magazine pulpit-2012-11 john macarthur
TRANSCRIPT
-
7/29/2019 Magazine Pulpit-2012-11 John MacArthur
1/22
1
Pulpit MagazineWelcome!
What is Pulpit and why have we created it?
By Dave Jordan, Managing Editor
Advancing the gospel, one Church at a time is our mission. It is our desire to provide
pastors and church leaders with consistent encouragement and insight from the word of God. We want
to help you think critically with a Biblical worldview, through engaging, theologically practical articles. It
is our hope that Pulpit Magazine will become just such a resource.
We have assembled a wonderful team of authors to serve you. Here are just a few:
Pastor John MacArthur, who has written over 50 books and is on the radio 24/7 worldwide, willprovide articles from his 40+ years of ministry to engage the pastor at the very heart of the
Christian life.
Phil Johnson, whose blogging career typically had over 250,000 visitors per month, will shed lighton current topics with the truth of scripture.
Pastor Lance Quinn, who has been reviewing books for top publishers for many years, will nowprovide that same insight for pastors and lay people who are looking for great resources tochallenge and stimulate their walk with Christ.
Weve chosen to launch Pulpit Magazine on the latest mobile devices to provide you with a more
immersive experience and to make the information as accessible and engaging as possible, such as;
iPad iPhone Kindle Nook
Subscription Benefits!
When you purchase a one year subscription for 12 Issues, you will receive discounts at GBIBooks worth more than your subscription.
*We also have made the text of the articles available in a free .pdf file which can be downloaded at:
www.graceadvance.org/pulpit
November 2012 Vol. 01. No. 2
-
7/29/2019 Magazine Pulpit-2012-11 John MacArthur
2/22
2
The Church vs. The World
By John MacArthur
"Do not marvel, my brethren, if the world hates you" (1 John 3:13).
Why do evangelicals try so desperately to court the world's favor? Churches plan their
worship services to cater to the "unchurched." Christian performers ape every worldly fad in
music and entertainment. Preachers are terrified that the offense of the gospel might turn
someone against them, so they deliberately omit the parts of the message the world might not
approve of.
Evangelicalism seems to have been hijacked by legions of carnal spin-doctors, who are
trying their best to convince the world that the church can be just as inclusive, pluralistic, and
broad-minded as the most politically-correct worldling.
The quest for the world's approval is nothing less than spiritual harlotry. In fact, that is
precisely the imagery the apostle James used to describe it. He wrote: "Adulterers and
adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever
therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God" (James 4:4).
There is and always has been a fundamental, irreconcilable incompatibility between the
church and the world. Christian thought is out of harmony with all the world's philosophies.
Genuine faith in Christ entails a denial of every worldly value. Biblical truth contradicts all the
world's religions. Christianity itself is therefore antithetical to virtually everything this world
admires.
Jesus told His disciples, "If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it
hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the
world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you" (John 15:18-19).
Notice that our Lord considered it a given that the world would despise the church. Far
from teaching His disciples to try to win the world's favor by reinventing the gospel to suit
worldly preferences, Jesus expressly warned that the quest for worldly accolades is a
characteristic of false prophets: "Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for so did their
fathers to the false prophets" (Luke 6:26).
He further explained: "The world . . . hates Me because I testify of it that its works are
evil" (John 7:7). In other words, the world's contempt for Christianity stems from moral, not
intellectual, motives: "And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and
men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evilhates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed" (John 3:19-20).
That is why no matter how dramatically worldly opinion might vary, Christian truth will never be
popular with the world.
Yet in virtually every era of church history there have been people in the church who are
convinced that the best way to win the world is by catering to worldly tastes. Such an approach
has always been to the detriment of the gospel message. The only times the church has made any
-
7/29/2019 Magazine Pulpit-2012-11 John MacArthur
3/22
3
significant impact on the world are when the people of God have stood firm, refused to
compromise, and boldly proclaimed the truth despite the world's hostility. When Christians have
shrunk away from the task of confronting popular worldly delusions with unpopular biblical
truths, the church has invariably lostinfluence and impotently blended into the world. Both
Scripture and history attest to that fact.
And the Christian message simply cannotbe twisted to conform to the vicissitudes of
worldly opinion. Biblical truth is fixed and constant, not subject to change or adaptation. Worldly
opinion, on the other hand, is in constant flux. The various fads and philosophies that dominate
the world change radically and regularly from generation to generation. The only thing that
remains constant is the world's hatred of Christ and His gospel.
In all likelihood, the world will not long embrace whatever ideology is in vogue this year.
If the pattern of history is any indicator, by the time our great grandchildren become adults,
worldly opinion will be dominated by a completely new system of belief and a whole different
set of values. Tomorrow's generation will renounce all of today's fads and philosophies. But one
thing will remain unchanged: until the Lord Himself returns and establishes His kingdom onearth, whatever ideology gains popularity in the world will be as hostile to biblical truth as all its
predecessors have been.
MODERNISM
Consider the record of the past century, for example. A hundred years ago, the church was
beset by modernism. Modernism was a world-view based on the notion that only science could
explain reality. The modernist in effect began with the presupposition that nothing supernatural is
real.
It ought to have been instantly obvious that modernism and Christianity were
incompatible at the most fundamental level. If nothing supernatural is real, then much of theBible is untrue and has no authority; the incarnation of Christ is a myth (nullifying Christ's
authority as well); and all the supernatural elements of Christianity--including God Himself--
must be utterly redefined in naturalistic terms. Modernism was anti-Christian at its core.
Nonetheless, the visible church at the beginning of the twentieth century was filled with
people who were convinced modernism and Christianity could and should be reconciled. They
insisted that if the church did notkeep in step with the times by embracing modernism,
Christianity would not survive the twentieth century. The church would become increasingly
irrelevant to modern people, they said, and soon it would die. So they devised a "social gospel"
void of the true gospel of salvation.
