and Matthew, Marcy, Melinda (kneeling below), and Mark.
Zz 7. John and Patricia with family, 1988: (left to right) Kelly (née Gallagher)
and Matthew, Marcy, Melinda (kneeling below), and Mark.
Across the Pacific
Qe there came a similar development. A first
international office of Grace to You was established in Mumbai (Bombay), India, in 1981, and during that decade the
ministry at Grace Church was to go on air in a widening circle
of nations from Australia and South Africa, to the Philippines
and the United Kingdom.
John MacArthur 1s not by temperament a traveller. As already
mentioned, he was in Brazil in 1978. He made a first visit to
Britain (Scotland) in 1979, but it was not until 1988, when he
was forty-nine, that he toured a series of countries across the
Pacific. It was prompted by news coming back through the tape
and radio ministry. In a Grace to You letter (February 1986)
MacArthur reported:
Phil Johnson, Managing Director of Word of Grace,
recently returned from a three-week trip to Asia, and he
told me he learned of Christians who listen to Word of Grace tapes in several places we didn't even realize we were penetrating—in the remote provinces of the Philippines,
in the slums of India, and even in an out-of-the-way place
like North Borneo. It's exciting and awesome to think
94 JOHN MacArTHurR: SERVANT OF THE WorD AND FLOCK
that messages I preach from our church pulpit are being heard by people in parts of the world I will never be able
to visit. At the same time, it is a powerful reminder of the weight of responsibility that God has placed on all of us who know the truth. If the message is biblical, it has no geographic or cultural bounds.
As the value of MacArthur making a visit to some of these
far-off places became clear to him, and to the elders at Grace,
a tour was planned for August and half of September 1988.
Patricia and all the family were to go with him, so that in
addition to preaching there would be some days for vacation.
Not normally a journal keeper, John's sense of the potential
importance of these weeks prompted him to keep a record of
the whole period they were away.
For the first time the family stood on southern-hemisphere soil when their plane landed in Auckland, New Zealand, on Tues-
day, August 2, 1988. It was the start of many new experiences.
Driving on the left-hand side of winding roads, through green
meadows, in sight of some of the land's seventy million sheep,
and with Maori music and feasts in the evenings—these were
things unknown in California. The first weekend was filled with
engagements at Totara Springs and Auckland. Some five hundred
to six hundred people assembled at the former for a conference
where MacArthur spoke twice. The response of hearers pointed
to the great need of the country: serious exposition of Scripture
was uncommon and charismatic influence prevalent.
The next week took them to South Island, first to Shotover
River Gorge, where they 'put on life jackets and got on a jet boat for the best thrills ever'! Then to Queenstown, before a
five-hour trip to Milford Sound. John notes:
Across the Pacific
Only fifteen on the beautiful Volvo bus—breathtaking, magnificent scenery—nothing to match its grandeur. Cloudy, drizzly weather made for thousands of waterfalls
... Milford Sound was beyond description—massive rock mountains rising straight out of the water to thousands
of feet in height. The wonder of God's glorious mind and
creative power was clear. The most spectacular scenery we
have ever seen.
After a further conference at Christchurch, the MacArthurs
flew to Australia, passing through Sydney ('brilliant weath
lovely city') to Adelaide. Sunday, August 14, was a full day
Adelaide, concluding with a service at the Town Hall attend by one thousand people at 7 pm. At that meeting Grace to You
in Australia had a plentiful supply of books and literature that
was speedily taken up. The preacher noted:
Amazed to see that so many had heard me preach on
tape, or read books, particularly, The Charismatics. Aus-
tralian churches are either liberal and dead or weak and charismatic, with few small exceptions. No strong leaders seem to be setting a national standard for strong doctrine, confrontational teaching and preaching. No one seems to be taking up the issues and confronting error—to become
a clarifying voice and lead people to recognize the truth and hold the line for it. Charismatics and non-charismat-
ics co-exist with seemingly no problems at present due
to the weak, non-confrontive style of preaching. Mostly devotional, not doctrinal or even expository.
Two days later he was in Melbourne, and straight into a pas-
tors' luncheon with 150 men; later a meeting with five hundr
in Camberwell Town Hall. The interest in Grace to You literature
was especially heartening. MacArthur noted in his journal:
96 JOHN MacArTHurR: SERVANT OF THE WORD AND FLOCK
My prayer is not unrealistic—not to reach large numbers,
rather to have the teaching available for those who hunger and desire solid meat, and will be used to start a new movement of spiritual depth, strong commitment and doctrinal distinctness. Committed people tend to gravitate
to our material.
Similar services followed in Sydney and Brisbane—capitals of New South Wales and Queensland respectively. At Parramatta,
NSW, such numbers came to a meeting in the church hall of St
John's, that the venue had to be changed to the cathedral itself.
The response to the work of Grace to You—with its office in Sydney—was especially noteworthy. By August 21, John had
spoken twenty-five times in eighteen days, interspersed with a
few days of vacation. As they flew north to Singapore on that
date, his final reflection on a first visit to the Antipodes was,
'Great need for biblical, powerful preachers and strong spiritual
leaders." Of course, he had seen little of a vast land but few
discerning Australian Christians would have differed in their
assessment.!
With the flight to Singapore they left the winter of the
southern hemisphere behind them, and their winter clothes
were sent home. Singapore, 'an island nation, seventy-five per
cent Chinese, at the tip of the Malay peninsula', constituted an
impressive introduction to the Far East: 'Bustling and beautiful,
clean and uncluttered, amid tree-lined parkways, with the most
'In his journal, MacArthur agreed with the words of A. W. Pink: 'The great need of Australia today is for God-sent and God-anointed men, who will not shun to declare the whole counsel of God; men in whom the Word of Christ dwells richly; men on whom rests the ex of God, so that they are delivered from the fear of man. Iain H. Murray, The Life of 'Arthur W. Pink (Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 1981), p. 42. An enlarged edition of the Pink biography was published by the Trust in 2004.
