The Gospel Delusion - Part 6

The Gospel Delusion

A review of John MacArthur's The Gospel According To Jesus 20th Anniversary Edition

Part 6: A Cross Examination

Please begin reading this series at Part 1: The Obligatory Introduction

In Part 5 I discussed how the Gospel is fundamental to our walk as Christians, that we are saved by reception of this declared Good News of Jesus Christ, and showed how Dr. MacArthur says that “all the years of [his] ministry” (1) were about learning what the Gospel actually is.

The fruit of the doctor’s long search is summed up in his statement “What we need is a complete reexamination of the gospel.” (2). He says that his work of pasturing includes re-baptizing people who once made a decision but who later come to a true conversion. He says that they hear testimonies of people in this situation nearly every week at his church. That truly is a sad state of affairs.

He states the purpose of his writing as “… to deal with the biblical accounts of Jesus major evangelistic encounters and His teaching on the way of salvation.” He goes on to state several questions that will be answered in the accomplishing of his purpose and finishes with “…they are not theological trivia.” I would fully agree, there is nothing about the Gospel that is trivia.

Though Dr. MacArthur to this point in the book has not actually defined this “Gospel According To Jesus” he makes several statements that can allow us to have some idea of what it is. He says that Jesus called sinners to a “submissive surrender to the truth, including the truth of His Lordship.” (3). He also calls a gospel that “makes no moral demands” a “new gospel.” (4) So, we can infer that the gospel the doctor wants us to know about would be about a submissive surrender to the Lordship of Christ that makes moral demands. Since the topic of this work is about Eternal Salvation it’s clear that Dr MacArthur’s “Gospel According To Jesus” is one which states the Sinner must meet the demands of God in order to attain that Eternal Salvation.

Scripture stands in stark contrast to this I have inferred the doctor is presenting. For Scripture in Romans 6:32 says;

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Some translations go so far as to render the Greek χάρισμα as the “free gift of God.” Even if we leave out the word free what does giving someone a gift have to do with demanding something of them. If Scripture describes Eternal Life in Christ Jesus Our Lord as a gift, how can we make the offer of this gift a demand? For if one meets conditions for a gift is it really a gift?

Think of how fast food establishments advertise offers as free when they really are not. If you buy this special package then you’ll get a free cookie. Well the cookie isn’t free because you had to buy the package to get it. Fast food establishments get away with this because they are not perfectly holy. The Lord Our God cannot even give the appearance of evil. What He says is free, truly is.

Dr. MacArthur plainly states the seriousness of the consequences of how we handle the Gospel of Christ by quoting Galatians 1:6-9. He quotes this passage, and I think I should do the same.

I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ.

But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.

As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.

Before we go on, let us consider the Apostle’s words carefully. He states that if anyone preaches another gospel other than the one the Apostle preached, and they received let such a one be accursed. Which Gospel is the Apostle speaking of? Well he summarizes it in the verses just before those the Doctor quotes. Galatians 1:3-5 NKJV

Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

But we have the Gospel that all the Apostles preached, and all Christians must receive declared word for word in 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 NKJV

Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.

For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve.

After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep. After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles. Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time. For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.

Therefore, whether it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.

Be, sure that when the Apostle said even if an angel of light were to come and preach another gospel other than the one he had been given from Christ to preach, and all Christians must receive that we must let him be accursed.

Sadly, this must include someone who devises a message and uses our Lord’s name as an appeal to authority to give it credence which is different than the message the Apostle preached and anyone who would preach a “new gospel.”

The Gospel that Paul preached as of “first importance” was also the standard by which he instructed Pastors to evaluate the teachings of men. We read in 1 Timothy 1:3-11 NKJV

As I urged you when I went into Macedonia—remain in Ephesus that you may charge some that they teach no other doctrine, nor give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which cause disputes rather than godly edification which is in faith.

Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith, from which some, having strayed, have turned aside to idle talk, desiring to be teachers of the law, understanding neither what they say nor the things which they affirm.