Of course, biblical Christianity survived the twentieth century just fine. Wherever
Christians remained committed to the truthfulness and authority of Scripture, the church
flourished. But ironically, those churches and denominations that embraced modernism were the
ones that became increasingly irrelevant and all but died out before the century was over. Many
grandiose but nearly empty stone buildings offer mute testimony to the deadliness of
compromise with modernism.
-
7/29/2019 Magazine Pulpit-2012-11 John MacArthur
4/22
4
POST-MODERNISM
Modernism is now regarded as yesterday's way of thinking. The dominant world-view in
secular and academic circles today is calledpost-modernism.
Post-modernists have repudiated modernism's absolute confidence in science as the only
pathway to the truth. In fact, post-modernism has completely lost interest in "the truth," insisting
that there is no such thing as absolute, objective, or universal truth.
Modernism was indeed folly and needed to be abandoned. But post-modernism is a tragic
step in the wrong direction. Unlike modernism, which was still concerned with whether basic
convictions, beliefs, and ideologies are objectively true or false, post-modernism simply denies
that any truth can be objectively known.
To the post-modernist, reality is whatever the individual imagines it to be. That means
what is "true" is determined subjectively by each person, and there is no such thing as objective,
authoritative truth that governs or applies to all humanity universally. The post-modernist
naturally believes it is pointless to argue whether opinion A is superior to opinion B. After all, ifreality is merely a construct of the human mind, one person's perspective of truth is ultimately
just as good as another's.
Having given up on knowing objective truth, the post-modernist occupies himself instead
with the quest for "understanding" the other person's point of view. So the words truth and
understanding take on radical new meanings. Ironically, "understanding" requires that we first of
all disavow the possibility of knowing any truth at all. And "truth" becomes nothing more than a
personal opinion, usually best kept to oneself.
That is the one essential, non-negotiable demand post-modernism makes of everyone: we
are not supposed to think we know any objective truth. Post-modernists often suggest that every
opinion should be shown equal respect. And therefore on the surface, post-modernism seemsdriven by a broad-minded concern for harmony and tolerance. It all sounds very charitable and
altruistic. But what really underlies the post-modernist belief system is an utter intolerance for
every world-view that makes any universal truth-claims--particularly biblical Christianity.
In other words, post-modernism begins with a presupposition that is irreconcilable with
the objective, divinely-revealed truth of Scripture. Like modernism, post-modernism is
fundamentally and diametrically opposed to the gospel of Jesus Christ.
POST-MODERNISM AND THE CHURCH
Nonetheless, the church today is filled with people who are advocating post-modern
ideas. Some of them do it self-consciously and deliberately, but most do it unwittingly. (Having
imbibed too much of the spirit of the age, they are simply regurgitating worldly opinion.) The
evangelical movement as a whole, still recovering from its long battle with modernism, is not
prepared for a new and different adversary. Many Christians have therefore not yet recognized
the extreme danger posed by post-modernist thought.
-
7/29/2019 Magazine Pulpit-2012-11 John MacArthur
5/22
5
Post-modernism's influence has clearly infected the church already. Evangelicals are
toning down their message so that the gospel's stark truth-claims don't sound so jarring to the
post-modern ear. Many shy away from stating unequivocally that the Bible is true and all other
religious systems and world-views are false. Some who call themselves Christians have gone
even further, purposefully denying the exclusivity of Christ and openly questioning His claim
that He is the only way to God.
The biblical message is clear. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one
comes to the Father except through Me" (John 14:6). The apostle Peter proclaimed to a hostile
audience, "Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given
among men by which we must be saved." The apostle John wrote, "He who does not believe the
Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him" (John 3:36). Again and again,
Scripture stresses that Jesus Christ is the only hope of salvation for the world. "For there is one
God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus" (1 Timothy 2:5). Only
Christ can atone for sin, and therefore only Christ can provide salvation. "And this is the
testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son haslife; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life" (1 John 5:11-12).
Those truths are antithetical to the central tenet of post-modernism. They make exclusive,
universal truth-claims declaring Christ the only true way to heaven and all other belief-systems
erroneous. That is what Scripture teaches. It is what the true church has proclaimed throughout
her history. It is the message of Christianity. And it simply cannot be adjusted to accommodate
post-modern sensitivities.
Instead, many Christians simply pass over the exclusive claims of Christ in embarrassed
silence. Even worse, some in the church--including a few of evangelicalism's best-known
leaders--have begin to suggest that perhaps people can be saved apart from knowing Christ.
Christians cannot capitulate to post-modernism without sacrificing the very essence ofour faith. The Bible's claim that Christ is the only way of salvation is certainly out of harmony
with the post-modern notion of "tolerance." But it is, after all, just what the Bible plainly teaches.
And the Bible--not post-modern opinion--is the supreme authority for the Christian. The Bible
alone should determine what we believe and proclaim to the world. We cannot waver on this, no
matter how much this post-modern world complains that our beliefs make us "intolerant."
TOLERANT INTOLERANCE
Post-modernism's veneration of tolerance is its most obvious feature. But the version of
"tolerance" peddled by post-modernists is actually a twisted and dangerous corruption of true
virtue.