Across the Pacific 97
efficient subway in the world', there was much to fascinate them. Among those to welcome them on arrival was twenty-eight year
old Alex Lee, the enthusiastic local organizer of Grace to You
tape and book ministry. That lives were being touched by that
ministry was evident at a meeting of over a thousand mostly
young people, of whom MacArthur noted:
Great interest, eagerness to buy books, tapes, especially Lordship book—sold out! Spoke on Matthew, Gospel According to Jesus. Rich dialogue after. I was amazed to have such a response half way around the world—with people I didn't know—but who knew me.
Equally good discussion arose out of Question and Answer
session at a visit to Singapore Bible College:
Same questions as at home. The church is always needing
clarification on the issues of qualifications and disqualifica-
tions for membership; women in leadership; sin and reformation; how to handle unbiblical elders; how to change
the church tradition to conform to Scripture.
Experiences less familiar than those at home included a ten-
course Chinese banquet, with a first taste of octopus, and a first
visit to a crocodile farm. Among his overall impressions of the
Christian scene were the 'strong evangelical association, good
people in leadership, and much activity'.
On Thursday, August 25, the family left their pleasant rooms
on the 24th floor of the Westin Plaza, unaware of quite how
different their situation would be before the day was over. Sin-
gapore was not typical of the East.
A flight to Bangkok was uneventful, but there was a hint
of future problems when they sought to transfer to their on-
98 JOHN MacArTuHur: SERVANT OF THE WORD AND FLOCK
going flight for Delhi: "They had erased our reservations off
the computer and informed me we had no seats. After an hour-
and-a-half hassling, we got on—scattered in smoking section;
eventually we swapped seats to be together.' Their first night in
India consisted of five hours sleep at the Imperial Hotel. The
building was shared with rats and cockroaches; and, with no hot
water, it had long since ceased to warrant its proud name. The
next morning saw them out of doors, on a two hundred km bus
ride to Agra and the Taj Mahal; but any respite was countered by the mental discomfort over much they had to witness:
Incredible to see Delhi—a sea of destitute poor, teeming people, animals, and cars. I had the feeling I was seeing human society at its lowest social level. The poverty is consummate, everywhere—outside a beautiful government building, or a politician's estate, the poor live on the street with their shacks of straw, mud, cow dung, brick,
plastic, or canvas, huddled in tiny places only their gaunt
little bodies could fit.
When they arrived back at the Imperial at 10 pm that night
it was with 'chaotic impressions of this strange and tragic land
... Vast wasteland reeking with the feel of demonic presence.'
There came home to John, as never before, a sense of the 'despair,
deprivation, and pain' that must belong to hell itself.
A tour within Delhi arranged for the Saturday was only
half taken. A meeting with Christian leaders at the YMCA
that evening underscored the reason for their being in the country. Some fifty men gathered in a room so hot that the many fans almost drowned the human voice. Even so, there was good listening, and some evidence that the work of Grace
to You India was reaching people. The extent of the need in
Across the Pacific 99
evangelical churches, however, was stunning. Doctrinal interest
was minimal: "The need seems to them so desperate that they
don't care what the theology is.' As a result neither the dangers
of liberalism on one hand, or of 'easy-believism' on the other,
were recognized. Nor was there any warning of ecumenism
from evangelicals. 'I estimate', the visitor reflected,
our tapes will either turn the tide of this softness or make me unpopular because those who accept the teaching will pose problems to the 'establishment'. At the end of his
life, A. W. Tozer said he had preached himself off every Bible Conference platform in America—that may happen
to me in India.
The next morning, Sunday, MacArthur preached at the
Apostles' Methodist Church, and the message was summarized
by the pastor in Hindi. In the evening he preached to 250 at
the Delhi Bible Fellowship. In contrast with his brief presence,
books could be permanent, and he believed that too strongly
to leave their circulation to others: 'I am Pane The Gospel
According to Jesus with all the leaders I meet.'
The first day of their second week in India, August 29, took
them by air to Calcutta. On what followed their escape from
the chaos of the airport, he wrote:
Boarded a hot steamy bus for ride to Baptist Mission Society guest house right in the heart of the city. The
streets were small, crowded, shacks, shantys, and broken sidewalks were home to thousands. Many rivers and ponds appeared along the road, filled with busy people, swim-
ming, bathing, washing clothes, with water buffaloes,
cows, and smells nothing short of sickening embedded
in all of us.
100 JOHN MacArTHUuR: SERVANT OF THE WORD AND FLOCK
Their accommodation proved to have few assets apart from
its 125 years of history. A blackboard at the guest house des-
ignated their names and room assignments—for them a tiny
room with two small beds, and for the five young people more
of a barrack-type room with six beds. Conscious of the need to
avoid gastro-intestinal infection, they had some apprehension
on seeing their lunch prepared on the floor, but at least the
floor was stone and not cow dung. The only sight-seeing they
were to do was to take place that Monday afternoon. Two of
the most frequently visited tourist spots were within walking
distance from the Mission House, and, with misgivings, they
scrambled along sidewalks, between dogs, people, and filthy
oozing drains to these locations. Naked children, pleading for
money, were on all sides:
Patricia, with her tender heart for the little ones, found it
especially difficult to give them nothing. They sensed her sympathy and so clung to her in clumps. We resisted giving them anything on account of urgent advice given to us on how to act in urban centres.
Their first stop was at Mother Teresa's convent where they
spent some time with the aged lady whose care for the sick and dying had made her famous. They were impressed with her
success in recruiting helpers, with the abundance of medical
supplies, but sad at the vacuum where gospel truth was needed. Conversation with Mother Teresa revealed a very vague understanding of Christianity. 'All my people die beautiful deaths', she assured them. 'I love and respect all religions, but I love my Jesus.' But in a city where Hindus believe Jesus was the seventh incarnation of Shiva, and Krishna the eighth, the 'Jesus' was not presented as the only Lord, Saviour, and Mediator. Nor had
Across the Pacific IOI
Roman Catholic teaching helped Mother Teresa in that regard. 'May you enter the heart of Jesus through Mary', she wrote in
the Bible of one visitor.
