3 Reasons Why Pastor John MacArthur was the Best Possible Choice to Give the Sermon on Reformation Day at SBTS

Today, Pastor John MacArthur of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, CA began preaching a series of sermons at the chapel services of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Today also happens to be the 489th anniversary of Martin Luther's nailing the 95 Theses on the door of Castle Church in Wittenburg. This event is commonly thought of as having sparked the Protestant Reformation, and so while most people think of October 31st as Halloween, Protestant church members who are more conscious of their heritage refer to this day as Reformation Day.

So I would like to point out a few reasons why Pastor John MacArthur was the best possible choice to preach a sermon on Reformation Day here at SBTS:

1. What other pastor has preached in the pulpits of Luther, Zwingli, and Calvin as John MacArthur did on his recent Reformation Tour?
2. What other pastor would quote the Westminster Confession 25:6 without any kind of qualifying statement as John MacArthur did today at chapel?
3. What other pastor has demonstrated humility before the Word of God as John MacArthur did in regards to the issue of "incarnational sonship"- first holding to this erroneous view, because he was convinced of it by a study of Hebrews 1:5, then abandoning this view in favor of the historic biblical understanding of the eternal relationship between the Father and the Son, based on a more thorough study of the idea of Christ's sonship as developed through all of Scripture?

Strange BaptistFire Addresses Dr. Jerry Vines on Calvinism

www.strangebaptistfire.com

Some articles concerning the "Early Church Fathers"

This semester I've had the privilege of studying the writings of a group of pastors and theologians who lived from just after the time of the apostles to the time of Augustine. These men are usually known by historians as the "Early Church Fathers."
The next few days I will be posting on one topic addressed by these "Fathers," that of 'free-will.' Hopefully, these posts will be as interesting and educational to anyone who happens across this blog as they were to me in preparing for them.

Eschatology help from a friend

A Christian view of history is different from all other views in that Christians believe in one Sovereign God over the universe who "works out everything in agreement with the decision of His will" (Eph. 1:11 HCSB), working all things together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Rom. 8:28). God is in absolute control of history and is active in bringing history to a certain end in which He will be eternally glorified and we His people will be eternally joyful in worshipping Him, obeying the chief commandment of God, to love Him with all of our heart, soul, mind, and body (see Matt. 22:37; Deut. 6:5).

In regards to this end of history, if you've been a Christian for any length of time, you've certainly begun to realize (among many other things) that: 1. Jesus promised to return to the Earth in glory to judge the living and the dead; 2. Jesus promised a resurrection from the dead for all those deceased who believe in Him; and 3. These things haven't happened yet.

In thinking about these events of the end times yet to occur, most people in America who consider themselves to be Bible-believing Christians would agree that the culmination of history will basically occur as depicted in the Left Behind novels and movies. But is Left Behind an accurate depiction of what the Bible teaches concerning eschatology, the study of the end times? Is there another opinion that is more in line with Scriptural doctrines of the rule of Christ, the return of Christ, and the resurrection of the dead?

My friend Nathan White has recently been struggling through the difficult, thought-provoking issues concerning biblical eschatology. Now, I would have to examine the facts myself and have some additional questions answered before I could give unqualified consent to all of Nathan's assertions, but he has certainly presented some information and raised some questions that should get anyone to think twice before excepting any variation of the Left Behind view of the end times. I have been helped greatly by Nathan's research and insights, and I would encourage anyone reading this to take the opportunity to be benefitted by his work as well by following his reflections on eschatology as outlined in the blogpost "Eschatology: How we got here."

