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Friday, October 11, 2013

Purveyors of a false gospel


Jason appears to have a similar charitable perspective to alleged miracles among non-Christian faiths, particularly Roman Catholics. I find that to be odd, knowing what I have read of him in the past outlining the false gospel Catholicism promotes. His conclusion is that within Catholicism, there are Catholics who are genuine believers and the alleged miracle claims from Catholic circles is God working out of compassion on behalf of those Christians. I personally see no precedent from Scripture in which God worked in such a fashion among the purveyors of a false Gospel…I am of a contrary opinion. I believe that God would never heal through a person who is then proclaiming a false religion that only assigns men’s souls to judgment, or a false teacher who may claim to speak for Christ, but proclaims an unbiblical and errant Gospel.  
http://hipandthigh.wordpress.com/2013/10/09/the-theology-of-miracles/

The problem with Fred's strictures is that John MacArthur is vulnerable to the same charge. Here's a little-known fact about MacArthur. 20 years ago I had a conversation with a student at Westminster west. I won't name names, except to say that this student was one of the two top students in his graduating class at Westminster west. 

When he was in college, he wrote MacArthur a letter. At that time, MacArthur was already embroiled in the Lordship Salvation controversy. He was opposing the antinomianism and easy-believism of some fundamentalists. 

He wrote a commentary on Romans (published by Moody). In the first edition, he stated that justification is not a forensic reckoning of righteousness, but an act that makes us actually, inherently righteous. Unfortunately, that's essentially the Tridentine interpretation of Paul. The Tridentine doctrine of justification.

In his letter, the student quoted various Reformed theologians showing him that his view was not only unbiblical and un-Protestant but basically the same as that of the Council of Trent.

MacArthur initially brushed off the letter until Lance Quinn got hold of the letter and told him that he needed to take the criticisms seriously. As a result, MacArthur revised his interpretation in the second edition of his commentary on Romans.

Until he was corrected, MacArthur was unwittingly the "purveyor of a false gospel," mirroring Rome on this crucial doctrine. And he was initially resistant to correction.

Presumably, MacArthur fans think we should cut him some slack. Make allowance for the fact that like every uninspired Christian, he has intellectual and theological limitations. But when it comes to reputable charismatic scholars like Craig Keener, Gordon Fee, Max Turner, and Graham Twelftree, or even mediating scholars like D. A. Carson, MacArthurites are wholly dismissive, if not contemptuous.   

10 comments:

  1. I found this from John MacArthur on this issue: http://www.spurgeon.org/~phil/jfmonjbf.htm

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    1. Richard, do you know what the publication date is on this link? I didn't see one. (The © date seems to be 2001).

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    2. John,
      I don't know the publication date. I did some "googling" and that popped up.

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    3. Thanks Richard, I appreciate it!

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  2. Wow Steve, That particular post sure must've gotten under your skin. I think this is the fifth or sixth thing you've posted in response to just it.

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    1. There are no punctures in my epidermis.

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  3. I hear MacArthur's "sermons" on the radio now and then.

    I haven't heard the gospel come out of his mouth yet. But he is expert at destroying assurance and getting one to wonder if Christ really did die for them and forgive them.

    He's absolutely dreadful. Jason isn't any better. These guys love the religion game (self-ascendant, spiritual ladder climbing.

    Thank you...no.

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  4. Ed Dingess, Richard Klaus posted a link where MaArthur seems to admit it. Here it is again:
    http://www.spurgeon.org/~phil/jfmonjbf.htm

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    1. Present tense?

      Steve Said...
      "Until he was corrected, MacArthur was unwittingly the "purveyor of a false gospel," mirroring Rome on this crucial doctrine. And he was initially resistant to correction."

      I doubt Steve changed his comments from present to past tense since you posted your comment.

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