Incidentally, tolerance is never mentioned in the Bible as a virtue, except in the sense of
patience, forbearance, and longsuffering (cf. Ephesians 4:2.) In fact, the contemporary notion of
tolerance is a pathetically feeble concept compared to the love Scripture commands Christians to
show even to their enemies. Jesus said, "Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,
-
7/29/2019 Magazine Pulpit-2012-11 John MacArthur
6/22
-
7/29/2019 Magazine Pulpit-2012-11 John MacArthur
7/22
7
Counseling the Hard Cases
By John MacArthur
The biblical counseling movement has long been caricatured by its various critics as
shallow, superficial, and largely ineffective for the greater challenges men and women face inthis life. Those critics might cite instances of people giving bad or even hurtful advice while
claiming to be doing biblical counseling. But authentic biblical counseling is simply biblical
wisdom, properly applied by spiritually mature counselors. How could that be hurtful?
When godly people, armed with the confidence that Gods Word is entirely sufficient,
prayerfully and skillfully, gently but firmly come alongside those who are confused, lost,
hurting, or otherwise struggling with some personal or spiritual dilemma, the Lord is sovereignly
disposed to use His Word through such counsel in ways that please Him. His Word is the one
thing never returns void (Isaiah 55:11).
This is why I am happy to commend to you this book: Counseling the Hard Cases: The
Sufficiency of Scripture in the Most Difficult Counseling Problems. Itscontributors are unified in
their commitment to Scripture as the sufficient mode andmethod of counseling. That is the very
commitment I have sought to maintain for all my years as Pastor-Teacher here at Grace
Community Church. It is likewise the shared commitment of our faculty in training our students
at The Masters College and Seminary. Each one of us would say with settled conviction: Your
testimonies are also my delight; they are my counselors(Psalm 119:24).
If you want to read firsthand examples of caring, wise, and biblically sound counsel being
applied to those who are struggling with the perplexities of living in a fallen world, then read on.
The approach to counseling modeled here comes from experienced men and women who believe
that Gods Word is totally adequate to handle anything and everything the world, the flesh and
the devil may throw at the believer. These seasoned counselors areas I amthoroughly
convinced that no manmade method of counseling is equal to the 66 books of the Bible in depth,
power, or enduring efficacy.
The sufficiency and authority of Scripture has been the central theme of my ministry for
more than half a century, and I am profoundly grateful that one of the fundamental principles on
which the biblical counseling movement is based is a commitment to that same principle. In the
words of Psalm 19:7-11:
The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul; the
testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The
precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; thecommandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear
of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the judgments of the Lord
are true; they are righteous altogether. They are more desirable
than gold, yes, than much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and
the drippings of the honeycomb. Moreover, by them your servant
is warned; in keeping them there is great reward.
-
7/29/2019 Magazine Pulpit-2012-11 John MacArthur
8/22
8
May you profit from this book as you read from competent counselors who take Gods
Word seriously. Allow the insights theyve gained from Scripture to shape your own approach
to helping people who are hurting.
John MacArthur
Review by Lance Quinn
Counseling the Hard Cases is an excellent example of how to do biblical counseling that is both
true to God's Word and practically relevant to the complex issues behind the fallen human heart.
I commend all these competent counselors for giving us tremendous insight into helping people
gain much hope and help for their spiritual lives. I especially appreciated the contributor's
singular commitment to the sufficiency and superiority of Scripture in counseling. May this book
be greatly used by counselors, for their counselees, and in the teaching of counseling.
-
7/29/2019 Magazine Pulpit-2012-11 John MacArthur
9/22
9
Living by Faith, Not Feelings
By Phil Johnson
By God's own testimony, Job was a righteous man, "blameless and upright, and one whofeared God and shunned evil" (1:1)"none like him on the earth" (v.8).
But in this cursed world even the most righteous people sometimes feel God is obscured
by the darkness of grief and suffering. Job in particular suffered the loss of all his children and
all his earthly possessions in a single day, after which his entire body was reduced to a festering
mass of sores, and he was left without any earthly comfort whatsoeverwhile being besieged
with bad counsel and false accusations.
In the wake of so many unimaginable, crushing, life-destroying tragedies and plagues,
Jobfeltabandoned by God. Hefeltoverwhelmed by grief and personal loss.
Few if any of us have ever suffered so much and to such a degree. Still, its not hard to
understand how Job felt. We cringe at the thought of how much it hurt. And we can imagine how
bitter the whole experience tasted. There are no words to describe such anguish, and no mere
words can comfort a soul in the throes of such agony. Job 2:13 says his friends "sat down with
him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw
that his grief was very great."
Heres something to consider: Jobs suffering was no easier for him emotionally than it
would be for you and me, no matter how righteous he was. He still felt the same kind of intense
anguish and pain that you and I would feel if we suffered under such trials.
Just as human words fail to describe or to relieve such deep despair, human emotions
don't help us make sense of our miseries. If you want to sort through the problem of evil, you
have to think sensibly, and theologically, and biblically, and not let your emotions rule your
mind.
Job was a wise enough man than to know better than to respond by reflex on the basis of
his feelings. If he had listened to his own heart and given vent to his passions (as the typical
counselor today would advise him) he could easily been consumed with bitterness, self-pity,
anger, and frustration. He might even have been tempted to take his wife's advice: "Curse God
and die!"
But Job's very first reaction was the response of someone who knows something about
God: "Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave,
and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord" (Job 1:21).Job filtered his feelings through his theology. It still did not make sense to him why he
had to suffer like this. (That is why Job is 42 chapters long; it records the dialogue Job had with
his friends as he tried to sort this out.) Still in the wake of so much tragedy, even though he had
no answers and was overwhelmed with painfulfeelings, his immediate response made no
mention of those feelings. He didn't voice any of the doubt or confusion he might have been
http://biblia.com/bible/esv/Job%201.21http://biblia.com/bible/esv/Job%201.21 -
7/29/2019 Magazine Pulpit-2012-11 John MacArthur
10/22
10
struggling with. Instead, his very first statement was a bold affirmation of what he knew to be
true about God.