Biblical Theology

Never before in my school experience have I so enjoyed reading the books I am required to read. In this post I am focusing on one of my required readings for my Biblical Hermeneutics class, namely, According to Plan by Graeme Goldsworthy. This book is being read as an introduction to Biblical Theology, which is the study of who God is, specifically focused on His work through redemptive history as inerrantly and infallibly recorded in the Bible. The Biblical Theology taught here at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary is specifically a Christ-centered theology, as the following quote from Goldsworthy will illustrate:

Theology is not just knowing about God, but knowing him. To know him we need to be restored to friendship with him. In other words, we do biblical theology as Christians, not as neutral observers. Through the preaching of the gospel we have been brought to faith in Jesus Christ. Christ conquers our rebellious hearts and minds so that we worship him as Lord. Our only knowledge of Christ comes through Scriptures, and they give a united testimony to him. Christ is proclaimed as the one who reveals God to us; he is the Word of God. The Bible is the book about Christ that is inspired by the Holy Spirit. God has ensured that the Bible gives an infallible testimony to Christ. Biblical theology thus centers on Jesus Christ as the revealer and savior. To understand the Bible, we begin at the point where we first came to know God. We begin with Jesus Christ, and we see every part of the Bible in relationship to him and his saving work. This is as true of the Old Testament as it is of the New.

I heartily recommend According to Plan not only to seminary students, but to anyone who desires to get the most benefit possible from his or her study of the Bible.

On the Side of the Reformers? Not hardly.

Does ANY false teaching EVER die? This lament was recently sounded by Pyromaniacs blogger Dan Phillips on his personal blog. And judging from the dozens of comments (mostly posted by the same 2 or 3 people) in favor of Zane Hodges during the discussion of "Lordship salvation" on John MacArthur's Pulpit Magazine blog, the answer is, once again, a definite NO. (Or at least not, it seems, until the Final Judgment.)

Background of the Lordship salvation controversy


For those readers blissfully ignorant of the Lordship salvation controversy, it all began when certain false teachers bucked 2000 years of Christian Gospel preaching- preaching established by Jesus Himself from the outset of His ministry when He said, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel (Mark 1:15 ESV)- and began to assert that repentance is not necessary for salvation and, furthermore, justification is not necessarily followed by sanctification. As clearly seen in a lengthy Zane Hodges quote found on the Pulpit Magazine blog, these false teachers even assert that a person can reject Christ and become an active opponent of Christianity, yet we should not question their salvation if they have ever made a profession of faith- contradicting virtually all of 1 John- for example, 1 John 2:19: "They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us" (ESV). In contrast to this false teaching, faithful preachers of the Gospel began to be known as proclaiming "Lordship salvation"- that submission to the Lord Jesus is part and parcel with the Gospel- the Good News of reconciliation to God through the Person and work of Christ (see 2 Corinthians 5:16-21).

The (apparent) conclusion to the Lordship salvation controversy


And so, Pastor John MacArthur of Grace Community Church wrote The Gospel According to Jesus and The Gospel According to the Apostles, thoroughly refuting the anti-"Lordship salvation" position. A few years later, MacArthur wrote Hard to Believe, a book on Christian faith and discipleship that effectively dealt with shallow Gospel preaching, preaching that is often similar to the anti-"Lordship salvation" position. Soundly defeated, the anti-"Lordship salvation" advocates disappeared, never to be heard from again.

Or so I thought.

They're back.

What I didn't realize was the fact alluded to at the beginning of this post: That is- basically, false teachers are like B-movie horror villians. Just when you think they're vanquished, they come back for a "final scare." So one day I was reading the blog of Phil Johnson, an elder at Grace Community Church and friend of John MacArthur, when I noticed one commenter using the cover of Zane Hodges' Absolutely Free as his icon. When I saw this, I actually laughed out loud, certain that the commenter had a great sense of humor. I thought, "Maybe I should change my icon to the cover of Dave Hunt's What Love Is This? for today." I honestly continued to think that the commenter was being facetious, even after reading 2 or 3 of his comments, until I checked his blog. Then it dawned on me- "This guy is actually a Zane Hodges disciple!" Imagine my confused shock at this discovery. An actual living follower of the anti-"Lordship salvation" heresy. To me, this was like finding someone who claimed to be a Marcionite [even as I type this, I am concerned that someone will comment on my blog claiming Marcion as representative of biblical Christianity]. After it came to light that a small but painfully 'vocal' group of anti-"Lordship salvation" advocates were peddling their old defeated ideas all over cyberspace, Christians have worked to demonstrate, yet again, the repeated errors of this heresy. Which brings us to the current discussion on the Pulpit Magazine blog and other faithful Christian blogs across the Internet.

