only expanded the Shema but he also gave the Second Commandment. In Mark 12:31, he says, “The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.” Being a commandment from Christ it must be pursued with all the authority of Christ. But, it is clearly the second priority for the church, and it must not take precedence over the first commandment. The second commandment is always the second because God first seeks our worship above all things. Also, Christians can only truly love their neighbor when they have first been transformed by loving God with all their being. The Shema calls all Christians to a theocentric faith.

The mission of the PCA, therefore, must first seek to be transformed in mind to a God-centered focus of Scripture. It must also clarify that the Gospel is grounded in the atonement of Christ alone, and that the Great Commandment is the foundation for the Great Commission. This is essential today as the contemporary culture’s influence is overwhelmingly progressive and secularistic, and it has no eternal truth; it has even exchanged the truth of God for a lie. It has rejected biblical truths for man-centered perspectives of right and wrong, of being male or female, of being heterosexual or homosexual, and being creational or evolutional. The transformational effect of Scripture however brings reformation to God’s creation design, and the restoration to marriages, churches, businesses, and to all of culture.

The eternal truth of God is the antidote for overcoming the ever deceptive philosophies of men, and to keep the first commandment the first commandment. This biblical priority of Scripture develops a theocentric faith for the renewal, and then the mission of the church. To truly uphold the mission of loving our neighbor, the PCA must first be Spiritually renewed by the Great Commandment so as to fulfil the Great Commission.

David C. Massee is a member and ruling elder in Christ Covenant Reformed Church in Memphis, Tenn. He is the author of The Truth Appeal: Discovering the Eternal Light for Living in Christian Faith