But we know that the law is good if one uses it lawfully, knowing this:

that the law is not made for a righteous person, but for the lawless and insubordinate, for the ungodly and for sinners, for the unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, for fornicators, for sodomites, for kidnappers, for liars, for perjurers, and if there is any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine, according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God which was committed to my trust.

Of Galatians 1:6-9 the Doctor notes “That is a sober warning of eternal damnation to those who would tamper with the message of salvation and corrupt it to make it a ‘different gospel.’” I would argue that we are to see one as accursed, not that we have the power to actually have one be so. I do not say, nor do I believe the Word of God says, that one who preaches a different gospel must be eternally damned.

Dr. MacArthur recognizes that some opponents to “Lordship Salvation” have labeled it as “another gospel” and says this has led him to be serious in his study. He rightly says that “We cannot confidently point people to the way of life unless we get the gospel right.” (5) He is right about this. The Gospel is of “first importance” 1 Cor 15:3 there is no life without it. Though many of those who respond to the Lordship Salvation gospel truly do, do their fleshly best to look alive without receiving that life.

In this installment of The Gospel Delusion series I have repeated some information, but only because Dr. MacArthur used Galatians 1:6-9 for his purposes. In the last installment we saw how the Doctor sought to look elsewhere than Scripture to find his “Gospel According To Jesus” and in this installment we applied the same standard he uses to evaluate his gospel.

His message of Salvation through surrender evidenced by works is not the Gospel preached by the Apostles. By definition then it is another gospel. I have tried not to let this be a “cross” examination by keeping my own self-righteous anger out of it. Instead I’ve endeavored to have it be a “Cross” examination because the Gospel is the Good News of what Christ accomplished at the Cross. It is not a demand of what we must accomplish in order to have our part in it.

References:

All references (unless otherwise stated) are from The Gospel According To Jesus: What is authentic faith? Revised & Expanded Anniversary Edition By John MacArthur Copyright 2008

1. Pg 19
2. Pg 21
3. Pg 11
4. Pg 20
5. Pg 22

The Gospel Delusion - Part 5

The Gospel Delusion
A review of John MacArthur's The Gospel According To Jesus 20th Anniversary Edition


Part 5: Well, if you have to ask...

Please begin reading this series at Part 1: The Obligatory Introduction

Dr. MacArthur opens the Introduction to The Gospel According To Jesus with the question: “What is the gospel?” (1) and says that this question has driven his ministry for years. I surely do not mean to for The Gospel Delusion series to be used to question the Doctor’s Eternal Salvation but I’m forced to question the integrity of one who is ministering without having what the Gospel is absolutely clear. The Apostle Paul declares that the Gospel is the power of God unto Salvation, and that it is by reception of the Gospel that we are Eternally Saved. Romans 1:16 1 Corinthians 15:1-2 Ephesians 1:13 If one has not received the Gospel then they are not Eternally Saved. I feel compelled to echo the words of the Apostle Paul in Romans 10:14-17

How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent?

As it is written: "HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF THOSE WHO PREACH THE GOSPEL OF PEACE, WHO BRING GLAD TIDINGS OF GOOD THINGS!"

But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, "LORD, WHO HAS BELIEVED OUR REPORT?"

So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Not to be crass but Dr. MacArthur explains in the opening paragraph of that same page how his question about what the Gospel is has “driven [him] all the years of [his] ministry.” (1) He closes that paragraph with two sentences “A particular theologian’s view of this or that doctrine is only of incidental interest to me. All that really matters is what God’s Word says.” (2). I will be noting the Doctor’s practice of being very interested in what men think and using that to interpret the Word of God in later installments of this series but this instance is most glaring. The man has written several revisions of an incredibly popular book supposing to explain what the Gospel truly is, and the introduction of the book indicates that he hasn’t known what it is for all the years of his ministry. He actually does seem to be more interested in what he (a particular theologian) thinks than what the Word of God says. For the Word of God declares what the Gospel is in 1 Corinthians 15:1-11

Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.

