…there are five powerful quotes he spoke that should bring every believer to a place of reflection, conviction, repentance, and change.
John MacArthur is a well-known American author and minister who created the Christian radio program Grace to You. He is also the pastor of Grace Community Church, a large non-denominational church in Sun Valley, California.
MacArthur’s theology often leans toward a strictly literal interpretation of Scripture; some have labeled him a fundamentalist.
As someone who grew up in an unhealthy fundamentalist church, I see some of MacArthur’s rhetoric as harsh. However, there are five powerful quotes he spoke that should bring every believer to a place of reflection, conviction, repentance, and change:
Quote 1
“We should not be entertained by the sins for which Christ died.”
I’m especially convicted by the “being” verb MacArthur uses in this quote. He says we shouldn’t be entertained by thoughts, words, and deeds that pulled Christ to the cross. As believers, it’s too easy for us to cover our souls with a blanket-statement idea that we detest sin. All sin, all the time.
But what about those sins that are more than unchecked impulses or good intentions that mutated in the hands of man’s natural selfishness? What about the sins we commit that are premeditated? And worse, enjoyed? To pretend you aren’t entertained by favorite sins is further proof of your self-deception, as pride wants you to believe that you, of all sinners, don’t ever sin for fun.
Be wary, believer. Don’t deceive yourself with the notion that you are too righteous to be entertained by sins, and please, please, don’t neglect to recall the price your Savior paid so you would be free from a twisted, dark form of entertainment that’s entertained by the thoughts of destroying your soul.
Quote 2
“The true gospel is a call to self-denial. It is not a call to self-fulfillment.”
Today’s culture promotes self-fulfillment. Whether it’s obvious ads invading our web browsing or the infamous Instagram reels that promise to fix all your toxic problems and parenting failures so long as you use their affiliate link to purchase X,Y, or Z.
But our culture doesn’t do a great job at following up, doing the real research, to ensure this idea of self-fulfillment is, indeed, fulfilling. Does it satisfy the craving? Bring calm to the storm? Steady the heart and mind on unshakeable ground?
I think we all know the answer. It’s a sad, true no.
When we turn our attention to self alone, we sacrifice relationships with others, including God, and somehow believe our lives will mean more once we’ve elevated our needs above the love and support offered by others.
This doesn’t mean we neglect ourselves. After all, we are image-bearers of Christ. We should honor our bodies, take care of our minds, and tend our hearts and souls, but we should do so with Christ’s love and light at the helm. He, alone, understands what will bring us eternal fulfillment. He, alone, offers contentment that weathers all the highs and lows we navigate in a fallen world.
If we were natural self-fulfillers, wouldn’t we feel less stressed, less confused, and less tired by now?
Perhaps the key is what MacArthur suggested, denying our natural tendency to obsess over ourselves by focusing on God and loving others.
Quote 3
“Nothing in the Christian life is more important than forgiveness - our forgiveness of others and God’s forgiveness of us.”
Withholding forgiveness often makes us feel as though we have the upper hand against the person who hurt us, but all this does is plant seeds of bitterness that will choke us, not the offender.
Forgiveness is freedom for the lender and receiver. It’s a win-win, whether it feels like it or not. It grants us the freedom to live in Spirit and truth, letting God’s ways matter more than our ever-changing, unpredictable, often tumultuous, emotions. It’s trusting God’s foresight and deeply believing He knows what’s best. And it’s us believing that forgiveness is what’s best.
When it’s hard to forgive someone, take a few moments to recall some of your biggest mess-ups, those moments you revisit begrudgingly. Remember that Christ paid an immeasurable price to forgive you for those sins, knowing you couldn’t give Him anything in return other than yourself.
May Christ’s radical forgiveness inspire you to forgive radically, unlocking an indescribable, radical freedom in your heart.
Quote 4
“You say you do not know what God's will is, but I'll tell you what it is. Above all it is that you know Christ and then that your neighbors hear about Christ. That is His will. So often we sit around twiddling our thumbs, dreaming about God's will in some distant future when we are not even willing to stand up on our own two feet, walk down the street, and do God's will right now.”
I’m guilty of wasting time, spending so many precious hours of each day as a spiritual zombie, neglecting the opportunities around me, with the tacky excuse that I’m not sure what to do with my life because “God hasn’t revealed His will to me yet.” I’m guilty of wasting even more time wringing my hands, fretting that I’ve somehow missed God’s will for my life. Thus, I’m frozen, unable to do anything for fear I’ve already failed.
What about you? Can you relate?
I believe we often want God to write His will for our life in the clouds because explicit detail doesn’t require trust. It doesn’t require us to step out in faith. We’d rather know God’s will than practice the patient art of reading Scripture, talking with God, and getting to know His heart.
His heart is for you, for others, and for redeeming us all from the worst parts of ourselves. He wants us to live in joy, love, and hope. He wants us to know our hearts and souls are victorious, come what may. His love is His will for our lives.
And if we don’t take the time to learn who He is, we won’t ever find fulfillment for ourselves, and we certainly won’t be able to share that fulfillment with others.
Quote 5
“For the faithful, Spirit-filled Christian, every place becomes a place of prayer.”
As the mother of a precious tornado of a toddler, I can attest to the reality most people face when they don’t have enough time in the day they can dedicate to silent prayer. In fact, most of my prayers are prayed as I’m washing dishes, rocking my boy to sleep, or driving into town to run errands.
But you know what’s beautiful? Praying to God amid the chaos, frustrations, or boredom of routine is intimacy; it’s inviting someone into the parts of you that are stressed, frustrated, angry, exhausted, confused, or hurt. It’s taking them along for the ride, letting your conversation rise above the noise of ABC songs and toys being chucked across the room.
God wired us for intimacy (not referring to the sexual kind here), and he didn’t place parameters around where such intimacy can be shared. It’s not about where; it’s about with whom.
What an honor to be most vulnerable and intimate with a God who wants to go anywhere with us!
As someone who isn’t quite sure what she thinks of certain MacArthur’s statements, I can’t deny how powerfully true and compelling these five quotes are. I pray you use these truths as an opportunity to reflect on your spiritual walk, inviting God into your thoughts and allowing Him to convict, challenge, and change you, always.
Photo Credit: ©RNS/Vimeo/Grace Community Church
