John MacArthur’s Hard To Believe, Thomas Nelson (November 23, 2010), has very serious error. Here is a section from page six of his book.

MacArthur’s interpretation of the Lord Jesus Christ’s teaching in Luke 9:23-26 reflects a common misunderstanding that has very serious implications. There is a disturbing spirit of arrogance about this way of interpreting our Lord’s teaching that leaves no blessing upon the heart of a believer. His argument would seem to be correct as he contrasts ‘what Christianity is all about’ against a view that could never be supported: ‘Christianity Lite’.

It is always easy to burn a straw man.

Unfortunately, just because the object of his disdain is false does not mean that his own understanding is correct.

The problem with MacArthur’s use of our Lord Jesus Christ’s teaching is that it burdens the people of God with something that they can never fulfill. It is so easy for teachers like MacArthur to say these things that necessarily perpetuates the burden of the Pharisees.

MacArthur is saying that in order to be a Christian you must deny yourself, take up your cross daily, and to follow Him. To adhere to this teaching necessarily means that you must be able to say that you have done it. You have denied yourself and you have taken up your cross. If you are not able to say this or have in any sense failed to do so, as MacArthur says, ‘It’s pretty simple….’, there is only one answer, you are not a Christian.

If one should answer that failures in the past can be forgotten and that what matters is what is present, then even in this there is a problem. Can you really say that you are presently denying yourself and taking up your cross, in order to meet this requirement? Do you not see how impossible it is to fulfill this way of understanding Jesus’ teaching and that it could only be considered “Fulfilled” by a method that is totally subjective and prone to every contrivance?

Again, if you are going to adhere to this sort of understanding then you need to lie in the bed that you have made for yourself.

To put this great error in its proper perspective we should consider just how great and awesome is our condemnation under the Law of God. It is complete folly to think for even the slightest moment, even as Christians, that we have fulfilled that complete holiness that is required by the Law of God. Paul severely rebukes the Galatians for listening to such teaching and says, ‘For if I rebuild what I have once destroyed, I prove myself to be a transgressor’ [Galatians 2:18]. In other words, if we reject Jesus as our only righteousness and seek a salvation according to the flesh, which is to rebuild what we destroyed when we believed in Jesus, then all we will accomplish is a sentence of condemnation, as the Law will find us transgressors according to the flesh.

For more information about a right understanding of Jesus teaching and why such teaching is very serious error read my book, Take Up Your Cross: Our Only Power to Live and Walk by the Spirit.

Listen to my sermon on Matthew 16:24,25.

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