Introductin

John MacArthur is world-renowned for his exposition of the Scriptures, specifically on the New Testament. He has written numerous books based on his studies of the Bible not to mention his own study Bible and New Testament commentary series. Whenever he writes anything, you know it will be saturated with Scripture. Forgiveness is no different.

Summary

MacArthur begins by laying a theological foundation for the ground of all forgiveness and then looks to Christ’s dying prayer on the Cross and how we should understand the implications of his prayer. He next looks at the person who has been forgiven of their sins and what that means.

He spends a great deal of time discussing what the Bible says about forgiving one another. Five chapters, in fact, deal with this subject. At one point he states that he believes that many people experience stress and hardships and such because of their unforgiving spirit.

The book concludes with three important appendices. The first is a look at how we are to understand the Atonement of Christ. The second is a discussion of the unpardonable sin. The third, and I argue the best, is two sermons on forgiveness. The first sermon is by C.H. Spurgeon–Forgiveness Made Easy. The second is by (lesser known?) Alexander MacLaren entitled The Forgiving Son of Man. Both of these sermons are worth the price of the book!

Review

Of course, when you are dealing with the exposition of Scripture, people are going to disagree. I have no problem with people disagreeing with one another on non-essential matters and rather enjoy that we do not all agree. After all, God is infinite and we are finite. To disagree, properly and with a charitable heart, is to really show just how infinite God is.

I am thinking primarily of the appendix on the atonement. Many will disagree with where MacArthur falls here (Christ’s death as a penal substitution) but they cannot say that his argument is not rooted in Scripture. Some will disagree that the blasphemy of the Spirit is a life-long rejection of Christ as Lord and Savior (I am not one of these), but, again, they cannot say that MacArthur has not arrived at this conclusion apart from Scripture.

There are other “quirks” that MacArthur comes to based upon his exegesis, but I can live with those. I have disagreed with him in the past (though not in print) but have always found what he says to be at the very least thoughtful and challenging. I do appreciate that he challenges his readers with Matthew 18 as a prescriptive course of action when a brother offends another and not as more descriptive as many would like.

Recommendation

I suppose there will be many books written on forgiveness an Amazon book search turned up over 4,500. There have been other books recently written on the subject of forgiveness that would also be worth picking up, but MacArthur’s volume definitely deserves your attention because it is saturated in Scripture and was written by one of the better preachers today. He write on forgiveness with a “thus saith the Lord” attitude and that is most needed today.

Introduction

John MacArthur needs no real introduction. His radio ministry, Grace To You, is familiar to countless thousands. Master’s College and Seminary, where he serves as President, is known for their conservative, biblical approach to teaching and training men and women to serve the Lord all over the world. He also serves as pastor-teacher at Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California. As far as books are concerned, he has authored numerous volumes as well as a study Bible bearing his name along with a John Calvin-esque commentary series also bearing his name.

Summary

Ashamed of the Gospel is now in its third edition which is quite remarkable given its topic—the gospel of Jesus Christ and how the modern church (generically speaking) is, in fact, ashamed of the gospel. Much has changed since this book was first written in 1993. Unfortunately, one thing has not—the church is still in bed with entertainment.

The first ten chapters have pretty much been untouched from the first edition. In these chapters, MacArthur looks back at how Charles Haddon Spurgeon handled the Down-Grade controversy in his time in order to see how we might best handle the diminishing of the gospel in our time. He looks at how we have left the preaching of the Word for more entertaining messages that Paul wrote about in 2 Tim 4:3-4. Thankfully, he offers a look at how Paul handled “modern” society in Acts 17.

Chapters eleven and twelve are the additions that bear mentioning and make this edition worth purchasing. As John looks back on the preceding fifteen years since the first publishing of the book, he notes that the “Influence of the church within our culture continues to diminish” (205). In looking at where the church is today, he writes,

The church has become a laughingstock with no moral authority to stand before the world and confront sin, declare Christ’s lordship, and speak with any credibility about sin, righteousness, or judgment (206).

Stinging words for sure, but words that are not only justified, they need to be shouted from the rooftops of every church building!

MacArthur’s greatest concern is that the Emergent and seeker-sensitive types will leave their fading “theologies” and catch on with the latest craze dubbed by Time magazine as “The New Calvinism.” His concern is valid though I think there are enough of the older, more level-headed Calvinists around that they will keep those that are younger in line.

Review/Recommendation

Obviously, many in today’s church will completely disagree with John MacArthur’s assessments. However, it must be noted, that MacArthur is not alone in his critique of the modern church. Many would cite Paul Washer and John Piper and Albert Mohler as a few of many who share these concerns.

I think MacArthur’s book should be read by all pastors since we are called to preach the Word in season and, as is the case in many cities today, out of season. There are so many being led astray by many so-called pastors who merely preach a gospel-lite message that our greatest evangelistic opportunities are those whose names appear on church roles! Do yourself a favor and read this book, especially if you are a younger pastor. We would all do well to heed the warning cries of John MacArthur.

Introduction

Do these men need any introduction to the evangelical community? The men who comprise the Together for the Gospel “movement” are Mark Dever, Ligon Duncan, Al Mohler, and C.J. Mahaney. Contributors include Thabiti M. Anyabwile, John MacArthur, John Piper, and R.C. Sproul. Every two years, since 2006, these men have gathered in Louisville, Ky to exhort and challenge pastors and Christians to stand together for the gospel. In other words, be the unity that is called for in Scripture despite denominational “walls.”

Proclaiming a Cross-Centered Theology was the theme for 2008. This book is an adaptation of the messages presented at that three day conference. The audio can be downloaded and listened to here for free.

Summary

Beginning with the necessity of sound doctrine, Ligon Duncan offers an apologetic for the need of biblical doctrine to be taught on a regular basis. In what I thought was the best message of the conference, Thabiti discusses what it means to bear the image of God and how we, as Christians, need to be more explicit in doing. John MacArthur discusses the inability of the sinner to repent apart from the grace of God.

Mark Dever looks at five common mistakes from the pulpit by pastors trying to “improve” the gospel. R.C. Sproul looks at a controversial subject; i.e., the curse motif of the atonement–I thought the second best message of the conference. Al Mohler takes an academic look at the rejection of substitutionary atonement in recent years. Piper looks to the book of Hebrews to discuss how Christ will create in us a radical sacrifice. C.J. Mahaney concludes with the sustaining of the pastor’s soul–yet another quality message.

Review/Recommendation

Obviously, the charge can be brought against these men that they are all Calvinists. While that may be true, that does not mean that they are arguing against non-calvinists. Rather, they are showing how these doctrines give them an urgency to sharing the gospel in thought, word, and deed. I liked C.J. Mahaney’s comment at the conference when asked about the heresy of hyper-calvinism. His response was something along the lines of I thought hyper calvinism was just someone who got really excited about the gospel!

For those who disagree with these doctrines, then MacArthur’s chapter will not be for you. However, these messages will encourage your soul and exhort you to diligent study of the Scriptures.

I would recommend this book to anyone in pastoral ministry. As I stated earlier, you can download the messages for free and listen to them. Having attended the conference (and taking notes), I have found that reading the book is better for me as it allows me to interact a bit more with my thoughts and the thoughts of the speaker.

Finally, a reading (or listening) of Mahaney’s chapter on sustaining the pastor’s soul is a must for all in the ministry as well as those who attend church on a regular basis. Pastoral care is often not mentioned and taken for granted by many. Mahaney helps to change that.