Faced with the darkness of pain and loss, he didn't go chasing his emotions or wallowing
in his uncertainty; he stood firm and clung to what he knew for sure. He anchored his soul on
theological truths he was certain of, rather than setting himself adrift on a sea of confusion and
doubt.
This cannot be stressed too much: It was sound theology, not his feelings, that enabled
Job to weather the immediate shock of the news that his children and everything he owned were
gone forever. Here is a reminder of why sound theology is so importantand so intensely
practical.
Notice what truths Job clung to and rehearsed in that simple affirmation of faith: the
sovereignty, righteousness, and goodness of God. Those were the central certainties in his
theology, and they were the very truths that anchored him all the way through his trials. From
start to finish in the book of Job, amid all Jobs complaints and pleading, he never once let go of
these simple, foundational principles.
1. God is Sovereign
Job was a staunch Calvinist. He knew and confessed instantly that God was sovereignly in
control of his life, even though Job had every reason to feel like his life was spinning out of
control. As the book of Job unfolds, he raises all the same questions anyone would ask in a
situation like this. He wanted to know why. He wondered if he had done something to deserve
judgment. He wondered if God was angry with him for something. He had lots of questions.
But in that amazing, initial response, he simply affirmed what he knew beyond doubt: that
God is sovereign and He therefore must have decreed what happened to Job: "The Lord gave,
and the Lord has taken away." He knew the hand of God was in it.He didn't rebuke Satan or even mention him. Job's focus was on God, and he knew this bitter
providence could not have come to him apart from God's knowledge and express permission. But
even so, Job didn't try to explain away God's sovereignty by dismissing it as bare permission. He
knew God had a purpose in these afflictions. God wasn't a mere bystander, uninvolved and
unconcerned. It is significant that Job used active verbs: "The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken
away."
Job didn't blame God for the evil in the act, but he did not for a moment imagine that God
was a helpless bystander when tragedy struck. That is a healthy view of the sovereignty of God.
Job knew that God controls providence. He is still in control even when it seems like evil has
taken over. In other words, when God gave Satan permission to afflict Job, it was a willing
permission, not an involuntary concession that Satan tricked or goaded God to allow against His
better judgment. God Himself had a purpose and a plan in this. It was His planordained by
Gods decreebefore the evil plot was ever hatched in Satans mind.
We know something of what went on behind the scenes in heaven because Job 1:6-12
describes it for us. Job didnt have the benefit of knowing what Satan was up to and why God
-
7/29/2019 Magazine Pulpit-2012-11 John MacArthur
11/22
11
permitted it. Nevertheless, he trusted from the start that God was still firmly in control. Satan
could touch nothing of Job's without God's permission. So if Job suffered, it could only be
because God was allowing him to suffer. And that being the case, Job knew God had a good
purpose in it.Job understood all those things even without seeing the scene in heaven, because
he already had a right view of God's sovereignty.
Furthermore, Job understood that God has a right to do with His creatures whatever He
chooses. If He decides to allow us to suffer, He has every right to do so. In Job 2:10, Job tells his
wife, "You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God,
and shall we not accept adversity?" The same sentiment would be expressed centuries later in
Lamentations 3:38-41, where the prophet Jeremiah wrote,
Is it not from the mouth of the Most High
That woe and well-being proceed?
Why should a living man complain,
A man for the punishment of his sins?
Let us search out and examine our ways,And turn back to the Lord;
Let us lift our hearts and hands
To God in heaven.
Even Jesus said to Peter on the night of his betrayal, "Shall I not drink the cup which My Father
has given Me?" (John 18:11). So Jobs first reply was remarkably Christlike.
Where did Job gain such a clear perspective? It was not something that arose from the grief
and pain he was suffering at that moment, of course. But it was the perspective his theology had
taught him. What he knew about God, not what he felt with his emotions, enabled him to endure
this trial.
2. God is Just
"In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong." (Job 1:22).
What a remarkable statement! People often respond to disaster and loss by charging God
with wrong. Job knew that God is just. So while acknowledging that God was sovereignly in
control of all the tragedies that had befallen him, Job was careful not to blame God in any way.
That is a difficult balance to achieve. There are even some CalvinistsI'd call them hyper-
Calvinistswho fall into the trap of blaming God for evil, blithely describing His sovereignty
over evil in such a careless, ill-thought-through way that they make Him the efficient cause and
instigator of evil. That is simply bad theology. Don't fall into the trap of wanting your doctrine of
divine sovereignty to be so exclusive that you portray God as the author or agent of evil. He is
not.
Don't ever imagine that God exercises his sovereignty over evil in the same active way he
exercises sovereignty over good. Don't ever suggest that God is the source or immediate cause of
evil in the same way He is the giver of every good and perfect gift. He is not the "creator" of evil
in the same way He is the Creator of good.
http://biblia.com/bible/esv/Lamentations%203.38-41http://biblia.com/bible/esv/Lamentations%203.38-41 -
7/29/2019 Magazine Pulpit-2012-11 John MacArthur
12/22
12
In fact, evil is not a created thing. Evil is a defect in something God created to be good.
When God finished His creative work, He pronounced everything "very good" (Genesis 1:31), so
evil cannot be something God created. Evil is not a substance or a created thing. It represents the
marring of what God created good. The agents of evil are Satan, the demons, and fallen
humanity. We are the ones responsible for damaging what God made to be good. God's
sovereignty does not change that fact.
Now, God certainly permitted evil. It isn't something that caught Him off guard or took Him
by surprise. He is not the helpless victim of evildoers. Evil was part of His plan from before the
foundation of the world. He ordained it by decree. But He is not to blame for it. He is not the
agent or author responsible for who deserves the blame for wickedness. He uses evil for His own
wise and holy ends, but He doesn't sanction it, condone it, or otherwise approve it.
