“Slave”: Bad Company Corrupts Good Theology
For many years John MacArthur’s teachings from the Bible have had a tremendous impact on my life. I always received his teachings as well balanced between showing God’s greatness and sovereignty, imparting encouragement, and teaching practical application. He also did a great job of relating how the Christian walk is experienced in real life. Certainly, I have never deemed his teachings as “not vertical enough.” But trust me, his latest book, “Slave” is plenty vertical. In recent years, I have noticed a considerable decrease of practical application in MacArthur’s teachings, and “Slave” is no exception.
The back cover states the following by way of introduction: “A cover-up of biblical proportions. Centuries ago, English translators perpetrated a fraud in the New Testament, and it’s been purposely hidden and covered up ever since. Your own Bible is probably included in the cover-up!
In this book, John MacArthur unveils the essential and clarifying revelation that may be keeping you from a fulfilling-and correct-relationship with God. It’s powerful. It’s controversial. And with new eyes you’ll see the riches of your salvation in a radically new way.
What does it mean to be a Christian the way Jesus defined it? MacArthur says it all boils down to one word: SLAVE.”
In fact, the book is an awesome resource, probably THE resource, in showing the true significance, as stated in the Bible, regarding our slave / Lord relationship with Christ. MacArthur begins by giving a detailed historical account of how “bond slave” was re-translated as “[hired] servant” with much lighter implications for seeing our true relationship with the Savior. MacArthur then proceeds to to give an in-depth historical account of slavery during biblical times and how the prophets, the apostles, and Christ used that contemporary reality to illustrate truth about redemption and our relationship with the lord.
As an aside, if you have ever wrestled with the question of ecclesiastical authority verses the authority of Scripture, note pages 60-68. Good stuff, and it will put that question to bed.
A huuuuuuge portion of the book is about God’s sovereignty in justification and sanctification. Got any friends you want to convert to Calvinism? It is one of the most painstaking apologies for Calvinism that I have ever read.
So, after the excellent historical case and roughly 150 pages of monergism, MacArthur got into some practical application on page 183; slaves will be judged based on their performance at the judgment seat of Christ. A great motivation to partake in the “O” word. And then it happened; on page 186, he quotes none other than John Piper. As much as I love MacArthur, he just drives me nuts when he does that. Why? Well, a major theme throughout the book is the biblical concept of being set free from the slavery of sin and made free in slavery to Christ. Piper believes the exact opposite! Piper states the following in “Treating Delight as Duty is Controversial”:
“Yes, it becomes increasingly evident that the experience of joy in God is beyond what the sinful heart can do. It goes against our nature. We are enslaved to pleasure in other things (Romans 6:17).”
Notice Piper quotes Romans 6:17 to make his point about “our” nature and: “We” [are]. Romans 6:17 reads as follows:
“But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance.”
Piper uses the Romans passage, which is clearly in the past tense, to teach that Christians are still enslaved to sin. He routinely gets a pass on this sort of thing. Furthermore, Mac quotes Piper twice in the book (page 207 also) for good measure in his endeavor to heap creditability on Piper who also contradicts another major theme in the book; specifically, that we must accept the whole person of Christ which is Lord and Savior. Piper believes the following:
“Could it be that today the most straightforward biblical command for conversion is not, ‘Believe in the Lord,’ but, ‘Delight yourself in the Lord’?” (Desiring God page 55).
MacArthur also wrote a glowing forward in Piper’s book, “Desiring God” despite the fact that the book contains outrageous statements by Piper:
“Unless a man be born again into a Christian Hedonist he cannot see the kingdom of God” (Desiring God page 55).
“The pursuit of joy in God is not optional. It is not an ‘extra’ that a person might grow into after he comes to faith. Until your heart has hit upon this pursuit, your ‘faith’ cannot please God. It is not saving faith” (Desiring God page 69).
“Not everybody is saved from God’s wrath just because Christ died for sinners. There is a condition we must meet in order to be saved. I want to try to show that the condition…is nothing less than the creation of a Christian Hedonist” (Desiring God page 61).
