Dr. John MacArthur is the Pastor of the Grace Community Church in Panorama City, California. According to a statement made on the cover of one of his books, "his Bible teaching and tape ministries reach millions across the globe." He is the author of many books (most of which are published by Moody Press) including several full length commentaries on certain New Testament books. His local church is large, but his influence goes far beyond his local church because of his published writings and public tapes and CD's which are distributed widely. According to the flyleaf of his book, The Gospel According to Jesus, "He is heard daily on the national radio program 'Grace to You,' and more than 7,000,000 of his audio cassette tapes have been distributed worldwide." He is also the President of The Master’s College and Seminary. He is a member of the IFCA (Independent Fundamental Churches of America).

The purpose of these series of papers is to carefully document certain of John MacArthur’s teachings as they relate to the eternal Sonship of Christ. This documentation was obtained from his published writings and from his public tapes and from other sources.

The Scripture tells us to "prove all things (test all things by the Word of God), hold fast that which is good." We want to do this in the case of John MacArthur’s teachings. Our desire has been to do this fairly and graciously, but at the same time to point out where, how and why certain positions which John MacArthur has taken are out of harmony with the Word of God. We hold no animosity towards John MacArthur, but because of the far reaching influence which he has in and among our churches, it is necessary to examine his teachings and warn believers concerning those doctrines that are not in harmony with what the Bible says.

This material was originally prepared for and presented to the National Executive Committee of the IFCA (Independent Fundamental Churches of America) along with materials of a similar nature submitted by other concerned IFCA brethren.  Our concern, back then, was that John MacArthur, an IFCA member, held a position on the Sonship of Christ was in clear conflict with the IFCA Doctrinal Statement.   It was an issue of doctrinal integrity.

For further study on this important issue, the read is referred to the published book, The Eternal Sonship of Christ, by George Zeller and Renald Showers.  If you would like a copy of this book, click here. 

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