Journal: Bibliotheca Sacra
Volume: BSAC 150:600 (Oct 1993)
Article: Book Reviews
Author: Anonymous

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BSac 150:600 (Oct 93) p. 497

Book Reviews

Faith Works: The Gospel according to the Apostles. By John F. MacArthur, Jr. Dallas, TX: Word Books, 1993. 272 pp., $17.99.

In this sequel to The Gospel According to Jesus (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1988), John F. MacArthur, Jr., reexamines the “lordship salvation” controversy, this time from the perspective of Acts and the Epistles. Those who may have been put off by the tone of the first book will find Faith Works to be generally more irenic. Here MacArthur is not issuing a warning to the church as much as he is providing a careful explanation of the warning he has already given. Unlike The Gospel according to Jesus, this book answers more questions than it raises.

MacArthur begins with a description of his own position, which he summarizes by saying, “The gospel call to faith presupposes that sinners must repent of their sin and yield to Christ’s authority” (p. 23). He articulates this view in a number of specific points and contrasts them to the writings of his chief critics. These introductory summaries are thoroughly documented (unlike the comparative charts in the appendixes), but they lack the precision that one might expect in the context of such a heated debate. MacArthur paraphrases his opponents rather than quoting them, and this approach may unintentionally distort some of their positions. For example he summarizes one aspect of Charles Ryrie’s view by saying, “A true Christian can completely cease believing” (p. 27). The critical word here is “completely,” yet Ryrie himself does not use that word. Since even MacArthur acknowledges that true believers can turn away “almost completely” (p. 191), it seems as though he may be exaggerating the difference between his position and Ryrie’s on this point.

As MacArthur realizes through his own unhappiness with the term “lordship salvation,” labels supplied by one’s opponents are not usually fair. Here the practice continues as he reacts to what he calls the “no-lordship” position (represented by Ryrie) and the “radical no-lordship” position (represented by Zane Hodges). While one may not care for the labels, it is encouraging to see by such distinctions that MacArthur recognizes theological diversity among his opponents.

That diversity highlights the fact that MacArthur’s own view

BSac 150:600 (Oct 93) p. 498

basically consists of two beliefs. The first is the idea that justification and sanctification are distinct but inseparable. In other words true believers will bear spiritual fruit as their Christian faith is manifested in a changed (and changing) life. This concept, which relates to the Calvinist doctrine of the perseverance of the s...

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