Hence, creepy similarities to Piper’s theology appear in “Slave,” especially Pipers belief that true Christian obedience is always experienced as an unhesitating, natural response accompanied by joy. Throughout the book, MacArthur describes Christian obedience as “pure delight” and “joy-filled.” On page 208, he describes our experience as slaves to Christ as “not partially sweet and partially sour, but totally sweet.” This, despite what the apostle John clearly experienced as recorded in Revelation. But regardless of the fact that there is nothing sweeter than being a slave of Christ, to suggest that our experience is never mixed with bitterness (taste, not attitude) is just plain nonsense. A believer who has lost an unbelieving relative or close friend would be an example. Also, even though I realize the importance of joy in the Christian life, I make this observation in “Another Gospel” (page 78):
“Only problem is, among many, is the eleventh chapter of Hebrews contradicts everything in Piper’s statement above. Hebrews 11 is one of the more extensive statements on saving faith in Holy writ. The Hebrew writer defines the faith of at least twenty believers in regard to the decisions they made and obedience. Joy or pleasure, even pleasure in God, is not named once as being an attribute of their faith. The only semblance of feelings or emotions mentioned is that of strife and fear of God more than man. The truth of Hebrews 11, as well as many other Scriptures, makes a mockery of Piper’s theory of Christian hedonism.”
paul
Paul's Passing Thoughts 
Joy is a fruit of the Spirit
1-6-11
Joy is a fruit of the Spirit. I contend joy is the outcome of having obediently trusted in God and undergone exertion of effort and investment (sacrifice) of pain or loss. Joy is most powerful as the fruit of enduring affliction or loss in a time of testing, temptation, tribulation or trial while remaining conscious of our hope, faith, love and gratitude directed at God — in fact we have joy if we are willing to endure BECAUSE of our hopes in God’s promises, our love for Him and our gratitude to Him.
This need not be an extreme ordeal, but it certainly can be and at times will be. Indeed, joy follows and/or accompanies the process of perseverance. We see Paul and Silas praising the Lord in song while chained up and imprisoned. The joy is a by-product of maintaining one’s hope, faith and reliance on God, one’s love of God, one’s gratitude to God, one’s position of worship of God, in the face of all adversity. Why? Because maintaining these things when things goes bad proves that they are not contingent on the attainment of pleasure and avoidance of pain which the world seeks. Perseverance proves our faith. Need I cite James, Peter and the rest?
So, when we keep thinking on things of God, a ‘natural’ outgrowth or fruit of that is often joy, regardless of, in spite of, or because of crummy circumstances. Then, when we think upon God and what He’s done and will do, and that we don’t deserve any pleasure or avoidance of pain, even after we are saved, it is joyful and we are thankful. This is why counting our blessings not only brings peace, but joy. For, joy often comes from our longitudinal perspective.
I’ll sit and give thanks at a family meal, cognizant of how blessed I am to have my wife and children, to have the blessings of health in spite of problems, food and clothing and shelter, in spite of problems, etc. Just the idea that i’m having any happiness at all makes me grateful, because I know (a) it is in His hands and (b) I don’t deserve it and (c) at any moment any of us could experience something less than happiness as part of His plan. So, I revel in those moments with joy, having lived with far less, with far more pain, etc. But it is those who have learned the secret Paul knew for being content in any situation who experience the most joy. How do we regard our lives and God when things are not going well? Do we praise and thank Him? Are we able to experience joy even then? Or, do we live in our bodies and our matrix of pleasures far too much to experience joy as we suffer? Does our suffering eclipse our capacity to remain cognizant of why we should be so grateful, obedient, hopeful, trusting and loving toward our Savior and Lord?
That said, balance is everything in our theology — not balance for the sake of balance, but balance that is based on the ‘true’ order of things, the reality expressed in the Bible. Yet, sometimes we intentionally say things in an unbalanced way, knowing full well the great theological implications, because we are trying to counter error or perceived error among others. Sometimes we say astoundingly one-sided things to get someone’s attention, knowing it won’t be hard to balance it out later if our point gets across. If we have a new idea that no one is aware of yet, then it sometimes get special emphasis so it won’t go ignored.
I can’t judge what you are writing on that, and I can’t judge MacArthur and Piper on that. You see heretical antinomianism in every statement that is not made in a balanced way. You see the implications theologically, and you see the impact it is having on those who are unable or uninterested in staying ‘balanced.’ You feel their teachings mislead the masses to throw out trying to obey in the face of suffering, by telling them to obey only if it feels good. Brother, if they are saying that, keep on slapping them down.
Notwithstanding, I think the rest of your angst goes to the fact that the masses are unable to unravel the subtle error you keep perceiving. The result is their undoing, because they lack the ability to recognize the antinomian drift and to compensate for it, righting their ship of obedience by balancing the quest for the pleasure of joy against the duty to endure suffering to obey.
In other words, I agree with your principles, but sometimes I feel you are so strict in your defense of what I would call ‘obedience when it hurts’ that you won’t admit that there is a sweet pleasure to obeying our Lord, even when it hurts. In fact, every inclination toward obedience can become sweet, even as we are being poured out like a drink offering, and even as we inwardly burn or even as we are beaten, starved and chained. At least that’s what Paul and Peter experienced, among others.