If this convent visit was disturbing, still more so was their
second stop that afternoon. 'Crushed between the dilapidated
buildings of the crowded city, and down an obscure alley next
to Mother Teresa's home', they found the temple of Kali, the
wife of Shiva, a member of the Hindu trinity of gods (Brama,
Vishnu, and Shiva). This appeared to be the religious focal point
of Calcutta, and the place where animal sacrifice was carried on
every afternoon at 3 pm. Amid noise and incense, demon wor-
ship was busily in progress, including the disgusting worship
of a male phallus:
Staring Satan's worship cold in the face was a chilling experience—my inside felt icy though I was dripping with the sweat of heat and sickness. To think that Mother
Teresa was there and helping people physically but not confronting Satan's hellish domain was sad. It all looks so hopeless and so dishonouring to Christ. I felt I had really
seen the kind of idolatry the Old Testament speaks of and
there was a form of Christianity tolerating it. Truly these
are a people in bondage to fear all their lives.
MacArthur's feelings in the temple of Kali were akin to
those of the psalmist when he wrote, 'Indignation has taken
hold of me, because of the wicked who forsake your law' (Psa.
119 53u
Despite the precautions they had sought to take at meals,
by the first evening Matt was very sick, with severe cramps,
rigours, vomiting, etc. John got through a meeting with
some church leaders at the Baptist Church next door, only to
102 JOHN MaAcArTHUR: SERVANT OF THE WORD AND FLOCK
succumb to the same symptoms later that night. The next day
was their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary. With their rooms
now like an infirmary it was to be unforgettable. Engagements
at Serampore had to be cancelled, and John did not move from
his bed except for necessities. Patricia had stomach pain but 'was
a gracious nurse and tended to me'. Never in his life did he feel
so uncomfortable; the heat was stifling and an open window
only added to the oppression as crow-like birds in trees outside
filled the air with loud and ugly noise.
Sometimes I thought the sense of isolation from my
life at home would never end. This went on all day and night—no one went anywhere except to get medicine. I am sure that when William Carey came to Calcutta it was
a much nicer place—quieter, cleaner, and not devastated by fourteen million people.
The Tuesday night was only their second in Calcutta; it seemed
they had been there a great deal longer. Of it he wrote:
Another sleepless night filled with intermittent prayer that
the family would be well and me for the busy schedule
in the Philippines. I prayed for the church, the elders, people, many I knew had needs, for the students, for the radio/tape work, for my partners in ministry, feeling badly I couldnt give Patricia a better day,
When the morning came—Wednesday, August 31—they
were able to get to the airport, 'quietly and somewhat bent
over, longing for cool, clean air'. When, at last, they boarded
a Thai flight for Bangkok, a cold orange juice 'tasted like it came from heaven'. A night in Bangkok aided the recovery of
the invalids who were not yet able to take anything more than
soup and drinks. John's journal note read: 'I threw my shoes
Across the Pacific 103
away—they were covered with such filth and odour that they
were not recoverable!' The next day, Thursday, September 1,
took them across Cambodia, Vietnam, and the China Sea to
Manila, where there was time to relax by the coast before first
meetings on the Saturday.
Of all the places visited thus far, Christian work in Manila had
known the most of John MacArthur's ministry. For some years
his preaching had been heard over FEBC radio, and personal
contacts with Grace Church had prompted the start of two
Manila churches where he preached. He was struck by the unity
among Christians of different denominations and the youth-
fulness of so many of his hearers. Everywhere the people were
'open, warm, happy, and responsive'. The fact that the preacher
shared the same family name with the Philippines' World War
II liberator, Douglas MacArthur, added to the exuberance of
the welcome he received. At an unplanned book-signing event,
the crowd of 5,000 became so crushing that an assistant could
only stop it by taking away his pen.
There was only time for five crowded days in the Philip-
pines; it was enough to impress upon the family the character
of numbers of the believers. "The church', John observed, 'is
made up of the common, humble people', and he saw the grace
of God in them.
aie
After Manila, one of the most eagerly anticipated visits of the
whole tour still lay ahead as their plane descended to the spec-
tacular airport of Hong Kong, 'with all the islands, blue ocean,
mountains, and high buildings'. Before them was a first week
104 JOHN MacArTHuR: SERVANT OF THE WORD AND FLOCK
in China. The first three days were spent in Hong Kong itself,
largely in meetings with individuals, all concerned by differing
means for the spread of the gospel across mainland China. One
pastor, who had spent twenty years in prison, gave first-hand
news of the house churches in Wuhan. Another leader, Jonathan
Chao, was organizing literature work, and the two men did an
interview which was broadcast. Chao's hope was to have Grace
to You material translated into Mandarin for radio ministry into
the mainland.
On the Friday they all crossed by the Boeing Jetfoil to the
mainland, each carrying Bibles and study books. The first stop
was Macau where, at the evangelical church of Pastor Lam,
they were heartened by the serious, aggressive evangelism in
progress. On a huge map of the city every neighbourhood was
identified, with notes on the taking of the gospel to them. But
the time MacArthur prized most in Macau was to stand at the grave of Robert Morrison (1782-1834), first Protestant mis-
sionary to China:
Since no missionaries were allowed, he came as an employee of the East India Company. For over twenty
years, in solitude (the graves of his wife and son, who died before him, are next to his), he hid alone in an upper room and worked on a Chinese language dictionary and the translation of the Scripture. It was a very moving experience to stand beside his grave. I felt very deeply the
sacrifice, and meditated on his dedication. The millions of Chinese Christians in the underground church today
reflect the fruit of his labour.
A river, and some four or five check points, separated Macau
from 'Red' China.? The visitors went across and, with their
* At that time Hong Kong was still a colony of Britain, and Macau of Portugal.
Across the Pactfic 105
books, passed guards without incident. After walking through
a busy market, they proceeded to a cemetery where evangelicals
were given a chapel building for use only on Sundays. Otherwise
it was kept locked and unused. At this building they were shown
a window, deliberately left broken, through which books could
be put. Here they left MacArthur's The Church the Body of Christ
and other books in Mandarin and Cantonese. Numbers of titles
had previously been received by believers in that location by the
same means; such 'dropping points' for books being a common
means for the distribution of Christian literature.
Leaving the city behind, they were taken by their guide along
side roads into the countryside, where they were all surprised by the beauty, 'the greenest hills and fields we had seen since New Zealand':
We walked through obscure, out-of-the-way villages,
visiting the homes—completely unexpected and unannounced—and always, no matter how poor, they offered
us hot tea! Very gracious—as are the Asians in general. They laughed with us, as Esther interpreted, and showed
us humble homes, asked us to sit down—to see the kitchen and their board beds with mosquito nets.