For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve.

After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep. After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles. Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time. For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.

Therefore, whether it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.

Not only can a person not be saved without having received this message, it is absolutely absurd to suppose the Word of God is not clear what the Gospel of Christ is. It is declared by the Apostle Paul who’s decreed-by-God mission was to spread this Gospel to the World. Galatians 1:1 & Galatians 1:11-12

I marvel that one could spend “all the years of [his] ministry” (1) searching for what the Gospel is because ministry could not rightly begin until one was first Eternally Saved through reception of that very same Gospel. A previous Pastor of mine once asked of a prospective Youth Pastor “You know you need to be Saved to fill this position right?”

The Doctor also writes “On a disturbing number of fronts, the message being proclaimed today is not the gospel according to Jesus.” (2) While I agree with him that this is true, we do not share agreement with what the error is. The Apostle Paul tells us in the first chapter of Galatians that he received the Gospel he preached directly from Christ. He tells us in 1 Corinthians 15 that this same Gospel is what every Apostle preached and what every Christian believed.

He goes further by stating “…the good news of Christ has given way to the bad news of an insidious easy-believism that makes no moral demands on the lives of sinners. It is not the same message Jesus proclaimed.” (1) The Gospel, the Good News of Jesus Christ makes no demands on anyone as we can clearly read in the Apostle’s words. Truth makes no demand, it is simply something that can be relied on. It is either received or it is not. It is the Good News that the Law of Sin & Death (the soul that sins shall die Ezekiel 18) has been fulfilled in Christ Jesus through His death burial and resurrection. There is no call to submission in the Gospel. It is a statement of fact that one can put their trust in or not. One cannot believe in vain because the message is absolutely true, as explained by the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 15.

Dr. MacArthur’s dilemma created by his delusional view of the Gospel is clearly stated when he writes “The promise of eternal life without surrender to divine authority feeds the wretchedness of the unregenerate heart. Enthusiastic converts to this new gospel believe their behavior has no relationship to their spiritual status – even if they continue wantonly in the grossest kinds of sin and expressions of human depravity.” (1)

We see in his statements the depths of his misunderstanding of the Gospel of Christ. The Gospel is not God’s power to change lives, it is the power of God unto Salvation. Romans 1:16 It is not the method by which God makes ungodly people godly, it is the method by which God justifies any ungodly person who will put their faith in Him. Romans 4:5

What the Lordship Salvation proponent does is load discipleship into the requirements for Salvation. One must be willing to change their life completely, if not actually accomplish such a lofty task in order to be saved. But nowhere in Scripture do we read that it is the Gospel that either demands, or causes people’s lives to be transformed. In fact we are told over and over again that it is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit that works the transformation of our minds and lives. This is stated ever so clearly in Galatians 5:16-18

I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.

For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

It’s clear to me that Justification happens by faith, and that Sanctification happens by the work of the Holy Spirit in the life of a Born Again (regenerated) Christian. In fact, the example of the father of our faith Abraham is given many times over and over again in Scripture. It says “Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him as righteousness.” It does not say that Abraham obeyed God, but that he believed Him. It was his belief/faith/trust that brought about salvation for him, just like it is with us. That Abraham obeyed God was just him working out that faith when he obeyed. James says this was his faith being perfected, not established.

The Doctor continues “It follows logically, then, that someone’s one-time profession of faith is more valid than the evidence of that person’s ongoing lifestyle in determining whether to embrace him or her as a true believer. The character of the visible church reveals the detestable consequence of this theology.” (3) I argue that the Bible doesn’t speak of embracing fellowship with someone based on their profession of faith, or even on the fact of their salvation. We are taught by the Apostles to only have fellowship with orderly Christians. Loading the Gospel up with commitment doesn’t change how people will behave. Declaring that a disorderly person is not truly saved doesn’t help them become orderly.