Remember, according to Job 1:11, Satan challenged God to afflict Job. He said, "Stretch out
Your hand and touch all that he has, and he will surely curse You to Your face!" But God did not
stretch out His hand and afflict Job. That was left for Satan to do. All God did was remove the
restraints from Satan, and Satan was the agent of the evil.It is quite true that Job suffered according to the plan and providence of Godbut God was
not the source of the evil; Satan was. Job fully understood that, and that is why although he knew
God is sovereign, he did not blame God for the evil that befell him.
We're not for a moment to imagine that God's sovereignty makes Him blameworthy for the
evil that occurs in a fallen universe. To entertain such a thought would be to curse God in our
heartsthe very thing Job was determined never to do.
3. God is Good
Once more, note Job 1:21: "The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away;Blessedbe the
name of the Lord."In the midst of his trials, Job was blessing Godconfessing that God is good. That is the
very opposite of what Satan claimed Job would do: "He will surely curse You to Your face!" (v.
11). Instead, Job emphatically blessed God's name! He knew that even in the midst of this
horrible calamity, despite all the evil that had befallen him, God was good.
Remember that Job did not yet understand God's purpose. He did not know about Satan's
challenge.But he knew the character of God. That is why he was so tormented trying to figure it
all out. But you can read all his complaints and protests, and you will see that he never once
impugns the goodness of God. In fact, in Job 13:15, Job says, "Though He slay me, yet will I
trust Him." He trusted that God was good.
This is the very lesson the book of Job is designed to teach us: "My brethren, take the
prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord, as an example of suffering and patience. Indeed we
count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end
intended by the Lord; that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful" (James 5:10-11).
Even this horrible trial was a token of the Lord's mercy and compassion to Job. That is hard
to grasp because of our human prejudices, but I am certain that when we get to heaven, we will
-
7/29/2019 Magazine Pulpit-2012-11 John MacArthur
13/22
13
hear testimony from the lips of Job himself about the great goodness and compassion of God that
came to him because of his trial.
Dont misunderstand; although Scripture says Job was a righteous man, that doesn't mean he
wasn't a sinner. It means he was a justified sinner. Job was not sinless. He acknowledged his
need for a Redeemer in Job 19:25. And at the end of the book, when He gets an even better
picture of God's greatness and sovereignty, Job's response in Job 42:6 is, "I abhor myself, And
repent in dust and ashes."
Some have suggested that there was an element of overconfidence or self-righteousness in
Job. But remember that even Satan had nothing to accuse him for in chapter 1. Job was a faithful
man. He was forgiven. He was justified. He had devoted his life to the pursuit of holiness, and
there was no gross or life-destroying sin in his life. His conscience was clear of any unrepented
sin, and he outlines that argument in chapter 31.
So it ought to be clear that God did not afflict Job in order to punish him for his sin. God was
testing him, proving him, and strengthening his faith. God's ultimate purpose for Job was good,
even though the immediate effect was calamity. This was not punishment for his sin.Still, as a sinful creature, Job had no claim on any blessing of any kind. God could justly
afflict him, because Job needed to be refined and strengthened. And the humility of Jobs first
response to the trial proves that he understood those things, and he trusted the goodness of God.
Consider this: Job's loss was temporary. All his afflictions were transient, passing afflictions
that would eventually give way to an even greater weight of eternal glory. As Paul says in 2
Corinthians 4:17, "our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more
exceeding and eternal weight of glory." Suffering is the price and prelude of glory. But while the
suffering is temporary, the glory is eternal, and infinitely greater. Thatis our hope in the midst of
suffering.
God eventually gave Job back more than he had lost. Here's Job 42:12-17:Now the Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning; for he had fourteen
thousand sheep, six thousand camels, one thousand yoke of oxen, and one thousand female
donkeys. He also had seven sons and three daughters. And he called the name of the first
Jemimah, the name of the second Keziah, and the name of the third Keren-Happuch. In all
the land were found no women so beautiful as the daughters of Job; and their father gave
them an inheritance among their brothers. After this Job lived one hundred and forty years,
and saw his children and grandchildren for four generations. So Job died, old and full of
days.
When I first read that years ago, I couldn't help feeling that new sons and daughters would hardly
make up for the children Job had lost. As a father, I cannot imagine the pain that would be
caused by the death of one of my sons. A new child wouldn't ease the sorrow of loss or make up
for the pain of it. So my first reaction to this passage, years ago, was to think this was scant
comfort for Job.
But remember, Job's children were righteous, too. So when he died, old and full of age,
he was instantly reunited when them for all eternity. Even now, they are together in the Lord's
-
7/29/2019 Magazine Pulpit-2012-11 John MacArthur
14/22
14
presence. Job, from heaven's perspective, can look back on that trial and say it was truly a light
and passing affliction, and the Lord restored to him everything he ever lost, and more.
That is our joy and our confidence in the midst of disaster. It may be contrary to the
feelings we experience when we suffer loss, but from an eternal perspective, it is a far more solid
rock on which to anchor our hope than the way wefeel in the midst of calamity. That's why
theology is so important. It teaches us that despite what we may feel, God is still in control; he is
just and righteous; and above all, He is good.
That is just what the promise of Romans 8:28 says, isn't it? "We know that all things
work together for good." How do we know that? Because we know that God is good, and so no
matter what He doesno matter how painful or hard to understand it may be for the moment
we know He will use it for good.
It is the very definition of faith to be able to cling to that promise, no matter what.