We came to a town of 250,000 and met the pastor of
that Three Self Church. He is a believer, but his church
is totally controlled by the government. It 1s their way to show the world that they have religious freedom, but the
pastors of these churches are old. The authorities want
the church to appear to die a natural death when this old generation is gone. The house church movement on the
other hand is illegal, but is vital and growing. Jonathan Chao estimates fifty million Christians.
They were back in Hong Kong for meetings on Saturday and
Sunday. On the Saturday he spoke, through an interpreter, to
106 JOHN MacArTHuR: SERVANT OF THE WORD AND FLOCK
about one hundred pastors on twenty marks of a ministry of
integrity, followed by another valuable Question and Answer
session. The final engagement was a service the next morning
at Kowloon Baptist Church.
Only one leg of the tour now remained, and it began as they
reached Seoul late in the evening of September 11. The airport
was full of welcoming flowers and banners, intended, however,
not for them but for athletes who were arriving from all over
the world for the Olympics, which were about to be held. The
MacArthurs' coming to Korea, however, was not unrelated to
the Olympics. For the next three days John was to speak every
morning (with simultaneous translation) to the five hundred to
six hundred delegates of the World Congress of Sports. 'I love to
talk to athletes', he noted, 'especially those serious about ministry
for Christ.' After the second day, he wrote in his journal, "It was
important to be clear, simple, direct, and speak slowly. I tried.'
They saw the Olympic stadium and village, where they met the USA basketball team and chaplains. Other hours in a full week
were taken up with visits to orphanages, two pastors' conferences,
an army base, churches and the Seoul Theological Seminary.
Somehow there was time to form an impression of Seoul—
'clean, modern, efficient, and a city of beauty'. But it was the
believers he met who made the deepest impression on him:
The Korean Christians are amazing—prayerful, daily quiet
time, love to sing, joyful, not materialistic, and happy. God
has really blessed them. They are humble and respectful. So many of the unsaved are in Asia that these Asians are
the vital resource to be trained to reach their continent. We need to be on radio in Seoul.
Across the Pacific 107
At the same time there were some features that gave him
concern. The world's so-called 'largest church' in Seoul left him entirely unimpressed: "The services are wild and noisy—mixing
Christianity with pagan worship; major emphasis on prosperity
and healing.' Another common danger was more subtle and less
often recognized. It was a near worship of education, giving a
too high priority to degrees for the Christian ministry—'The
pursuit of doctorates is a major issue—credentials are very important—much too important.' Coupled with this was the
high status given to pastors, a factor that could prompt students,
looking for the pastoral office, to start more new churches than
was necessary. An eagerness for overseas degrees was also leav-
ing too many Korean believers open to the influence of foreign
academic institutions which held to Scripture in a much looser way than did the builders of the church in Korea. An example
of this was to be seen in the guest house where the MacArthurs
stayed (the Asian Center for Theological Study), and where a
professor from Fuller Theological Seminary took a seminar on
'the integration of psychology and theology'.
As MacArthur and his family took the overnight flight Home
on September 16, there was still much to write in the conclusion
of his journal. Two-and-a-half hours out from Los Angeles the
final sentences read:
Much to pray about as the dawn comes up through the windows of this 747. Didn't sleep on the eleven hours flight—too much thought about all we have experienced. I pray that all the experiences of this wonderful trip will enrich our lives and ministry and greatly impact the effect of our service to the Lord.
108 JOHN MacArTHuR: SERVANT OF THE WORD AND FLOCK
wie
Two comments are needed to round off this chapter. How did
MacArthur get time to prepare messages for so many engage-
ments in the crowded weeks since the beginning of August?
The answer is that he took with him about twelve sermons on
themes fundamental to the needs of churches, which he had
no hesitation 1n repeating. Most used of all was a sermon on
the sufficiency and authority of Scripture from Psalm 19, on
which a humorous note 1n Patricia's handwriting has survived.
It seems to have been scribbled in a service at some point in the
tour and, passed to another member of the family:
Marcy says—if Dad gets sick anywhere along the way there
are seven of us that could preach Psalm 19 for him! If you
are not sick yet—you will be by the time church is over
with all the hacking and sneezing and coughing over your
shoulder. Get the SYRUP out!
But the preacher was not diverted from giving that subject
first place, with other sermons on such themes as the right knowledge of God, and true versus temporary conversion. Deep impressions were made by these sermons in many places.
The journal shows that the preacher went on this tour as a
learner as well as a teacher. In all the churches he found things
to be admired—in 'tragic' India he noted, 'Many people sacrifice
for the Lord here.' In the Philippines he saw how Americans
could gain from the example of 'the humble servant hearts' of
believers. In Korea he said of the Christians, 'We could learn
so much from them.'
Across the Pacific 109g
This first visit to the southern hemisphere and the Far East
bore lasting fruit, an indication of the Lord's blessing upon
it. Although most of these places would not be visited by MacArthur again, he would never forget the impression they
had made on him. His sense of debt to others was deepened,
and in the years ahead there would be unwavering commitment
to an increasingly worldwide ministry. The room in the home
of Vern Lummus, where the first recording was preserved in
1969, had led to the opening of a door to help millions.
ae * oie ah
4 oF tte 2netlepaleeran a
meanee Gewese w Snel oat ere wi Lessin od aca ithe ol AMG Sor rere » ears otdeene vai oils coche Cow aoa re a
Jjinineter') seers peuple taeos \etiottraycharndegeniplllbmatelle = * aha "suai nnh nan SAT eee er
fib feet fe spud ememadermaeal pearl thot TureceMallias wiseiic ashy pelbaipcnlaita itt
08 u
ime Piprte mericanippnerttAr:
PARE 7 "ane : , wn et hieee | Hoy ats ap spoke
fag Ley erage promis tyereiiy bammion Wiep, nate Pew D. Abbhky Pra 2@ 7 rr? #
ni? @ . eo OD ae ey Caren Oe he Lash
"2 - dihipae 60 "eee
*Ts, (So Oye oe qe Whelan 10.) ie ©
-Uius » ey OE fe ge tee iia Aw. mhee, UNL Remit anvil creep nad
Vogel. Os "TA Y esi : _
hee ere Eien 08 tate Pe De 4. Tine Qe hu Mie? eth Nig ater al Sterne
os ot hs Spo WO) cal pete emery erty (ene st
. ¢ ore ne? Pe erro PS Me gath i ae © 4 yaad 19th sao
Fa oc ene ita Badd has -enell h
in 2 "4 oaed of ee
VeLhk @orG (sim _
Controversy
T: Gospel According to Jesus was a MacArthur title published
shortly before his tour across the Pacific in 1988. As will
have been noticed, it was the book he gave to a number of pas-
tors during those weeks away. In some ways this was to be the
most important book of his life, bringing together issues that
had become increasingly urgent to him through the years.
