GAJ

John MacArthur’s book The Gospel According to Jesus has been in print since 1988 and has gone through three editions. It has been widely and deeply influential in Dispensational circles and beyond. Some of its adherents use it as a measure of biblical fidelity and orthodoxy. In this series, R. Scott Clark contrasts MacArthur’s Lordship Salvation doctrine to the Reformed approach to salvation (justification, sanctification, and glorification) by grace alone, through faith alone.

The Gospel According To John (MacArthur)—Part 15

by on September 20, 2023

In chapter 15 of GAJ, MacArthur’s critique of Dispensational antinomianism (and particularly of the “carnal Christian” doctrine, which we addressed last time) turns to the parable of the sower (Matt 13:24–30). He complains about the undisciplined character of so much of contemporary . . . Continue reading →

The Gospel According To John (MacArthur)—Part 14

by on September 11, 2023 | 2 Comments

No chapter in this volume, so far, relies on MacArthur’s debt to Dispensationalism more than chapter 11, where he addresses the parable of the soils in Matthew 13. The Problem Of Dispensationalism He begins by recalling our Lord’s words, which he addressed . . . Continue reading →

The Gospel According To John (MacArthur)—Part 13

by on September 6, 2023 | 8 Comments

Many years ago, at an ecclesiastical meeting, there was a worship service. The minister preaching was retired but something of a hero in the denomination. He and others had stood for the truth when many others had taken an easier and more . . . Continue reading →

The Gospel According To John (MacArthur)—Part 12

by on August 21, 2023 | 24 Comments

Because the MacArthurite sect of Dispensationalism (we might say post-modified Dispensationalism but not quite Progressive Dispensationalism) intersects only occasionally and tangentially with the Reformation, the defenders of Lordship Salvation assume that any critique of the system is necessarily a defense of Zane . . . Continue reading →

The Gospel According To John (MacArthur)—Part 11

by on August 7, 2023 | 1 Comment

One of the unfortunate aspects of the intra-Dispensational argument—that is, the Lordship Salvation controversy—is that both sides appealed to the Reformation, but neither side represented the Reformation theology, piety, and practice. Dispensationalism is a nineteenth-century phenomenon. Its roots are in the holiness . . . Continue reading →