Journal: Journal of Dispensational Theology
Volume: JODT 11:34 (Dec 2007)
Article: Book Reviews
Author: Anonymous

JODT 11:34 (Dec 2007) p. 79

Book Reviews

1-3 John by John MacArthur. Chicago: Moody Press, 2007. viii + 286 pp., cloth, $26.99.

This commentary does a good job of expositing these epistles from a conservative point of view (all three written by the apostle John, early to mid 90s, etc.). Each book has its own introduction. The introduction to 1 John is especially helpful. The primary text is the NASB, with numerous cross-references. MacArthur frequently quotes other authors, not just commentators (James White, John Piper, Francis Schaeffer, and others).

John, particularly in 1 John, was writing against Gnosticism (p. 8). At one point in his ministry MacArthur denied the eternal Sonship of Christ. He has now obviously changed his mind. “The Bible is clear. There is only one God, yet He exists, and always had existed, as a Trinity of persons—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (cf. John 1:1–2). To deny or misunderstand the Trinity is to deny or misunderstand the very nature of God Himself” (p. 163).

The author does hold to limited atonement. He believes the expression “the whole world” is a generic term that does not include every single individual. A corollary here is that there is no such thing as potential atonement (pp. 48-50). By that MacArthur means Christ could not have died for all (potentially), only for the elect.

According to the author, 2 and 3 John concern hospitality, its uses and abuses. “The chosen lady” is an individual and not a church just as Gaius (the recipient of 3 John) is an individual. MacArthur is of the opinion this interpretation best fits the context. Second John might have been occasioned because this Christian woman “may have inadvertently or unwisely shown [the false teachers] hospitality” (p. 211). These two letters are well summarized on page 239: “Third John is the most personal of the three Johannine epistles. Like 2 John, it addresses the issue of believers’ duty to show love and hospitality within the bounds of faithfulness to the truth. Second John revealed the negative side: false teachers are not to be granted hospitality in the name of showing love. Third John expresses the positive counterpart to that principle: all who embrace the truth are to be loved and cared for.” This commentary closes with three helpful indices: Greek Words, Scripture, Subjects. It may turn out to be one of MacArthur’s best.

Charles Ray, Tyndale Seminary

JODT 11:34 (Dec 2007) p. 80

The Biblical Canon: Its Origin, Transmission, and Authority, by Lee Martin McDonald. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 2007. xli + 546 pp., paperback, $29.95.

McDonal...