Eight years passed between John's first mentioning of this
projected title to Phil Johnson at Moody Press and its final
publication. It was not that it had been put on one side. In the
Preface, John affirmed, "This book has consumed my thoughts
and much of my time for nearly four years.' It had also provided
a subject for much discussion among his staff at Grace. Lance
Quinn, who became Associate Pastor in 1986, recalled some of
it when speaking with MacArthur many years later:
A small group of your close associates began to think with you about the implications of evangelicalism's weak gospel presentations, so many of these presentations being
reinforced through books with equally weak theology, and which were so greatly disturbing to you (and to us) at the
time. We began earnestly to discuss, reflect, research, and
2 HEE
112 JOHN MacArTHurR: SERVANT OF THE WORD AND FLOCK
then ultimately see the release, in 1988 by Zondervan, of one of your most significant books, The Gospel According
to Jesus.
That this book was published by Zondervan, and not by Moody (as Phil Johnson had promised MacArthur), requires
comment. Moody had issued a contract for the title in 1982,
as already mentioned, but while the book was still being writ-
ten, a problem arose. Moody's leading author at the time
was Charles C. Ryrie of Dallas Theological Seminary, and he
was also one of the leading proponents of the position being
refuted in The Gospel According to Jesus. When Moody learned
that the book would quote from Ryrie and critique his teach-
ing, they asked John if the book could be toned down so as to
reflect no disagreement with Ryrie. When John assured them
that this was impossible, rather than risk the danger the book
threatened, Moody preferred to withdraw from their contract
with the author.
There was another reason why The Gospel According to Jesus
was seen as a doubtful venture. It had become customary among
publishers to believe that titles majoring on doctrine would
never find a large market or command attention. MacArthur
recalls, "Several publishers warned me that the book was "too doctrinal" to sell.' Yet a best-seller was exactly what The Gospel According to Jesus became. In the words of Phil Johnson, it was
'an instant worldwide blockbuster'.
In the Preface MacArthur wrote,
My prayer is that this book will provoke discussion, arouse
prayer and self-examination, and lead ultimately to a reso-
lution of these issues within conservative evangelicalism.
Controversy 113
Given that his case questioned the presentation of the gospel
supported by 'almost every Bible College or Seminary', he knew
the controversy that Moody Press had feared was unavoid-
able and immediate. John H. Gerstner called the effect of its
publication 'an ecclesiastical earthquake'. This was inevitable,
for the case for gospel preaching, which MacArthur presented,
challenged a great deal of contemporary teaching. His Preface
paid tribute to many with whom he disagreed—'many are my
friends'-—but insisted on the serious nature of the difference:
Other controversies have generated more heat and spawned more print, such as questions on prophecy, modes of baptism, styles of worship, and so on, but these
are truly peripheral to the real issue. The gospel is not. It
is the issue.
MacArthur's case was that current teaching had
subtly changed the thrust of the gospel. Instead of exhorting sinners to repent, evangelicalism in our society asks the unsaved to 'accept Christ'. That makes sinners sovereign and puts Christ at their disposal . . . This modified gospel
depicts conversion as a 'decision for Christ' rather than a life-transforming change of heart involving genuine faith, repentance, surrender, and rebirth unto newness of life.'
Against this, MacArthur argued that more than faith is
involved in a true conversion. Saving faith is never without a
new birth, making the individual 'a new creation' and indwelt by
the Spirit of God who has brought this about. To explain how
'converts' continued to lead worldly lives, the popular teaching
held that a person could be a Christian without personal holi-
ness; he might accept Jesus as Saviour but not yet 'as Lord'.
1 The Gospel According to the Apostles, p. 74.
114 JOHN MacArTHuR: SERVANT OF THE WORD AND FLOCK
For MacArthur, this was alien to the Scripture: Any "salvation"
that does not alter a lifestyle of sin and transform the heart of
the sinner is not a genuine salvation."
His critics dubbed this teaching as 'lordship salvation,
claiming that it was error to treat moral change as necessary to
conversion for that would be to introduce 'works', whereas the
sinner's justification is by faith in Christ alone. Typical of that
view were the words of one critic, quoted by MacArthur:
'Of course Jesus taught a lordship message', one old-line
dispensationalist brother wrote me. "He was preaching to
a people under law. Under grace we must be careful to
preach a grace message."
In the extensive controversy on this subject the issue was
often confused. As MacArthur observed, an age used to sound-
bites and little theology was poorly placed to understand what
was at the heart of this issue. Some, who were ignoring that
conversion entails more than a changed legal standing before God in justification, thought he was jeopardising the truth of
justification by faith alone. They failed to teach that grace secures
a decisive break with sin, demonstrated by repentance and new
obedience. "True saving faith is a repentant faith in Jesus Christ,
and that produces good works.'
What is more, when an individual is savingly convicted of
sin, he or she desires more than forgiveness; such a person
wants salvation from sinfulness; he is ready to pray, 'Save me
from myself!"
Salvation is for people who hate their sin. It is for individu-
als who understand that they have lived in rebellion against
> The Gospel According to Jesus, p. 79.
* The Gospel According to the Apostles, p. 35.
Controversy 115
a holy God. It is for those who want to turn around, to
live for God's glory.
To bring individuals to that awareness, preachers should fol-
low Christ's example in dealing with the rich young ruler:
'Evangelism must take the sinner and measure him against the
perfect law of God so that he can see his deficiency.* 'Don't
be afraid to teach your children what God's law demands . . .