I argue that loading the Gospel up with Discipleship actually results in a lack of Discipleship in fellowship. Since people are thought to either be saved if they seem holy or not saved if they don’t seem holy – everyone tries to look holy. The Lord Our God said that people like this were merely “whitewashed tombs.” Matthew 23:25-28

Dr. MacArthur talks about the “worst kinds” (4) of sin and names the most emotionally charged titles for sin most of us can think of over and over in his work and asks how people who do these things could be considered Christians. I don’t want the reader of this series to be confused, no Christian should ever commit any sin but it is not the severity of sin that should concern us, but its existence at all. There are no worse sinners, and there is only one payment for sin.

Thankfully if we sin we have an Advocate with the Father in Heaven, Christ Jesus the Righteous. 1 John 2:1 This is both true of the Saint who drives faster than the speed limit and the Saint who murders someone. If we find one of the Brethren caught in sin, they are out of fellowship and so must be restored. That is the purpose of Church discipline. As one is disciplined, or discipled they will be more and more recognizable as being conformed to the image of Christ.

The Gospel saves people, and then the Holy Spirit conforms us to the image of Christ.


References:

All references (unless otherwise stated) are from The Gospel According To Jesus: What is authentic faith? Revised & Expanded Anniversary Edition By John MacArthur Copyright 2008

1. Pg 20
2. Pg 19
3. Pg 20-21
4. Pg 37

The Gospel Delusion - Part 2

The Gospel Delusion

A review of John MacArthur's The Gospel According To Jesus 20^th Anniversary Edition

Part 2: Not Just Hard, Impossible.

Please read Part 1: The Obligatory Introduction first.

Dr. MacArthur argues for a salvation that is hard on the believer. His work talks about all the requirements, “strings” perhaps, of true Salvation. He goes on about the demands that Jesus makes on a sinner that must be met in exchange for Salvation. As though Salvation is some sort of barter system(1) In his preface he says that modern evangelicalism has aimed at making the the Gospel sound as easy and appealing as possible and then describes Jesus' way of presenting the Gospel as “making salvation sound well-nigh impossible” (2) and quotes Mark 10:17-26 as his support for this, and then continues with “because for fallen sinners who are trying to save themselves, it is impossible.(v. 27)” Which is funny because it is the truth of his continued thought that impeaches his point. Jesus doesn't make salvation sound hard, He tells people that it is impossible for a man to be saved by or through his own effort. This does not contrast what Dr. MacArthur says about modern Gospel presentations making salvation sound easy... it actually agrees with it. In the Scripture cited the Lord shows “The Rich Young Ruler” that no one is “good” except God, that even though the man thinks he's kept the Law from his youth he can not actually do good enough to be acceptable to God. No matter how he prepares and presents himself, he'll never be “good enough.” His astonished listeners ask “then who can be saved?” Answering, the Lord says what is impossible for man is possible with God. The Lord isn't suggesting that Salvation is hard for a man. The Lord isn't attaching “strings” (see Part 1) to the deal. In fact when some, who thought Salvation was to be earned, asked the Lord what they must do He told them to believe. John 6:28-29

A portion of Scripture that will play prominently in the minds of those who evaluate Dr. MacArthur's work using Scripture is Romans 4:5-8. Why? Because in this short section the Apostle Paul makes it absolutely clear that faith/belief is not a work, and that salvation is totally and completely separate from works.

5 But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness, 6 just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works: 7 “ Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, And whose sins are covered; 8 Blessed is the man to whom the LORD shall not impute sin.” NKJV

It is absolutely clear that we are Justified without works. Not that works don't just enter into the earning of Justification, or the process of Justification but that Justification happens totally and completely without works. This means that if one believes unto salvation and never does a good work but dies that he in fact was saved. His faith may have been “useless” or unprofitable as in James 2:1ff, and he will will be judged under the Law of Liberty and suffer loss of reward at the Judgment Seat of Christ but he will have been Justified and accounted just as Righteous as any other Saint who ever has or ever will live. Rom 8:1, 2 Cor 5:10, 1 Cor 3:11-14

Salvation isn't just hard for a sinner, it's impossible. Jesus doesn't make it “sound well-nigh impossible” as Dr. MacArthur would have us believe. Jesus states that actually is impossible for us. Would it be the Lord's council to try or earnestly strive for something that He, the God of the Universe, clearly states is impossible? I think not.