-
7/29/2019 Magazine Pulpit-2012-11 John MacArthur
15/22
15
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHURCH HISTORY (PART 2)
By Nathan Busenitz
Many people think of the Reformation as something that started with Luther in 1517. But thereality is that the Reformation was a movement that had begun to gain momentum much earlier
than the sixteenth century.
Back in the 1100s, 350 years before Luther posted his 95 Theses, a group known as the
Waldensians began to teach that the Bible alone is the authority for the church. They defied
papal authority, committed themselves to preaching the gospel, and even translated the Word of
God into the common language of the people. They were severely persecuted by the Roman
Catholic Church, and as a result often found themselves hiding in the Alps. In the sixteenth
century, during the lifetime of Calvin and Knox, the Waldensians officially joined the Reformed
Movement; because they recognized that the sixteenth-century Reformers valued the same truths
that they had been committed to all along.
In the 1300s, still two centuries before Luther, an English scholar named John Wycliffe
began teaching that the church was in desperate need of reform. Wycliffe has been nicknamed
the Morning Star of the Reformation because he affirmed essential Reformation doctrines like
sola Scriptura and sola fide; he was also the first to translate the Bible into English. The Oxford
scholar opposed the papacy, calling the pope the antichrist. Instead, he taught, Christ alone is
the Head of the church. Wycliffe denied baptismal regeneration, opposed the mass, criticized
indulgences, and taught that the clergy should be able to marry. The Roman Catholic church
became so angry at John Wycliffe that, after he died, they dug up his bones and burned them in
effigy.
A generation later, in the early 1400s, a Bohemian preacher named John Huss thundered
onto the scene. He was influenced by both the Waldensians and the teachings of John Wycliffe.
And he was very popular in the city of Prague, where he lectured at the University of Prague and
also preached powerfully to nearly 3,000 people every week innot in Latin, but in their own
language. Like Wycliffe, Huss opposed the papacy and taught that Christ alone is the Head of the
Church. And if Christ is the Head of the church, than His Word is the only authority in the
church. And if His Word is the only authority, then the gospel must be defined from Scripture
alone.
In 1415, after being promised safe passage to the Council of Constance, John Huss was
arrested, falsely accused, put on trial, condemned as a heretic, and burned at the stake.Onehundred years later, Martin Luther would discover the writings of John Huss. He found them
convincing and compelling, and they influenced him greatly. So much so, in fact, that in his own
reform efforts, Luther would be nicknamed, The Saxon Huss.
From the Waldensians in the twelfth century, to John Wycliffe in the fourteenth century,
to John Huss in the fifteenth century, and finally, to Martin Luther, Ulrich Zwingli, John Calvin,
John Knox, Thomas Cranmer, and other Reformers in the sixteenth centuryas one can see, the
-
7/29/2019 Magazine Pulpit-2012-11 John MacArthur
16/22
16
Reformation was a movement that began long before 1517. It cannot be limited to just one date,
one year, or even one century. It was a tidal wave of momentum that engulfed over four
centuries of history as the power of Gods Word burst forth and shattered the layers of false
tradition that had petrified the church.
In spite of some Roman Catholic claims, Martin Luther did not inventanything. He did
not regard himself as a pioneer. Rather, he understood that he was building on a foundation that
had been laid in the centuries before him.
But this still leaves open the question of the early church. Were the Waldensians, or the
followers of Wycliffe and Huss the first in church history to teach an evangelical gospel of grace
alone through faith alone?
The Gospel of Grace in the New Testament
Before answering that question from church history, we first have to answer it from the
Word of God. As evangelical Christians, Scripture alone is our ultimate authority. And whilehistory provides us with wonderful affirmation of our evangelical convictions, it is not our final
authority. Our understanding of the gospel must be established and grounded in the clear
teaching of the Word of God. And it is in the pages of Scripture that we find the doctrine of
justification by faith clearly presented.
Here is a brief sampling of the many passages that could be cited in this regard. In Luke
18:1314, the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector, Jesus emphasized the fact that sinners
are not justified through their own self-righteousness. Rather, God justifies those, like the
unworthy tax collector, who cry out in faith and depend on Him for mercy. Romans 3:28 states
thata man is justified by faith apart from the works of the law. Romans 4 presents Abraham
as an example of that reality. And Romans 5:1 reiterates that since we have been justified byfaith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
In Galatians 3:8, Paul again emphasizes that God would justify the Gentiles by faith.
Ephesians 2:89 repeats that same truth For by grace you have been saved through faith; and
that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. In
Philippians 3:89, the apostle reiterated the fact that good works are worthless when it comes to
being made righteous in the sight of God. He explained that he did not have a righteousness of
[his] own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness
which comes from God on the basis of faith. Titus 3:57 says this: [God] saved us, not on the
basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing
of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through
Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to
the hope of eternal life. As the above sampling demonstrates, the New Testament repeatedly
establishes the fact that the believers righteous standing before God is not based on the good
works that he or she has done; but only on the finished work of Christ on the cross. We are
justified by His grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.
-
7/29/2019 Magazine Pulpit-2012-11 John MacArthur
17/22
17
The Gospel of Grace in New Testament History
But what about church history? How did the earliest Christians understand the biblical
teaching on justification by faith alone?
Perhaps the best place to start in answering such questions is New Testamenthistory.
After all, there is a place where both biblical truth and the historical record meetnamely, the
book of Acts. The record found in Acts is both Scripture and church history. As I like to tell the
students in my historical theology classes, church history is so important that God included a
book of it in the New Testament.
The book of Acts was written by Luke around A.D. 60, and it includes the first 30 years
of the history of the church starting at the Day of Pentecost and ending with Pauls first
imprisonment in Rome. Acts begins where the Gospel of Luke ends, immediately following the
Resurrection. The first chapter centers on the Great Commission, which really serves as the
outline of the book; Christs followers were to go and make disciples in Jerusalem and Judea,Samaria, and the uttermost parts of the earth.