The law's moral standards give us the necessary foundation for
understanding what sin is."
Conversion has a human side and a divine side. On the human
side the promises of the gospel supply the warrant for immediate
repentance and trust in Christ; yet this will not happen where
there 1s no conviction of sin. It was at this point that Dispensa-
tionalism missed the significance of the law of God in the Ten Commandments. It supposed that 'law' means self-effort, and
salvation by works. But such was never the purpose of the law.
The law, in its revelation of the character of God, and of man's
obligation to love Him 'with all your heart, and with all your
soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind' (Luke
10:27), brings home the seriousness of human sin. The law
demands repentance, but
when Christ demanded repentance, he was not calling sinners to self-reform. In fact, authentic repentance
* Thid., p. 84.
5 Successful Christian Parenting, p. 55. One reason many evangelicals are afraid of teaching the Ten Commandments is their concern lest the fourth commandment should be regarded as obligatory. In the Question and Answer session at the 1997 Shepherds' Conference, MacArthur indicated that was no good reason to be silent on the law. He believes that while the ceremonial
aspects of the law, instituted at Sinai, are no longer for Christians, it is right
that 'Sunday is set aside for celebrating the finished work of the Saviour', and good that believers attend public worship both morning and evening.
116 JOHN MacARTHUR: SERVANT OF THE WORD AND FLOCK
begins with the sinner's recognition that one is hopelessly
in bondage to sin and powerless to change. Jesus' clas-
sic example of repentance was a tax gatherer who came
to understand his hopeless position . . . This publican's conversion demonstrates how repentance is far more than a simple adjustment of one's opinions about Christ
.. . While there is no question that repentance involves
a change of mind, it certainly does not end there. It is
a wholesale change in direction, a change in purpose, a change in attitude, and a change of affections. All of this can only be the result of God's gracious regenerating work and is therefore evidence of true salvation.®
Modern evangelism had gone wrong in confusing the rela-
tionship between the human and the divine in conversion. Man
is responsible to repent and believe; both are essential parts of
evangelistic preaching; yet both are gifts of grace and will not
be found until there is a change in human nature at its deepest
level. The saving sight of Christ (which is faith) depends on
'God's initiative and power . . . Spiritual sight is a gift from God that makes one willing and able to believe . . . The result of spiritual sight is a surrendered, worshipping heart."
MacArthur was charged with displacing 'grace' by introducing
the moral element into conversion. On the contrary, he replied,
it was the teaching he was opposing that reduces the place of
grace. It makes the human 'decisiom the controlling event, and
leaves salvation in the sinner's own hands. But the grace that
saves 1s greater than his critics were recognizing:
* Address on "The Glory of True Repentance', in Assured by God, ed. Burk Parsons (Phillipsburgh, NJ: P&R, 2006), posisle2:
Aibids pp. 73-5. No doubt it was on account of such statements that MacArthur was accused of being a hyper-Calvinist. His book, The Love of God (Dallas: Word, 1996), shows how mistaken that charge is. He says, with Calvin, 'the Father loves the human race' (p. 85)
Controversy P17
True grace is more than just a giant freebie, opening the door to heaven in the sweet by and by, but leaving us to wallow in sin in the bitter here and now. Grace is God presently at work in our lives. By grace 'we are His workman-
ship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them' (Eph. 2:10) . . . That ongoing work of grace in the Christian's
life is as much a certainty as justification, glorification, or any other aspect of God's redeeming work.®
MacArthur had been brought to see the issue which Warfield
had referred to in his review of Chafer quoted earlier—the truth
rediscovered at the Protestant Reformation, that 'knows no
determining power in the religious life but the grace of God',
had become mixed with error 'from the laboratory of John Wes-
ley'. Rather more accurately in the American scene, MacArthur
traced the error that Chafer, and much of Fundamentalism
accepted, to Charles G. Finney, who taught that man does not
have a fallen nature:
He concluded that people are sinners by choice, not by
nature. He believed the purpose of evangelism should
therefore be to convince people to choose differently—or
as many would say today, 'make a decision for Christ.'
'He taught that salvation required no sovereign regeneration by
God, but only the act of the human will.' This led, as MacArthur
goes on to say, to the whole apparatus of 'altar calls' and to the
'easy-believisnY' which it inevitably promoted.'
§ The Gospel According to the Apostles, pp. 32-3. ° Ashamed of the Gospel, p. 158. See also the extended Appendix, 'Charles Finney and American Evangelical Pragmatism', pp. 227-35. The pervasiveness of this teaching in Fundamentalism is scarcely open to question. George W. Dollar wrote that 'Most Fundamentalists . .. would have refused to adopt any statement of the Five Points [of Calvinism].' History of Fundamentalism, p. 270.
10 Hard to Believe, pp. 83-4.
118 JOHN MacArTHUR: SERVANT OF THE WORD AND FLOCK
MacArthur's follow-up title to The Gospel According to Jesus
was The Gospel According to the Apostles, from which I have
already quoted. Written five years after the first book, it added
substantially to the biblical argument. In his Preface MacArthur
regretted that
the overwhelming majority of criticisms have nothing whatever to do with biblical matters. Some reviewers have complained that the lordship issue is too divisive, the message too hard, or my position too dogmatic. Others have argued semantics or taken exception to my terminology. Some have feigned indignation, claiming The Gospel According to Jesus is an unfair personal attack on them, their
friends, or their organization.
Zane Hodges, Professor of New Testament at Dallas and a
leading critic, believed that MacArthur had fallen into 'the error
of the Puritans'. Hodges charged the Puritans with corrupting
the Reformers' doctrine of justification by faith, and called the
Puritan teaching on faith and assurance 'a tragic blemish on
the history of the Christian church'.'' While MacArthur's posi-
tion was in no way dependent on the Puritans, it is true that
his reading of church history had confirmed his convictions.