But the Lord doesn't stop at telling us that it is impossible for us to be saved by how we prepare and present our selves to Him. Thankfully, He went on to say that what is impossible for us is easy for Him because He is all powerful. Mark 10:27

But why is Salvation impossible for us? Is it because we are hopelessly fallen, “totally depraved” beings? When the Lord presented the Gospel that saves, He began to show His followers that He must suffer, die, and be raised from the grave to life again. Mat 16:21 For this is what is required of the sinner if they are to live again. For every one who doesn't continue to do all that is written in the Book of The Law is cursed. Everyone who is not perfectly righteous is cursed, and bound for Eternity in the Lake of Fire. Deut 27:26, Gal 3:10. In fact since sinners are under a curse, if we wanted to attain Eternal Life apart from Christ's full provision we would have to die and raise to life again ourselves. And all would agree that this is impossible for a mere mortal man to accomplish. The mortal part kinda makes the concept absolutely clear doesn't it? And we read the very same thing in Rom 6:23 with the added clarity that salvation is a “gift” not something that is worked for.

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. NKJV

The Apostle Paul tells us that we are baptized into Christ's death and resurrection. This is how Salvation is accomplished for the sinner. Christ became sin for us, He was cursed, and He died for us. So the sinner positionally dies and raises to life again when we are baptized into Christ's death and resurrection. The Law is then established, as the just requirements of it are fulfilled in the sinner's death. Rom 6:1ff, Rom 3:31, Rom 8:1-4, Rom 2:25-27

As Dr. MacArthur's argument progresses he surmises that the sinner needs to become worthy of salvation to actually be saved. But sin doesn't require a change in the way we behave. Sin requires us to die. The sinner who comes to God with the slightest thought of saying “I'm trying to be worthy Lord” does not yet understand the Gospel. We present ourselves as wholly needing the Sacrifice of Christ Jesus on the Cross to atone for our sin. When we come to God with that as our only reason for confidence to stand before Him, so that we can come confidently before the Throne of Grace expecting mercy, then we will be saved. Heb 4:14-16 Just like “The Rich Young Ruler” we can not ever be good enough to approach God. We come baptized into Christ's death and resurrection by Grace through our having received the Gospel or when we come before Him we will receive only destruction.

Part 3: That Old-Time Modern Gospel

References:

All references (unless otherwise stated) are from The Gospel According To Jesus: What is authentic faith? Revised & Expanded Anniversary Edition By John MacArthur Copyright 2008

1. http://indefenseofthegospel.blogspot.com/2008/07/is-lordship-salvation-barter-system.html

2. Pg 10

The Gospel Delusion - Part 1

The Gospel Delusion
A review of John MacArthur's The Gospel According To Jesus 20th Anniversary Edition


Part 1: The Obligatory Introduction

The preface of Dr. MacArthur's work states that his understanding of the Gospel, as gleaned from a very long intensive study of the book of Matthew, is the “backbone of everything (he) preach(es)”. (1) Of his position and it's presentation in this edition of his work he says “This edition makes no significant revisions to the 1994 edition but includes one new chapter – chapter 1- which amplifies and sums up the book's main point.”(2) These two statements are the reason my review of his work, and therefore his theology, will be based solely on the preface and first chapter of this edition of his work. His main point is the backbone of everything he preaches, and this one chapter is his presentation of that point. The rest of the book, though it may well build on and/or argue more completely, will stand or fall on the fidelity of Chapter 1 based on the author's own description.