We see that mission unfold in Acts. In chapters 17, the gospel spreads throughout
Jerusalem and Judea. In chapter 8, the good news is taken to Samaria. And in chapter 9, Saul is
convertedhe is the one who will take the gospel to the Gentiles. In chapter 10, we meet the
first Gentile convert, Cornelius. In chapter 11, we have the establishment of the first Gentile
church in Syrian Antioch. From there, to the end of the book, we read about how Saul (whose
Roman name is Paul) takes the gospel to the Gentile world on several missionary journeys.
The book of Acts celebrates the advancement of the gospel. Yet, in the middle of Lukes
historical record, a serious controversy arises over the very nature of the gospel itself. The issue
was so important that the apostles met together in Jerusalem to settle the controversy.That meeting of the apostles is known as the Jerusalem Councilthe first council of
church history. It met around AD 49 or 50 nearly twenty years after the church was established
on the Day of Pentecost; and 275 years before the next major church council, the council of
Nicaea.
The Jerusalem Council convened to address one essential question: What is the essence
of the gospel? Is it a message of grace alone? Or was it a message of grace plus works? The
advancement of the gospel could not continue unless the right message was being proclaimed.
In Part 3 of this series we will seek to answer those questions, before drawing parallels
between what took place at the Jerusalem Council and what was happening during the Protestant
Reformation.
-
7/29/2019 Magazine Pulpit-2012-11 John MacArthur
18/22
18
Preaching Behind Enemy Lines
By Rich Gregory
The forum of ancient Corinth lies 1,800 feet below the towering acropolis of the city. It was
upon that large chunk of rock where the ancient temple of Aphrodite was situated, spewing animmoral system of worship that seeped throughout the busy city far below. Within the forum of
that city, literally in the shadow of that corrupt mountain, was the location where Paul stood
before the judgment seat to give account of his preaching. The account in Acts 18 tells us that
his ministry in Corinth had lasted for a year and a half, and had been tremendously fruitful. The
Jewish sect within the city was finally so exercised by the success of the gospel that they rose up
against him, hauling him in front of the governor.
Archaeologists have unearthed this scene for the modern reader. They have uncovered the
relatively intact bhma (pronounced Bema) seat within the forum where Gallio would have sat
above the other local magistrates, who would have ringed the base of the judgment platform
seated upon marble benches. They have also unearthed the marble post to which the great
apostle would have been chained while being judged. These discoveries paint a scene that would
have required a gutsy defense.
A visit to the site of Corinth will reveal that Paul was literally surrounded by his enemies. The
infamous meat markets and massive temple of Apollo would have been to his back. The pagan
Roman praetorium with its imperial seal would have stood before him, directly behind the
judgment seat. The Jews who had hauled him into the forum before the judgment seat would
have flanked him, and the corrupt temple of Aphrodite would have risen over him. As he
prepared to defend his faith upon that day, he was preaching far behind enemy lines cut off
from the rest of the apostles, separated from the comforts of a cohesive congregation, endangered
by the enemies of the gospel who surrounded him.
This is the scene where the reader expects a lengthy Pauline treatise like the ones recorded from
Mars Hill in Athens (Acts 17), or from the judgment hall in Caesarea (Acts 24-25). And indeed,
the text tells us, Paul was ready to give just such a defense. Scripture says that Paul was about
to open his mouth (18:14) to begin a defense, when he was cut off and exonerated. Beyond the
simple fascination over the pronouncement of his innocence is Pauls remarkable preparedness to
square off in the hostile public forum.
If given the chance, his defense would surely have been vigorous. The verb that Luke uses to
describe the moment is the Greek word mellw, which is a very active, vibrant word. The
emphasis specifically relates to the subjects intention. The same word is used in John 18:32
where the reader is informed that Jesus made certain statements in order to show what kind of
death he was going (mellw) to die. He spoke of the kind of death he intendedto die; His death
-
7/29/2019 Magazine Pulpit-2012-11 John MacArthur
19/22
19
was imminent, active and intentional. The word reflects activity mixed with intentionality.
Within this text, Pauls mind would have been racing as he took a breath and opened his mouth.
He intended to give a full, vigorous, active defense of the gospel he had been preaching.
And yet, he was cut off. Gallios more famous brother Seneca described the governor by saying
that no mortal was ever so mild to any one as he was to all. Gallio had no interest in punishing
Paul over what he deemed to be an internal dispute between the Jews. This was a critical
moment in early Christian history. A judgment against Paul here would have distinguished
Christianity from Judaism, effectively removing an umbrella of protection. If Paul had given a
lengthy oral defense, it is possible that the perceptive Gallio would have recognized that the two
were entirely distinct. In the providence of God, Paul was prevented from speaking, and the
Roman world continued to identify Christianity as a sect of Judaism. Years later, when a
distinction was made between the two systems, the church had already been well established.
Here, on the second missionary journey, the time had not yet come.
Despite the working of God through Gallio, Paul fully intended to preach in that hostile
environment. In this, there are lessons for the twenty first century preacher. While the setting
and the players may have changed, the pressures and the forces at work in our own day have not.
If anything, the strains upon the preacher to cave have only intensified. Paul himself promised
that in the last days, difficult times will comefor the time will come when they will not
endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for
themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires (2 Tim 3-4).
In a very real sense, many preachers today are still faced with the challenge of preaching behind
enemy lines. With a postmodern mindset to their backs, a secular government before them, andan immoral culture looming above them, the pressures are ever present. Yet worst of all, often
the hostile pressures are not just from without, but also from within. Many men labor in their
preaching ministry, knowing that members of their flock are hostile to their message. How does
a man face such internal and external strain, without losing the joy that must accompany his
preaching? How does he unwaveringly proclaim when everything and everyone around him
calls for compromise?