Anti-"Lordship salvation" teachers' appeal to the Reformers

Not wanting to appear novel, and thus alone against the stream of Christian history, anti-"Lordship salvation" teachers (for lack of a better term) attempt to gain credibility by claiming that the doctrine of justification by faith alone, as taught by the leaders of the Protestant Reformation, supports the anti-"Lordship salvation" view, and they will often quote the Reformers to this end. They like to quote the Reformers because leaders like Luther and Calvin- in combating the Roman Catholic system that claimed that faith plus works such as sacramental penance yields justification- were often much more careful than today's theologians in distinguishing faith from repentance. Anti-"Lordship salvation" teachers capitalize upon this distiction and then introduce an idea unknown to the Reformers- namely- that faith and repentance are not only distinguishable, but they can also be separated. As Bible teacher R.C. Sproul notes:

Hodges appeals to [such passages as] Calvin's rejection of the identification of repentance and faith, citing Calvin's comment: "For to include faith in repentance, is repugnant to what Paul says in Acts [20:21]... where he mentions faith and repentance as two things totally distinct."
Calvin indeed distinguishes between faith and repentance and argues strenously that faith is not produced by repentance. Yet Calvin will not separate or disconnect repentance from faith.
Calvin says: "That repentance not only follows faith, but is produced by it, ought to be without controversy. ... It is certain that no man can embrace the grace of the Gospel without betaking himself from the errors of his former life into the right path and making it his whole study to practice repentance" (Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, 1:509-10, 3.3.1).
Earlier Calvin says: "The sum of the Gospel is, not without good reason, made to consist in repentance and forgiveness of sins; and, therefore, where these two heads are omitted, any discussion concerning faith will be meager and defective, and indeed almost useless" (Ibid, 1:509, 3.3.1).
That Calvin was jealous to distinguish faith and repentance without separating them is made crystal clear when he writes: "Can true repentance exist without faith? By no means. But although they cannot be separated, they ought to be distinguished. As there is no faith without hope, and yet faith and hope are different, so repentance and faith, though constantly linked together are only to be united, not confounded. I am not unaware that under the term repentance is comprehended the whole work of turning to God, of which not the least important part is faith..." (Ibid, 1:512, 3.3.5).
Calvin will not allow for a repentance without faith. Neither will he allow for a faith without repentance.
[R.C. Sproul, Faith Alone: The Evangelical Doctrine of Justification (Grand Rapids, Mich: Baker Books, 1995. 169-170]

A simple study into Martin Luther likewise reveals quotes such as the following from his 95 Theses:

1. Our Lord and Master Jesus Christ, when He said Poenitentiam agite, willed that the whole life of believers should be repentance.

2. This word cannot be understood to mean sacramental penance, i.e., confession and satisfaction, which is administered by the priests.

3. Yet it means not inward repentance only; nay, there is no inward repentance which does not outwardly work divers mortifications of the flesh.

4. The penalty [of sin], therefore, continues so long as hatred of self continues; for this is the true inward repentance, and continues until our entrance into the kingdom of heaven.

And in Martin Luther's definition of faith, found in his Introduction to Romans, a careful distinction is made between faith and good works of repentance, yet Luther asserts:

Faith cannot help doing good works constantly.

The Reformers clearly believed that repentance necessarily flows from faith even as faith necessarily flows from regeneration (another doctrine the anti-"Lordship salvation" group denies).