As I sat down to dig into The Gospel According To Jesus (TGATJ) this past summer I did so with just a bit of fear in my heart. I had to be honest before God, and in my hands was the highest writing on the subject of Lordship Salvation. My honesty before the Lord demanded that I approach the work with an open mind, fully ready to throw out everything I have believed in favor of Truth if it truly was to be revealed to me. There is simply no other way to approach theology with honesty. So I prayed that the Lord would give me the courage to make known my convictions if they were in fact changed. See I have made no secrete of my opposition of Dr. MacArthur's theology in the past. If I were to be converted to his way of thinking by his strongest work on the subject then I would have to be equally as open about this as I was about my opposition. After prayer... and with a serious sense of caution I opened the book and began to read. Moments later I grabbed the red ink pen that over the next month would end up covering much of the free space in the pages of the book. It had begun, and so let's also begin.


The premise for writing the book is Dr. MacArthur's opposition to the idea that “Jesus is a kind Savior who patiently waits for sinners to accept Him and that He offers eternal life – no strings attached – in exchange for anyone's decision to do so.”(3) I could end this review ever so quickly, and really save myself much work if I were to quote verses such as 1 Cor 15:1-2, Acts 16:30-34, Rom 2:4, Rev 22:17 and/or many others but that would spoil the fun. And really, if I just responded to that statement Dr. MacArthur's followers would say that I didn't actually read his arguments... or that I am misrepresenting him or something...

But before I leave this quote I ask that you read it again, and then read what the Apostle Peter wrote in 2 Peter 3:9

“The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.” NASB

The stark contrast between what Dr. MacArthur writes and what the Apostle wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit is hard to miss.

Describing the book Dr. MacArthur writes that it “offers simple, clear, straightforward, unflinching biblical answers to some crucial questions that desperately need to be dealt with and settled.” (4) As the parts of this article progress I will explore if he does give these kinds of answers to the questions surrounding Lordship Salvation, or if something else altogether happens.

You may rightly guess that I was not converted to his way of thinking by my study of his work. The simple, and sad, answer to the question of if he provides the kind of answers that he himself describes, can be found by examining a quote from the same page. “...this book still expresses what I believe Jesus said about the gospel in the best way I know how to summarize it.” (5) Well, Dr. MacArthur's book offers a 282 page “summary” of the Lord's presentation of the Gospel when the Lord's entire life and ministry was recorded 4 times over in only 189 pages in my NASB Scofield III Study Bible which includes extensive notes. And in 155 pages in my Darby translation with limited translation notes included. It's clear that Dr. MacArthur's “summary” is much longer than everything God saw fit to write about the Lord's entire earthly ministry. That fact alone ought to lead a person to question the idea that his answers will be simple, straightforward, and biblical, but we'll well begin dealing with that in Part 2.

As I write this introduction I have just finished the first few installments, and I'm realizing that my review of Dr. MacArthur's work could easily get to be as long as his book. Somewhere between 10 and 15 installments. So, I believe I will end up covering much less than I intended to, but I'm going to leave this series of articles open so that I can keep building on it as long as is required. That means that I will be posting the beginning of this series long before it's completion. And that ought to make things interesting, if not down right complicated for me.

Important Notice!

I do not question Dr. MacArthur's Salvation and will not tolerate comments that do. Dr. MacArthur has drifted into serious error. I trust his intentions were honorable in the beginning and I realize but for the Grace of God there I would go also. I recognize the many good contributions that this man has made in Christendom. My intentions with this work is not to disparage the man but to rebuke theology that is in error.

I believe that the earnest reader of this series needs to purchase TGATJ. I will quote from his work to show his statements but it would be impossible, and illegal, for me to present all that the man writes. I do do not fear adding to the sales of this book by suggesting you purchase it. After all I purchased it myself and believe me it is a very popular book. The few sales my suggestion will add to it will not make much difference. The lack of sales that this review could result in would not be noticed. My intent is not to deny Dr. MacArthur profit for his work, it is to protect the Brethren from it.

I categorically and without apology state in the clearest possible way I can think of, that the Lordship Salvation gospel is no gospel at all and that it does not save. However, be sure of the Lord's Grace. If one were to receive what truth is presented by the Lordship Salvation gospel then God Himself will ensure further revelation is given until the true Gospel of Jesus of Christ is either received or rejected by the individual. It is my prayer that God would use this work for just that purpose.

