Re: ? John MacArthur

Hi, Adam....

I can understand your concerns as I once approved of John MacArthur as well until I dug a little deeper into his theology.  His doctrine is that justification and sanctification are both necessary for salvation, which is not the biblical view.  In fact, that is the Papist view:  faith plus obedience = final justification/vindication.  It's also John Piper's teaching.  The Westminster Confession of Faith, however, teaches that salvation is by justification by faith alone.   Although true faith does produce good works, those good works could never withstand the judgment of God in the final judgment.  Sanctification is a process and that process can never merit salvation whatsoever:

XII. Of Good Works.

ALBEIT that good works, which are the fruits of faith and follow after justification, cannot put away our sins and endure the severity of God's judgement, yet are they pleasing and acceptable to God in Christ, and do spring out necessarily of a true and lively faith, insomuch that by them a lively faith may be as evidently known as a tree discerned by the fruit.

Although true and living faith does produce a "credible profession of faith" and the "fruits of faith", good works cannot now nor will they ever contribute one whit towards our justification, which is the sole basis of salvation in the first place.  If we could add anything to the finished work of Christ (John 19:30) then Christ did not pay for all of our sins but we must pay for part of them.  Since even Christians continue to sin (1 John 1:8-10) then it follows that from beginning to end our salvation is rooted and grounded in the objective work of Christ on the cross, not our level of sanctification or obedience or faithfulness.  While I might agree that sanctification is an essential witness to true and living faith, it is not now nor ever will be necessary for our salvation.  Salvation is either by grace or by works.  It  cannot be both.

Which brings me to the point that MacArthur confuses justification (imputed righteousness which is perfect) with sanctification (infused and subjective and imperfect).  An article at Trinity Foundation makes this clear:

MacArthur begins on a promising note:

”Let me say as clearly as possible right now that salvation is by God’s sovereign grace and grace alone. Nothing a lost, degenerate, spiritually dead sinner can do will in any way contribute to salvation. Saving faith, repentance, commitment, and obedience are all divine works, wrought by the Holy Spirit in the heart of everyone who is saved. I have never taught that some pre-salvation works of righteousness are necessary to or part of salvation” (xiii).

The reader should keep in mind that the Roman Church also does not teach that pre-salvation works of righteousness are necessary to or part of salvation. Canon I of the decrees of the Council of Trent says: “If any one saith, that man may be justified before God by his own works, whether done through the teaching of human nature, or that of the law, without the grace of God through Jesus Christ: let him be anathema.”

Nor did the Judaizers teach that pre-salvation works of righteousness are necessary to or part of salvation. Paul damned the Judaizers for teaching that post-salvation works of righteousness are necessary for entrance into Heaven. The contention of both the Roman Church and the Judaizers is that one cannot be saved without post-salvation, that is post-regeneration, works of righteousness. The Judaizers taught that one must be circumcised and obey other parts of the Mosaic law; the Roman Church teaches both the necessity and meritoriousness of good works of Christians for salvation. In short, MacArthur’s “clarification” still leaves him among the non-Christians.

By contrast, Biblical teaching, is, in the words of the Westminster Confession of Faith:

”Those whom God effectually calls he also freely justifies, not by infusing righteousness into them, but by pardoning their sins, and by accounting and accepting their persons as righteous; not for anything wrought in them, or done by them, but for Christ’s sake alone; not by imputing faith itself, that act of believing, or any other evangelical obedience, to them as their righteousness; but by imputing the obedience and satisfaction of Christ unto them.... Faith...is the alone instrument of justification....”

The Biblical teaching and the Protestant position is that neither pre- nor post-regeneration works are either meritorious or necessary for justification. It is the only imputation of Christ’s righteousness by faith that makes a sinner acceptable to God.

MacArthur rejects the Biblical view of justification and adopts the Roman Catholic view: “Many people believe justified means ‘just-as-if-I’d-never-sinned.’ In other words, God says, ‘I count you righteous even though you’re really not.’ It is true that God makes that declaration, but there is also a reality of righteousness. We are not only declared righteous; we are made righteous”(Justification by Faith, 1988, 98). This making righteous is accomplished by infusing Christ’s righteousness into Christians: “God actually credits righteousness to our account. He imputes righteousness to us; he infuses divine life into us. He regenerates and sanctifies us. He makes the unholy holy, and therefore declares that we are righteous.... There is a reality--God gives us righteousness, and thus he can declare that we are righteous” (Justification, 121). MacArthur writes: “The believing sinner is justified by righteousness infused into him” (Justification, 122).

MacArthur confuses justification, regeneration, and sanctification:

”The word justification is a technical term that refers to our legal standing before God: We have been declared to be just because of our faith. [This is not the Biblical or Protestant view.] But the word [justification] also embraces a radical and real transformation. Our moral character has been altered eternally through regeneration. Justification by faith means that God has both declared us righteous and made us righteous. We have been regenerated - made new by faith.... Justification is not only a state of being righteous; it is actual regeneration. We are made righteous by faith” (Justification, 132).

This, of course, is the official teaching of the Roman Church. Canon XI of the Council of Trent states: “If any one saith, that men are justified, either by the sole imputation of the justice of Christ, or by the sole remission of sins, to the exclusion of the grace and the charity which is poured forth in their hearts by the Holy Ghost, and is inherent in them; or even that the grace whereby we are justified is only the favor of God: let him be anathema.” Canon XII states: “If any one saith, that justifying faith is nothing else but confidence in the divine mercy which remits sins for Christ’s sake; or, that this confidence alone is that whereby we are justified: Let him be anathema.”

MacArthur’s view of justification is Rome’s; it is opposed to the Protestant position as expressed by the Westminster Confession of Faith. That Confession quite clearly teaches that sinners are justified “not by infusing righteousness into them...[nor] for anything wrought in them”; that is, the Confession rejects MacArthur’s view.


From:  The Gospel According to John MacArthur.

The ordo salutis is from beginning to end a work of God's grace and begins with unconditional election.  Sanctification is a small part of the ordo and not the whole.  Lest we forget, Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith.  (Hebrews 12:2).

Sincerely in Christ,

Charlie

On 9/20/2012 11:46 AM, Adam Cummings wrote:

I came across your blog regarding the charismatic movement (a post in 2007) and was excited until I saw you profess such a godly man as MacArthur in the "heresy section" because he teaches that Jesus must be your Lord.  Men like Zane Hodges claim, because of the denial of Lordship Salvation, that you can live like the devil and still  be saved.  That, sir, is heresy. MacArthur teaches Lordship Salvation because of his desire that Christians produce fruit and live for Christ as they are commanded by Christ to do. He does not teach a works salvation, nor does he teach perfection (which is not a result of the lordship teaching at all, the logic there definitely failing).

He clearly teaches that works flow from salvation, and he would die on that hill.

You place him in the "heretic" corner because of a characteristic you place on him that he himself does not claim, and thus you discredit--through your words--a great man of God.  I'm sure MacArthur would say he doesn't care, since the gospel is being preached.  But, I find it a little sad.

I wish you the best, and I stand with you with your Calvinist beliefs (our God is sovereign) and, for the most part, your cessationist convictions.

Blessings.

Adam Michael Cummings

--
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son : and to the Holy Ghost; As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be : world without end. Amen. Visit 1662 Book of Common Prayer: Daily Prayer and Reasonable Christian Blog