There are few voices in modern evangelicalism who shaped preaching, theology, and church culture as powerfully as John MacArthur. For more than half a century, his sermons reached millions. Many came to faith, many grew in knowledge of Scripture, and many were taught to take the Bible seriously. For that, gratitude is appropriate. Yet Scripture itself never permits us to follow any teacher uncritically. Paul praised the Bereans not for loyalty to personalities but because they examined the Scriptures daily to see whether the things they were hearing were so. That Berean spirit must guide us, even when evaluating men whose ministries have borne visible fruit.
This reflection is not written to disparage a man, but to shepherd believers who may feel unease about teachings they accepted without question. Truth is not safeguarded by silence, but by loving, careful examination in the light of the Word of God.
The Pattern Beneath the Positions
As we look at the following issues, a common pattern emerges. Scripture was not abandoned, but it was increasingly filtered through a tightly constructed system. Over time, that system began to function as an interpretive gatekeeper, shaping what could and could not be seen in the text. The result was not outright error in every case, but a narrowing of the Bible’s voice.
1. The Pre-Tribulation Rapture and the Problem of Certainty
John MacArthur consistently taught that the Church will be removed from the earth before a future seven-year tribulation period. This framework rests on a dispensational separation between Israel and the Church.
Paul’s words in 1 Thessalonians describe the Lord descending from heaven, the dead in Christ rising, and believers being caught up to meet Him in the air. This passage is glorious, but it does not specify timing in relation to tribulation. Jesus, in Matthew 24, prepared His followers for deception, hatred, persecution, and endurance, speaking as though His people would walk through tribulation rather than be removed from it.
When a secondary interpretive system is presented as settled certainty, humility is lost, and faithful believers who read the same Bible differently are made to feel disobedient rather than simply unconvinced.
2. Cessationism and the Silence of Scripture
MacArthur taught that miraculous gifts ceased with the apostles. Yet Paul never states that the gifts would disappear when the canon closed. Instead, he writes that they will pass away when the perfect comes, when believers see Christ face to face and know fully.
The pastoral danger of rigid cessationism is subtle but real. The Holy Spirit becomes primarily a historical force rather than a present guide. The New Testament presents Him as one who leads, speaks, restrains, empowers, and intercedes. A theology that leaves little room for the Spirit’s present voice can quietly produce believers who know doctrine well but struggle to walk relationally with God.
3. Women, Authority, and the Weight of Context
MacArthur insisted there is no biblical case for women speaking authoritatively in the church. Yet the New Testament paints a more textured picture. Paul acknowledges women laboring in the gospel, women praying and prophesying, and women such as Priscilla helping instruct others more accurately in the way of God.
While Scripture affirms order, it also affirms gifting. Galatians reminds us that in Christ there is neither male nor female. A blanket silencing does not naturally flow from the whole counsel of Scripture, but from a narrowing of it.
4. Artistic Retellings and the Fear of Imagination
MacArthur frequently condemned projects like The Chosen for adding imagined dialogue and backstories to biblical narratives. Yet Jesus Himself taught through parables — stories that were not historical events but vehicles of truth.
The pastoral question is not whether imagination exists, but whether it leads people away from Christ or toward Him. When creative retellings stir believers to open their Bibles with fresh hunger, that fruit should not be dismissed lightly.
5. Lonnie Frisbee and the Temptation to Play God
MacArthur’s treatment of Lonnie Frisbee reflected a deeper issue: the temptation to publicly judge the authenticity of another person’s salvation.
Scripture repeatedly forbids this. Paul reminds the Church that the Lord alone will disclose the motives of hearts. John assures believers that confession brings cleansing. Peter denied Christ publicly and yet was restored to shepherd the flock.
This does not excuse sin, but it restrains us from assuming God’s throne.
6. Lordship Salvation and the Quiet Shift of Assurance
MacArthur’s Lordship Salvation framework taught that genuine faith will always be confirmed by visible obedience. Scripture certainly teaches that faith produces fruit, but it never makes fruit the basis of assurance.
Abraham was declared righteous before any visible change was observed. Paul insists that justification is by faith apart from works. When believers are taught to look inward to measure salvation rather than outward to Christ, assurance quietly shifts from grace to performance.
The pastoral fruit is not holiness but anxiety.
7. Redefining Grace Through Rigid Moral Metrics
MacArthur often spoke as though prolonged struggle with certain sins — especially sexual sin — disqualified a person from being truly saved.
Yet Paul openly describes his own internal battle with sin, calling himself a wretched man in need of deliverance. John writes that anyone claiming to be without sin deceives himself.
Sanctification is progressive, uneven, and deeply personal. When grace is framed as something that must be proven quickly, the wounded are driven from the cross instead of drawn to it.
8. Minimizing the Present Leadership of the Spirit
MacArthur’s theology left little room for the Spirit’s present guidance beyond illuminating Scripture. Yet Acts portrays the Spirit as speaking, sending, forbidding, and directing.
Believers are not merely students of truth; they are sons and daughters led by the Spirit of God. A theology that mistrusts the Spirit’s present voice leaves believers orphaned in practice, even while affirming Him in doctrine.
9. Elevating Expository Preaching as the Sole Standard
MacArthur regularly implied that verse-by-verse exposition is the only faithful preaching method. Yet Scripture itself is filled with poetry, narrative, parable, lament, and prophetic proclamation. Jesus rarely preached expositionally.
Exposition is a gift, but it is not the measure of faithfulness. When one style becomes the standard of orthodoxy, the breadth of Scripture is quietly reduced.
10. Dispensationalism as Presupposition Rather Than Conclusion
Many of MacArthur’s teachings were not derived freshly from Scripture, but from a coherent system developed over the last two centuries. The danger is not having a system — it is mistaking the system for the Scripture.
When the Bible is read only to confirm what is already assumed, it no longer speaks freely. True discernment listens before it categorizes.
Conclusion: Returning to the Shepherd
This is not a call to tear down a ministry, but to release the Church from the unspoken belief that fidelity requires uniformity. John MacArthur shaped millions, but no teacher is immune to blind spots.
The Church does not need flawless heroes. It needs humble Bereans. It needs shepherds who point not to systems, not to personalities, but to Christ Himself — the One who is full of grace and truth, and who alone is worthy of unquestioned trust.
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