He wrote:
'' Zane Hodges, Absolutely Free! (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1989), p. 32. This same accusation was introduced to British evangelicals by R. T. Kendall, who takes the same Antinomian position as Hodges, and is quoted by MacArthur as writing: "The person who is saved—who confesses that Jesus is Lord and believes in his heart that God raised Him from the dead—vill Jo to heaven when he dies no matter what work (or lack of work) may accompany
such faith. In other words, no matter what sin (or absence of Christian obedi-
ence) may accompany such faith.' Once Saved, Always Saved (Chicago: Moody,
1983), pp. 52-3 (italics in original). Kendall argues that Paul's warning in Ephesians 5:3-6 does not concern exclusion from heaven. Further on this, see my David Martyn Lloyd-Jones: The Fight of Faith (Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 1990), pp. 721-6.
Controversy 11g
The preponderance of Bible-believing Christians over the centuries have held these to be basic tenets of orthodoxy. They are the standard precepts of doctrine affirmed,
for example, by all the great Reformed and Calvinist creeds,
He documents that assertion in an appendix to The Gospel
According to the Apostles, and also answers the argument, loved
by some critics of the Puritans, that they represented a departure
from Calvin. A quotation from Calvin epitomises exactly where MacArthur (and the Puritans) stand. The Reformer wrote:
We must take care not to separate what the Lord perpetually conjoins. What then? Let men be taught that it 1s impossible they can be regarded as righteous by the merit of Christ, without being renewed by His Spirit unto a holy
life . . . God receives none into His favour who are not
also made righteous.'*
wie
The lordship controversy had not died down before another
was to follow. It related to a subject MacArthur had first faced
while preaching through 1 Corinthians in 1976. California
was in many ways the starting point for the Charismatic move-
ment; and, by the mid-seventies, its main ideas had gained
wide acceptance and popularity across the nation. Disturbed by
this development, in his preaching on that Epistle MacArthur
included a series on the Charismatic Movement; published in
1978 as The Charismatics: A Doctrinal Perspective.
12 The Gospel According to the Apostles, p. 25. i3 Tbid., p. 161.
120 JOHN MacArTHuR: SERVANT OF THE WORD AND FLOCK
While his treatment of the subject anchored his own church,
it had a limited hearing in the wider evangelical scene as the movement continued to spread and gain acceptance. By 1979,
it is said, nineteen per cent of all Americans identified them-
selves as charismatic or Pentecostal.'*
In 1992 MacArthur published a revised and fuller treatment
of his earlier book under the title Charismatic Chaos. In the
Preface he wrote, 'I sincerely thank God for the many charis-
matics who sincerely love the Lord and want to obey Him.'
But he did not regard that sentiment as justification for say-
ing nothing on the issues. For a time he seemed to be largely
alone in his conviction that the new teaching was threatening
evangelicalism through a back door. His case was that the
enthusiasm for revelatory prophecies, and for apostles today,
ignored the uniqueness and sufficiency of Scripture. To the
argument that the movement was divinely authenticated by
the renewal of miraculous gifts, he replied that Scripture, and
not alleged experiences, is the test. He pointed out how many
contemporary 'prophecies' had been proved false by the test
provided in Scripture (Deut. 18:21-22). Yet this was brushed
aside by the promoters of the Charismatic movement. Feeling
and phenomena were being made the focus of attention, not
Scripture and doctrine. While its central message—'the baptism
of the Spirit—claimed Scripture for its support, charismatic
belief was guilty of reconstructing biblical teaching on con-
version when it argued that 'salvation does not really give us everything we need for spiritual victory. We are still lacking;
we need something more.'
'* Richard Quebedeaux, The New Charismatics (San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1983), p. 84.
Controversy 121
In challenging this thinking, MacArthur is careful to show
that the issue is ot for or against more experience of God. It is
about how that experience is to be gained:
Lifeless, dry orthodoxy is the inevitable result of isolating objective truth from vibrant experience. But the answer to dead orthodoxy 1s not to build a theology on experience. Genuine experience must grow out of sound doctrine. We
are not to base what we believe on what we have experi-
enced. The reverse is true. Our experiences will grow out of what we believe.
The Holy Spirit is working mightily in the church today, but not in the way most charismatics think. The Holy
Spirit's role is to empower us as we preach, teach, write,
talk, witness, think, serve, and live. He does lead us into God's truth and direct us into God's will for our lives. But He does it through God's Word, never apart from It . . . to
use phrases such as "God spoke to me', or "This was not my
idea; the Lord gave it me', or "These aren't my words, but
the message I received from the Lord', confuses the issue of the Spirit's direction in believers' lives today."°
MacArthur's case is that, instead of leading to true revival, the
Charismatic movement takes Christians in the wrong direction:
No genuine revival or orthodox movement has ever been
led by people whose authority is based in any way on pri-
vate revelations from God .. . A longing for something new and esoteric has replaced historic Christianity's settled confidence in the Word of God—and that is an invitation
to Satan's counterfeit.'°
Some who in 1992 thought the word 'counterfeit' too strong,
revised their judgment after the so-called "Toronto Blessing?' at
15 Charismatic Chaos (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1992), p. 65.
16 Tbid., pp. 58, 73.
122 JOHN MACARTHUR: SERVANT OF THE WORD AND FLOCK
the Airport Vineyard Church in that city in 1994. Once again the
advocates of this phenomenon claimed that the 'extraordinary
events' were proof that the work was of God. In what was meant
to be a favourable report, an article in Charisma declared: 'Ona
typical evening, dozens of people can be found lying or rolling
on the floor or laughing uncontrollably." William De Arteaga
sought to silence any criticism of these happenings with his
book, Quenching the Spirit. Together with other Toronto sup-
porters, he appealed to the awakening in the time of Jonathan
Edwards to justify what was happening at the Airport Vineyard.
But MacArthur was able to show that an authentic appeal to
Edwards proves the very opposite, for no one was stronger in
refusing to allow the mystical and the emotional to displace the
test of Scripture.
wie
The controversies considered in this chapter warrant obser-
vations.
North-American Indians, when travelling by river, were said
to be able to detect the approach of dangerous rapids well before
they came into sight. It is the business of Christian leaders to see
dangers before others see them. This has been a very necessary
feature of MacArthur's ministry at a time when the toleration
of errors has almost become regarded as a virtue.
He saw that the main issue in the Lordship controversy was
vitally related to the health of the churches.
The teaching that sought no recognition of Christ's lordship
in conversion had grown out of thinking which gave no place
to the law of God. But instead of law being contrary to grace, it
Controversy 123
is, Paul affirmed, by the gospel that 'we establish the law' (Rom.