In light of the above information, why do the anti-"Lordship salvation" teachers so often quote the Reformers? Certainly, one reason is due to ignorance on the part of most Christians concerning what the Reformers taught about justification by faith alone. The anti-"Lordship salvation" proponents will give select quotes from Luther, Calvin, and others, but when passages such as those above are mentioned, they are quick to charge the Reformers with self-contradiction in their teaching on faith. (I've never seen anti-"Lordship salvation" teachers charge the Reformers with being self-contradictory before they begin quoting them, which leads me to conclude that -big surprise- false teachers who do not believe in the necessity of submitting to the Lord are sometimes less than honest.) A thorough reading of the Reformers, however, reveals that they are not self-contradictory in their teachings on faith- they just do not teach what anti-"Lordship salvation" proponents imagine them to say. The Reformation understanding of Scripture is that justification is by faith alone, but the faith that justifies never remains alone: Instead, this faith is a gift of God, having such a quality that it inevitably yields good works.

And this is exactly what the Apostle teaches in Ephesians 2:8-10,

For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God's gift-- not from works, so that no one can boast. For we are His making, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time so that we should walk in them. (HCSB)

The Gospel According to Southern Evangelicalism: Jesus will help you win football games

Okay, so with the admittedly somewhat-cynical title of this post everyone reading this is now expecting me to rake the new movie Facing the Giants [hereafter FtG] over the coals. But actually I'm hoping to give as 'fair-and-balanced' a response to this movie as possible. So let me begin by giving several positive thoughts I have concerning FtG. (In the following comments I'm not going to summarize the movie, so if you'ven't seen it, please check the movie website linked above to understand the overall story.)

Positive cultural elements

As a baptist from the Empire State of the South there's a lot to like about FtG. I didn't realize how much I missed my home state until I saw this movie. It was great to hear real Southern accents (rather than the typically grating aberrations produced by Hollywood actors when they are in films set in the South) coming from the characters on the screen. I enjoyed seeing scenes from Georgia in which there were actually pine trees and pecan trees in the landscape- in contrast to typical Hollywood movies and shows, which are apparently filmed by people who think Georgia looks exactly like west Texas (I recall one show of Matlock in which a character drove out to "rural Georgia" and was surrounded by mesquite trees and mesas). I'd wager that FtG offers a more accurate portrayal of middle-class Southern life than any movie you can find. Though the acting and dialogue of FtG are somewhat shallow or stilted at times, the overall story had a strong emotional pull for my wife and me as we have known individuals who have gone through the very same difficulties as the characters in this movie.

Positive spiritual elements

And there are certainly some positive spiritual aspects to this movie as well, 3 of which are:

1. The Lordship of Jesus is central to the Gospel: In contradiction to the all-too-common heresy that teaches "you can accept Jesus as Savior now and make Him Lord of Your life later"- the idea that becoming a Christian does not necessarily produce submission to Christ- FtG presents a view of Christianity that just assumes (as it should) that people who accept the message of the Bible will be radically changed by Jesus. This is seen in a number of ways- one of the most memorable being when one student in the movie is expressing his skepticism toward religion and the coach assures him that if he becomes a Christian then Jesus will change his life and- conversely- it is implied that if he remains unwilling to submit to the fifth commandment then he cannot be a Christian.

2. The Bible is the source of authority: When the main character is at the end of his rope, where does he turn to? The Bible. He does not enroll in a counseling program, he does not turn to self-help books, and he does not need any religious hierarchy to tell him what the Word of God is- instead he spends all night in prayerful reading of the Scripture. And this is a good and much needed example for the Church to see today.

3. Scripture is to be applied to all areas of life: An interesting thing about FtG is that the action of the entire movie seems to take place on school-days. As a result, the characters of this movie are never seen going to Church. Though the absence of the Church is somewhat troubling (as the Church is so central to Christian life and as Church congregations should certainly provide support for members going through hardships like those portrayed in the movie), the creators of this movie seem to have had a specific purpose in leaving it out. In particular, the idea of Christianity as only determining the activities for its followers for a few hours on Sunday is completely destroyed, and instead worship of God is seen as vital to every day (and, indeed, every sub-portion of every day) of life. The characters of the movie are depicted as seeking to apply Scriptural principles to family life, to their work at school, and to how they play football on the field. The demands of Scripture are seen to impact attitudes of the heart as well as actions. Again, this is a good and much needed example for the Church to see today.

