
Dr. John MacArthur, in my opinion, was one of the finest preachers in America. He is now with the Lord having succumbed to the ravages of pneumonia on Monday, July 14, 2025. Over the years I greatly appreciated Pastor MacArthur’s commitment to the full inspiration and inerrancy of the Bible. He popularized expositional preaching (“verse by verse”) at a time when people were wanting topical and applicational preaching. He was also known for his thoughtful commentaries on the New Testament and his many other books.
In particular, MacArthur stoutly led the charge in the 1980’s against the “easy-believism” of modern Evangelicalism by emphasizing the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Moreover in the mid-1990’s, along with Dr. R. C. Sproul, he defended the erosion of the gospel against a resurgent Roman Catholicism. When other Protestant theologians were willing to compromise with the Roman Catholics, MacArthur refused to do so believing that the very essence of the gospel was at stake. Later he wrote against the excesses of Charismatic worship and stood firmly against the overreach of civil government during the Covid crisis.
Even though he was a life-long Baptist (similar to C. H. Spurgeon) and a Dispensational Premillennialist (i.e. holding to a future millennial reign of Christ on the earth), MacArthur firmly adopted the Doctrines of Grace in Reformed theology (i.e. Five-Point Calvinism), oversaw a God-centered worship service each week that was regulated by Scripture, and practiced a Presbyterian form of government within his own local church (i.e. led by elders). The English Puritans were a major influence upon this theology and he delighted in promoting the works of various Puritan authors and sponsoring several conferences on the Puritans. In particular, he appreciated the preaching ministry of Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones of the Westminster Chapel in London, England and widely endorsed his sermons and biblical commentaries.
Here are two illustrative quotes that greatly influenced me from MacArthur’s well-regarded book, The Gospel According to Jesus:

“We must remember above all that salvation is a sovereign work of God. Biblically it is defined by what it produces, not by what one does to get it. Works are not necessary to earn salvation. But true salvation wrought by God will not fail to produce the good works that are its fruit (cf. Matthew 7:17). We are God’s workmanship. No aspect of salvation is merited by human works (Titus 3:5-7). Thus salvation cannot be defective in any dimension. As a part of His saving work, God will produce repentance, faith, sanctification, yieldedness, obedience, and ultimately glorification. Since He is not dependent on human effort in producing those elements, an experience that lacks any of them cannot be the saving work of God.”
— John MacArthur, The Gospel According to Jesus, 1st Edition, 33.
Also, consider this forceful quote,
“Thus the test of true faith is this: does it produce obedience? If not, it is not saving faith. Disobedience is unbelief. Real faith obeys.”
— John MacArthur, The Gospel According To Jesus, 1st Edition, 47.
These powerful citations demonstrate MacArthur’s commitment to not separate the believer’s justification from his sanctification. The Christian life embraces both aspects of the sovereign work of God–the forgiveness of our sins by forensic justification and our sanctification by the transforming work of the Holy Spirit. We do not have the freedom to claim Jesus Christ as our Savior while at the same time rejecting Him as our Lord. Both go together and there is no separation.

My wife and I had the unique privilege of attending Grace Community Church in 1985-1986 when I returned to seminary for further studies in Systematic Theology and New Testament Greek. We heard Dr. MacArthur preach verse by verse through many books of the Bible over that formative year. This was a delight to us and his style of preaching deeply influenced me when I returned to the ministry of the pulpit in 1987. I will always be grateful for his unflagging example of personal devotion to Jesus Christ and his steadfast pastoral leadership.
The Bible affirms the following truth about the death of believers, “And I heard a voice from heaven saying, ‘Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.’ ‘Blessed indeed,’ says the Spirit, ‘that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!'” (Rev. 14:13). Such is now true for Dr. John MacArthur. Although he is absent from the body, he is now present with the Lord (2 Cor. 5:6-9). No doubt, he will be deeply missed! But let us pray that God will raise-up in our own age more preachers with the same gifts and spiritual zeal as Dr. John MacArthur. Soli Deo Gloria!
— Dr. Marcus J. Serven

An Addendum: There is a very fine biography of Dr. John MacArthur’s life and ministry written by Iain H. Murray that I would highly recommend.
Here are the details:
Murray, Iain H. John MacArthur: Servant of the Word and Flock. Edinburgh, Scotland: The Banner of Truth Trust, 2011.
Thanks for your reflections on this powerful voice of reason and inspiration, not now silenced by death, but echoed by millions of truth lovers.
Thanks John — Dr. MacArthur will be greatly missed! May God raise-up many more like him. ~MJServen
I was introduced to John MacArthur’s ministry by none other than you, Marcus Serven, 40+ years ago. I am deeply grateful to the Lord for men, like yourself, John MacArthur, and others who lived out an unwavering commitment to proclaiming the profound insights of God’s Word and the Gospel Truth.
I was honored to meet John a few years ago. During our brief interaction I found this giant of the faith to possess the grace and humility he encouraged in others.
I appreciate his influence on my faith and growth. His preaching created a deep respect for the authority of God’s Word and instilled the desire to apply its truths. He will be missed but his ministry continues.
Thanks Robert! It’s so nice to hear from you. Yes, Dr. MacArthur was a stellar example of Christian commitment and faithfulness. I am so thankful that I got to sit under his preaching for a season. Blessings in Christ, MJServen