3:31). Christ died 'that the righteousness of the law might be
fulfilled in us' (Rom. 8:4). In other words, salvation's purpose
is to restore man to the likeness of the God whose image 1s
revealed in the holiness of the law. Certainly it is true that 'free
from the law' means deliverance from its condemnation through
Christ. The law cannot be the basis of justification for believers,
for Christ has fulfilled its demands and penalties in their place.
But the moral perfection which the law displays remains a rule
for their lives. Exemption from the law, in that sense, would be
no blessing at all.
MacArthur grasped this truth when few others were speak-
ing to it: "Those in Christ are no longer under the ultimate
penalty of the law, but are far from free of its requirement of
righteousness."!7
He saw how it was this wrong teaching on conversion,
combined with the setting aside of the law, that had brought
on superficial Christian living and worldliness in the churches.
'A gospel of grace cannot be preached to someone who has not
heard that God requires obedience and punishes disobedience.
For lack of this teaching, a casual light-heartedness, with little
attention to the seriousness of sin, had become commonplace
among evangelicals. Such conditions were not new to church
history, but the old term for the phenomenon had long been
forgotten. MacArthur revived the right word: 'No-lordship
theology is classic Antinomianism [anti-nomos = anti-law].
There is no way around that faci 3
" New Testament Commentary, Matthew 1-7, p. 272. See also pp. 253-9.
18 The Gospel According to the Apostles, p. 96.
124 JOHN MacArTHUuR: SERVANT OF THE WORD AND FLOCK
The problem is that most people do not think of God as someone to be feared. They don't realize that He hates
the proud and punishes evildoers. They presume on His
grace. They fear what people think more than they care what God thinks.!"
MacArthur was no less going against a popular trend when he
spoke against the teaching behind the Charismatic movement.
Most evangelicals took the view that, whatever the differences,
this was no subject for controversy. And many thought it would
take time to judge whether the movement was beneficial or
otherwise.
MacArthur, on the contrary, believed that the teaching of
Scripture was enough to give a sound judgment on the subject.
He also knew that the distinctives of charismatic belief were not
new to the twentieth century. They have appeared at a number
of times in the course of church history, always bringing short-
term excitement and ultimate confusion. Charismatic thinking
was advancing because contemporary evangelicalism was indif-
ferent to the history of the church:
Old certainties are often met with automatic suspicion just because they have been affirmed by generation after generation of evangelicals. These days it is fashionable to question everything."°
The nub of MacArthur's warning was that charismatic think-
ing was teaching people to look to the extraordinary and the
sensational instead of to the Word of God. By the contemporary
claim of supposed revelatory gifts, the finality of God speaking
MacArthur, The Vanishing Conscience (Nashville: Nelson, 1995). p:
100.
°° The Truth War, p. 144.
Controversy 125
in Scripture was being undermined. In many circles 'experience'
was being placed above truth, emotion above thought, and the
consequence was little careful regard for the teaching of the
New Testament. In addition to Charismatic Chaos, several of
MacArthur's most important titles major on this danger."!
whe
What these controversies confirmed to MacArthur was that
the beliefs many evangelicals accepted or avoided were deter-
mined too largely by influences other than Scripture. To be
passionate about truth was ceasing to be a mark of Christian
character. A. W. Tozer had noted this ethos before his death in
1963:
The fashion now is to tolerate anything lest we get the reputation of being intolerant. The tender-minded saints cannot bear to see Agag slain, so they choose rather to
sacrifice the health of the Church for years to come by sparing error and evil; and this they do in the name of Christian love."
MacArthur was grieved at the number of preachers who
adopted a 'code of silence' when 'contentious issues' were
raised. Their comment was, "We are committed to keeping
peace among brethren and unity in the body of Christ.' 'I was
astonished', he wrote, 'to realize how many Christians think the
Charismatic movement lacks biblical support, but are reluctant
to say so aloud.'
*! Particularly the titles, Reckless Faith and The Truth War. 2-7. L. Snyder, In Pursuit of God: The Life of A. W. Tozer (Camp Hill, PA: Christian Publications, 1991), p. 128.
126 JOHN MacArTHUuR: SERVANT OF THE WORD AND FLOCK
Take an uncompromising stance on almost any doctrinal or
biblical issue, and a chorus of voices will call you obstinate, unkind, heartless, contentious, or unloving, no matter how
irenically you frame your argument."°
At the same time, if there has to be controversy, he insists it
be without 'abusive, spiteful, or venomous behaviour towards
others'."* "Controversy frankly is distasteful to me. Those who know me personally will affirm that I do not enjoy any kind
of dispute."° There is also, he warns, the permanent need for
humility:
We do indeed need to exercise caution in making judgments about the gravity of someone else's error. We must never judge superficially. We need to remember that we
are indeed prone to misjudgments and errors of our own. 'We all stumble in many things' (James 3:2).
But whether or not to 'contend earnestly for the faith' is
simply not an option. A faithful pastor has to warn and guide.
He has to be negative as well as positive. He cannot leave the
field to others. Some have disparaged MacArthur's writings as 'books for untrained laymen', as though Christians at the pew
level are not of first importance. His comment on that kind of
observation is relevant:
Doctrine is not the exclusive domain of seminary profes-
sors. All true Christians must be concerned with understanding sound doctrine . . . Doctrine forms the belief system that controls and compels behaviour.'
'It is exceedingly difficult in these times', wrote Spurgeon, 'to
3 Reckless Faith, p. 46. * Reckless Faith, p. 107. * Ashamed of the Gospel, p. xx. * The Gospel According to the Apostles, p. 22.
Controversy 127
preserve one's fidelity towards God and one's fraternity among
men. Should not the former be preferred to the latter if both
cannot be maintained? We think so."'" To which quotation John
MacArthur adds another from the same preacher:
What have you and I to do with maintaining our influence
and position at the expense of truth? It is never right to do
a little wrong to obtain the greatest possible good . . . Your duty is to do the right: consequences are with God."*
27 C. H. Spurgeon, The Sword and the Trowel (London: Passmore & Alabaster, 1887), p. 196.
28 Grace to You letter, February 1995.