Please go on to read Part 2 of The Gospel Delusion Not Just Hard, Impossible.

References:

All references (unless otherwise stated) are from The Gospel According To Jesus: What is authentic faith? Revised & Expanded Anniversary Edition By John MacArthur Copyright 2008

1. Pg 9
2. Pg 11
3. Pg 11
4. Pg 11

JP and The Gospel According To John MacArthur

My friend and Brother in the Lord got to it before me! He's started his series on John MacArthur's newest revision to what is probably his flagship book. I'm still trying to find time to finish my review but JP is well ahead of me it seems! Please check out Part 1 of what promises to be another deep and exciting series at (LINK REMOVED due to severe disorder). The Blog about Free Grace where everyone gets the freedom of speech.

My Brethren, be more noble minded than to fall for labels, position, systems, and reasonings. Be sure of what you believe is true because it lines up exactly with the full of Scripture. Be not persuaded by proof-texting and clever statements. Be anchored in the Living Word of God.

One page that tells a 20 year story.

Is James 4:7-10 an appeal to salvation being made to the unsaved? It's an important question I want you theologians and laymen of the Word of God to ponder as I tell you a very short story about an article I'm writing.

7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.

I really wanted to get an article posted before I left for Ottawa. However... it kept growing and I was learning things I hadn't noticed before. I found there was potential in the article to go deeper into the topic of what the True Gospel of Jesus Christ is and how it ought to be taught and preached than I had ever gone at OMW before. Dreams of grandeur started to fill my mind... OK maybe I didn't get THAT carried away.. but I was really hopeful of stepping up both the quality and depth of my study on the topic.

Thankfully, I asked for assistance. I wanted an important (very important for my article) point to be reviewed. I had arranged for the entire article to be "peer-reviewed" (as though I could claim the person who agreed a peer!) but it was not completed before I had to leave. So I decided to send of a specific question. And I'm thankful I did. Lou Martuneac engaged some of his peers to answer the question for me. And guess what.. the answer came back that I was flat out wrong.

So now a great portion of the article must be rewritten, and the remainder needs to be deeply scrutinized. My own bias filled mind jumped at an opportunity to find itself validated in Scripture. This is exactly the same as when a secular scientist imposes his own worldview on the findings and then congratulates himself on being verified by the "evidence." Not a pretty picture at all is it? Well this is why "peer review" is so important. And who we "choose" to do these "peer reviews" is just as important as having them done.

So back to James 4:7-10. I've just read a new post at IDOTG about page 250 of John MacArthur's 20th Anniversary Edition of The Gospel According To Jesus. The quote being addressed at IDOTG was found on Pg 218 of the original printing (20 years ago), and 252 of the first revision. This quote ought to have been reviewed many times. The book has been an outstanding seller since it was first published, so it surely has been read many times.

When I turn to page 250 of the 20th Anniversary Edition of TGATJ I see the first line of the second paragraph, and the first line of the third paragraph do in deed say;

One of the most comprehensive invitations to salvation in all the Epistles comes in James 4:7-10.

The invitation in 4:7-10 is directed at those who are not saved -

Brethren, read the Epistle for your self and answer God honestly, can He tell a lie? Can God the Holy Spirit call "guilty, wicked hearers of the Word who are not doers; who are still captive to dead faith; who are bitter, selfish, arrogant liars whose 'wisdom is not what comes from above but is, natural, demonic'; who are loving the world and thus are the enemies of God; who's inner spirit is still dominated by lusts; and who are proud and self-sufficient" by a term that indicates they are saved believers, that being "Brethren"? The quote here is the continuation of the first line of paragraph 3 on Pg 25o.

The basic problem of the Lordship Salvation message is it's demands that a sinner be a disciple in order to be saved. Every Christian will be discipled by the Holy Spirit, this is true. And for the most part the debate with Additionists (those who would add to the Gospel such as Lordship Salvation does) is not with what a genuine conversion will result in, but it is about what must be done to be genuinely converted.