The answer lies within the perspective of the mans heart. Pauls actions reveal the contents of
his heart. He didnt wait for Gallio to ask for his defense. He didnt hesitate, wondering about
the best course of action. He didnt vacillate from the full message. He did not shirk away from
his duty as a gospel preacher. He immediately sought to open his mouth and speak. It was
reflexive for him. When given the shot, he was compelled to pull the trigger regardless of the
circumstances there in the Corinthian forum. This reflexive impulse to respond to threats with
the gospel unveils a heart that is properly oriented.
-
7/29/2019 Magazine Pulpit-2012-11 John MacArthur
20/22
-
7/29/2019 Magazine Pulpit-2012-11 John MacArthur
21/22
21
Love or Die: Revelation 2:4
Christs Commendation and Complaint
By Alexander Strauch
It wasnt easy being Christs lamp stand in a dark, pagan city like Ephesus. Expositor R. H.Charles comments that Ephesus wasa hotbed of every kind of cult and superstition.2The
pagan temple of Artemis (Roman Diana) dominated the city and was considered one of the seven
wonders of the ancient world. Emperor worship (the imperial cult) thrived in Ephesus and was a
required duty of every citizen. Moreover, the city was a prosperous trade center and an immoral
port city.
Knowing all this, the Lord graciously acknowledges their toil and patient endurance.
He praises this church because it had no tolerance for those who profess the Christian faith but
justify an immoral lifestyle: I know. You can-not bear with those who are evil. Jesus also
praises them for testing those who call themselves apostles and are not. Like the Berean
believers, the Ephesians examined the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so
(Acts17:11). When self-proclaimed apostles came to teach, the church tested their claims of
apostolic authority and found them to be false. Consequently, the church found the teachers to be
self-deceived agents of Satannot representatives of Christand rejected them and their
teaching. You can be sure this took courage and determination.
We know, then, that the church at Ephesus was a doctrinally discerning church. It loved
truth and hated, as did Jesus, the works of the Nicolaitans, an immoral, heretical Christian sect
(Rev. 2:6). Please take note: Jesus com-mends them for hating the corrupt teachings and
practices of this false sect. Their hatred of the works of darkness was a demonstration of their
love for Christ and Gods Word. Churches today need to understand that hatred of evil andfalsehood is not a contradiction of love, but an essential part of genuine Christian love (1 Cor.
13:6). Love abhors what is evil and clings to what is good (Rom. 12:9). The Ephesian
believers, then, were role models of theological vigilance. They were defenders of the truth and
lovers of the gospel. They were uncompromising in their stand for biblical principles, and for
this our Lord highly praises them.
We also know that the Ephesians had faced great conflict. They had resisted the agents of
Satan and patiently endured many other trying circumstances. So the Lord praises them, saying,
You are enduring patiently and bearing up for my names sake and you have not grown weary.
What a display of their loyalty and dedication!
There was much to commend the church in Ephesus, and we should prize all of itsexemplary qualities. The church could have written a best-selling manual on successful church
ministry. However, all was not well. Something was fundamentally wrong, and Jesus Christ puts
his finger right on the problem: Loss of love. In light of all the commendable qualities of this
church, we might think of Christs complaint as trivial, but in his eyes, the church had fallen. It
had abandoned the love it once had. To the one who loves us and has freed us from our sins by
his blood (Rev. 1:5), this is no small matter. Thus our Lord says, I have this against you.
-
7/29/2019 Magazine Pulpit-2012-11 John MacArthur
22/22
22
A Failure of Love
Our Lords complaint against the church at Ephesus is you have abandoned the love you had at
first. Literally translated, the text reads: You have abandoned your love, the first. Emphasis is
placed on the adjective first, so the love they abandoned refers to their love as it was first
expressed at the beginning of their life together as a church body.
Jesus doesnt say, You have no love. He says, You have abandoned the love you had
at first. Their love was not what it used to be. While they still had some measure of love
because they were, for the most part, true Christians and enduring hardship for his names sake
(Rev. 2:3), they no longer possessed the kind of love they had in their early years as a church.
They still loved the Lord, but not like they did at first. They still loved one another, but not like
before.
Their love for Christ and for one another had once motivated all they did. It brought joy,
creativity, freshness, spontaneity, and energy to their life and work. But now their energy source
was depleted. Their work had become mundane, mechanical, and routine, and their lives thepicture of self-satisfaction. Instead of their love abounding, it had been lacking. Instead of being
motivated by love from the heart, their works had become perfunctory. Even certain works,
which sprang from their former love, vanished. For this, Jesus rebukes them and calls them to do
those works again (Rev. 2:5).
The object of their lost love is not stated. The text does not say love for Christ or love for
fellow believers. It is best, then, to understand Jesus to mean Christian love in general, which
would include love for God, love for one another in the church, and love for the lost. According
to our Lord, love for God and neighbor are inseparable companions (Mark 12:29-31; Luke
10:27).It is impossible to love God and not love his people or to love his people and not love
God (1 John 4:7-5:3).Jesus uses strong words in his complaint against the Ephesians. Jesus squarely places the
responsibility at their feet when he says, you have abandoned or given up3the love they once
had. They cant blame anyone else for this loss. They have had every advantage provided by
years of good teaching, access to almost all of the New Testament Scriptures, and the power of
the indwelling Holy Spirit. No wonder Christ expresses extreme displeasure with the situation in
Ephesus. Their loss of love is their fault. They have failed to keep themselves in the love of
God (Jude 21). They must now face this fact and respond to Christs criticism and counsel.