Besides those listed above, I am sure I could think of more positive spiritual elements as well if I had the time. Though it's (of course) impossible to know the heart of the individuals who made this movie, it seems- from what's depicted on screen- that FtG was made by a group of people who have a sincere love and respect for Jesus Christ and who want others to love Him as well.

Negative spiritual elements

There are, however, some serious concerns I have about this movie. The 2 most important defects of this movie are:

1. The way in which Scripture is used:
(a) In a crucial turning point of the film, a man approaches the main character, a high school football coach, and quotes Revelation 3:8- I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name (NIV). In its Scriptural context this verse is about the perseverance of the faithful Philadephian church over the heretical factions due to the aid of Christ. By direct application, this verse gives hope and encouragement to any church congregation to stand firm against false teaching and persecution. In the movie this verse is taken to mean that the coach does not need to quit his job.
(b) When coaching the kicker on how to get a field goal, an assistant coach refers to Matthew 7:13-14- Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it (NIV). In its Scriptural context this verse records the call Jesus gave of how those who heard His teaching were to respond. By direct application, this verse indicates the exclusivity of the teaching of Christ as providing the only way to enter into eternal life. In the movie this verse is taken to mean that the kicker needs to get the ball in between the uprights. (This interpretation of the verse may be seen as humorous even in the movie, but no corrective interpretation is given on-screen.)
(c) The theme verse in this movie is Matthew 19:26b- With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible (NIV). In its Scriptural context, this verse is a response by Jesus given to his apostles after they are shocked by his teaching on how hard it is for rich people to enter into the kingdom of heaven. By direct application this verse speaks of the power of God to bring even the most hardened sinner to repentance and eternal life. In the movie this verse is taken to mean that God helps Christians win football games and have chlidren.
- Now I hope that in examining the points above the reader is struck by the radical disjuncture between the meaning of the verses and the way they are used in the movie. It is especially alarming that in their proper context, these verses each point to the Gospel- the Good News of eternal life in Christ- in specific ways, and yet the way they are used in the movie strips them of Gospel meaning. The Gospel should definitely impact our family life, our job choices, and even the way we play games, but the significance of all these areas of life must spring from a specific reference to the person and work of Jesus Christ and must return to meditation upon Him. It is my concern that this movie reflects the trend of many Christians who approach the Bible with an idea of what they want to say, and then they search the Scripture until they find an inspiring quote that is along the lines of their own ideas. Inevitably this abuse of Bible study downplays the centrality of the Gospel message.

2. The Gospel presentation:
(a) The objective facts of the Gospel are absent from this movie. The Gospel is first of all the account of who Jesus is and what He has done. The Gospel account of the work of Jesus is summarized by the Apostle Paul in I Corinthians 15:2-4- "By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures," (NIV). This biblical history of Jesus is never mentioned.
(b) The central importance of the facts of the Gospel is absent from this move. Why should we care about the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, mentioned above? The Apostle Paul informs us in Romans 4:25- "He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification" (NIV). Each one of us have sinned against God, who is supremely holy and just, breaking His Law, as stated in Romans 3:23- "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (HCSB). Because of this, we have earned His just condemnation, the sentence of death, as declared in Romans 6:23a- "For the wages of sin is death," (HCSB). Romans 4:25, quoted above, is the Good News that Jesus died as a payment of our death sentence before God, and He was raised from the dead that we might be justified- made completely righteous in God's sight.
-The Gospel in FtG is summarized in the quote, "Jesus died for us so that we could live for God." While there is some truth in this quote, a crucial feature of the Gospel- the whole point really- is missed. Sinners are facing the wrath of God- it's not a question of us needing a better life, as much as the fact that we need forgiveness and a new heart so that we might stop offending the Creator and Judge of the universe.

Conclusion

It is my hope that this review is helpful to anyone thinking not only of the movie Facing the Giants, but of the way the Christian life is presented in our own churches as well. It is truly tragic when we focus on the blessings of the Christian life, but lose focus on the main message of the Christian life- the Good News of reconciliation to God through the person and work of Jesus Christ our Lord.