Book Review: Slave - The Hidden Truth About Your Identity In Christ

By John MacArthur
212 pages, Thomas Nelson Publishers

I got this book free from GTY about six months ago, and just yesterday found time to pick it up and read it. To tell you the truth, I was a bit skeptical about it, as I am about any book that claims to discover 'new' and 'hidden truth'. I saw the book trailer before the book actually came out and read some interesting discussions on it so I had some insight as to what it was about. I don't believe, as the subtitle suggests, that MacArthur was discovering a new truth that has been hidden for generations. He simply explains that this truth isn't presented clearly or consistently in our English Bibles, with which I agree.

This book is about one word, doulos (slave in Greek), and the relationship to God we have as a result of that one word. The book came about as a result of John's reading a book by Murray J. Harris called Slave of Christ. John was fascinated by the number of times the word doulos is used in the New Testament to describe believers. So in this book, MacArthur shows us what the cultural and logical implications of the word 'slave' brings to our relationship with Christ.

I whole-heartedly agree with MacArthur that we are slaves of the Lord, and that He alone is our Sovereign Master. I enjoyed reading what MacArthur has discovered about slavery in the Roman world as well as slavery in the Old Testament Israelite culture. It truly is encouraging to see all the nuances that this one word brings out in our relationship with Christ. This book is easy to read, and keeps the reader interested right up to the last pages.

To preface what I'm about to say, let me tell you that I believe in the total depravity of man, irresistible grace, and the perseverance of the saints. I do not hold to unconditional election or limited atonement. I do believe in the doctrine of election, but not to the Calvinist extreme. I also believe that salvation is not limited to a specific number of people, but is available to all.

Now, I do want to take time to note that MacArthur takes considerable time in this book to promote "the doctrines of grace." I disagree with MacArthur on the points of unconditional election and limited atonement, which he cleverly renames as "sovereign election" and "particular redemption." This isn't the place to fully discuss "the doctrines of grace" (Calvinism), but suffice it to say that I believe MacArthur's arguments for sovereign election and particular redemption are lacking.

This book is very helpful in debunking some modern myths of Christianity and getting back to a New Testament, apostolic understanding of what it means to be a slave of the Lord Jesus Christ. I recommend this book, but be fore-warned that there is a strong Calvinist bent in this book (as there is in most of MacArthur's books). If you can get beyond that, this book will be encouraging and uplifting as you see what the believer's true identity in Christ is.

Book Review: Ashamed of the Gospel - When the Church Becomes Like the World

By John MacArthur
3rd edition, 304 pages

I have been chipping away at this book for about six months now. I originally intended to read it last year when I received it from Grace To You, but ended up giving that copy to my dad. So I had to borrow a copy, and it has been quite a difficult book to get through. This isn't a book for casual thinkers, and it isn't a book to try and read in a day.

The main theme of Ashamed of the Gospel is to issue a call to return to the biblical gospel. MacArthur parallels what is happening on the scene of evangelicalism today with what happened in Charles H. Spurgeon's day in the down-grade controversy. He points out that the same shifts in the church that happened in Spurgeon's day are happening now. The church is becoming increasingly like the world in philosophy, practice, and purpose. John MacArthur faithfully declares the words of the Apostle Paul: "Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry" -2 Timothy 4:2-5

I enjoyed reading this book even though there were days when I hated how long it was taking me. MacArthur does a great job chronicling the rise of pragmatism in the church and its marriage with post-modernism. This book will help you understand what is happening on the scene of American Christianity. What I find the most shocking, is how many people within the church are caught up in the teachings of pragmatism, post-modernism, and emergent thinking. Too many people I know read books by proponents of these schools of thought, and declare their words to be authoritative.

The lack of discernment in the church is killing the church. Consumerism in the church has trained the average church-goer to accept whatever is given them from the pulpit and swallow it. Churches need men and women who, like the Bereans of Acts 17, will search the Scriptures daily to see if what they are learning is true. Ashamed of the Gospel will help you understand the dangers of post-modern thinking that is permeating the church. This book will arm you with a defense against it, and it will point you to the Scripture to show the error being taught today.

Book Review: John MacArthur: Servant of the Word and Flock

By Iain H. Murray

Banner of Truth Trust

240 pages

I received this book free from Grace To You at the end of last week. I had read a couple short reviews of it on the blogosphere (Challies and Anyabwile) and was looking forward to cracking it open. So Sunday, after I had finished reviewing my PM sermon, of course, I had a couple of hours to dive in. Between Sunday afternoon, and yesterday being a holiday, I finished the book.

 Let me tell you, this is a great book, though not what I expected. I have not read any other Iain Murray books (yet), so I didn’t know what to expect as far as writing style. I enjoyed the style. He does a great job chronicling the various decades of MacArthur’s life and ministry while simultaneously keeping the reader engaged with narrative. I think that Murray’s works on D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones and Spurgeon will be well worth a read in the future.

When I heard of the book I expected it to focus mainly on MacArthur’s ministry at Grace Community Church, with some emphasis on his writing and tape ministry. What I found was exactly the opposite. Murray focuses mainly upon the spread of the tape and writing ministry throughout the world, and then devotes a couple chapters specifically to the ministry at Grace Community Church.

Personally, I would have liked to see a more in-depth look at MacArthur’s ministry in the church at Sun Valley rather than how MacArthur’s influence has spread throughout the world. That said, I didn’t mind how this book was written, and I learned much about the spread of Grace To You in the past four decades. I especially enjoyed Murray’s chapter that focused on Patricia MacArthur and John’s family life. It was encouraging to me, a young pastor, to see that example of godly parents teaching their children around the breakfast table.

This is a good book for anyone interested in the life and ministry of John MacArthur, whether you are a fan or not. I have my theological bones to pick with MacArthur, but I find his ministry a compelling example of faithfulness to God’s Word and to God’s people. Praise God for this faithful servant of the Word and flock. I was encouraged by this ‘sketch’ by Murray, and trust you will be too.