I will let Lou carry on the conversation on this subject at IDOTG. But you visit you will find the following post that I have made.

Mark Pierson you said
If I were away from my church for a while, and a great distance away at that, and I wanted to write a letter to that congregation I would address it to "my brethren", knowing full well that not all who attend there on a regular basis are truely saved. Some hearing the letter read from the pulpit would not truely be brethren. But that would not stop me from addressing the larger part of that congregation, that IS born-again as brethren.

The glaring difference between anything you ever have or ever will write and Scripture is that Scripture is perfect.

If I wrote, a sentence to the Church that said -

"Saved Christians, put your faith in Jesus Christ to be saved!"

I could simply be discounted as a very poor writer or worse a terrible theologian.

But if the Apostle James wrote "Saved Christians, put your faith in Jesus Christ to be saved!" the BEST case scenario would be that this letter could not be included in Scripture.

A man may addresses the Brethren and include the unsaved who are sitting beside those in fellowship. He would be in error to do so. But a man can, in sincerity, do so.

However, God who knows the heart, knows who are His, and who can not lie, could NEVER address an unsaved person using the term "brethren." It would be to bare false witness.

You may be able to project the error, shortcoming, and political correctness of a man on a man... even the Apostle James but to project those same shortcomings (falling short of the Glory of God even) on the true Author of this Epistle, namely God The Holy Spirit is something I would repent of if I were you.

Kev

I invite you to participate in the conversation. Have your ideas "peer reviewed" and review those of your peers. For as much as I respect other men who are senior in the faith to me, I fully agree with something my Brother in the Lord Cory McKenna prayed this weekend; "We (Brethren) are all one at the foot of the Cross."

Defending The Gospel

I am adamant that the Gospel we are to preach today is the same Gospel all the Apostles preached, as the Apostle Paul declared in 1 Cor 15:1-11. That Gospel, the Good News of Jesus Christ, is found in 1 Cor 15:1-11. In the Church today we see various attacks of addition to (Lordship Salvation), and deletion from (The Crossless & Repentanceless Gospel) the Gospel. We even see the very foundation of the Gospel attacked, the Book of Genesis, even by people who claim to be believers. I am currently reading "Defending The Gospel of Grace" which is a commentary on Galatians & Jude, and have recently received John MacArthur's Lordship Salvation apologetic, and now today I have Lou's book, In Defense Of The Gospel that refutes Lordship Salvation. Let the fun begin!

Submit to the Lordship of Christ to be saved?

I just ordered John MacArthur's newest book The Gospel According to Jesus: What Is Authentic Faith? It's his latest iteration of his defense of why he believes what many believe is a false gospel that has become know as "Lordship Salvation." Additionally I've also ordered Lou's In Defense Of The Gospel: Biblical Answers To Lordship Salvation. A work that is currently being revised, but I didn't want to wait any longer.

There are three records of an instance in the NT where the Lord announces the actual forgiveness of a person's sins and proves His authority to do so by healing him.

In Mat 9:2 we read Then behold, they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you.”

Clearly there is no submission to the Lord's "Lordship" there is no "turning from sins" and there is no confession of Jesus as "Lord of his life" in this account. What we see here is the Lord sovereignly forgiving a man his sins because the Lord saw he had faith in Him. The man actually had "repented" he had put his faith in the Lord, as apposed to some other thing.

This event is also recorded in Mark 2:3-5 and Luke 5:18-20 with the same absence of the requirements of Lordship Salvation, but all the same requirements as per the Gospel as preached by the Apostles 1 Cor 15:11

John MacArthur has done some very good work over the years as a teacher of the Church. He has a sharp mind and is very well versed in Scripture. However, he teaches a false gospel. I wish it were not so. I share in his call to holiness, and submission to the Lordship of Christ. But these are not requirements for salvation at all. These are works of the Holy Spirit in the saved believer after they have been saved.