However, you are correct to slam Piper if he is saying you are not saved if you have not achieved the ability to experience sweet pleasure in the face of painful obedience. For example, I see no evidence that the great Joseph ‘enjoyed’ prisonment by Potiphar, yet he is seen as a man saved by faith. Indeed, I agree with your analysis of Heb 11. But do we know for sure none of those folk experienced the joy of the Lord in the face of their obedient suffering? Actually, my guess is that they all experienced the sweet pleasure of joy in the face of their suffering. Why wouldn’t they, when you consider that what causes us the most joy is overcoming by obeying by faith in the face of adversity? tw
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Paul, by the way, this is another excellent article. I really appreciate the synopisis of MacArthur’s latest. I love how you incisively clue us in on the skinny of the deal. Great use of Piper. tw
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Tad,
Good points. Yes, joy/blessings, or at least “peace” will ALWAYS be the result of obedience at some point. But they imply joy is always present when we are pleasing God. MacArthur’s statement that the Christian walk is never mingled with bitterness is pure stupidity (the statement). The night before Christ was crucified, he was sorrowful, “even unto death.” MacArthur spilled all kinds of ink in the book about the “gospel” so, what about “who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame.” “Despising the shame” is “sweet”? Furthermore, Masters Seminary has supposedly taken a stand against NCT, but yet, to further make his point that obedience is always a “willful ,natural, and joyful” event (per the NCT belief that obedience is always a “mere natural flow”), he quotes Douglas Moo on page 142. Perplexing.
Piper has said many times that joy is synonymous with saving faith. So, he clearly calls into question the conversions of anyone who didn’t experience a “treasure chest of joy” the day they were saved. Piper is beyond annoying. However, I have had the joy of helping his victims who are confused about these things. Christians take comfort in knowing that their life experience as a Christian matches Scripture, not the Alice in Wonderland ideas that Piper espouses. MacArthur’s lending of credibility to Piper is both inexcusable, and disgusting.
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Brother Tad,
I do not believe you have read, or listened or labored to understand Piper. You clearly don’t understand the texts he his trying to explain. Most simply put, it is ‘the obedience of faith’ that Paul is all about in Romans 1. It is the dynamic of faith that Jesus describes every time he calls for absolute total obedience and submission — “unless you hate father, mother… you cannot be my disciple.” And what Jesus says, “whoever losses his life will find it.”
I do not believe you misunderstand what Piper is saying because you haven’t experienced what he is talking about. I think you have. I just think you interpret his use of the word ‘joy’ as something giddy, instead of a settled-resting-hopeful-faith — that brings a contentment (happy, joy) even when (or especially when we are about to be martyred (for instance) for being Christians.
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Kenny,
Please supply direct quotes from Piper where he articulates / qualifies exactly what he means by “joy.” Also, please supply biblical reference for the belief that we will ALWAYS experience joy and peace while we are being martyred–especially if we are in a position where we have to watch our loved ones being slain first before our eyes.I understand that the Bible speaks of focusing on the joy that will be ahead, but where does the Bible speak of how we will ALWAYS experience these things in the midst?
Kenny, make me an advocate of Piper, because I presently believe that he is an arrogant wretch, presuming to know biblically how Christians will always experience the moment of salvation and possible martyrdom. I found his book, “The Pleasures of God” full of outrageous and ridiculous assumptions. Help me out here Kenny–in the Hebrew writer’s assessment of FAITH in Hebrews 11, he gives examples of sixteen saints,and three categories of saints,and the elements of their true faith. Where is at least an honorable mention of joy? Where is the emphasis on Joy in the life of Christ? In fact,Isaiah 53:3-5 says that he was a “man of sorrows”; “acquainted with grief.”
Gag, gag, gag: make your case Kenny–I’m waiting!
> —–Original Message—– >
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Reblogged this on Clearcreek Chapel Watch.
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May I suggest you research the referenced sources in SLAVE? They are important because nearly all of the endnotes lead to heretical works of modernist and postmodern scholars who deny the fundamental doctrines of the Christian faith. Some of these “scholars” are in fact rabidly anti-Christian, and their works, which Macarthur recommends as authoritative, are filled with slander and blasphemy of the Lord Jesus Christ. One homosexual scholar cited by Macarthur wrote a blasphemous book which attempts to prove that Jesus was a homosexual. (Sex and the Single Savior) Other liberal scholars quoted by Macarthur claim that Christians in the early Church, including the Apostles, not only condoned the institution of slavery but were abusive and immoral slave owners and slave traders just like Roman slave owners/traders. For documentation on these and other sources referenced in SLAVE, please read this critical review:
“PAGANIZING” THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH: PART 2 – JOHN MACARTHUR’S “SLAVE” BOOK
http://watch-unto-prayer.org/macarthur-2-slave-book.html
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