John MacArthur, Jr. (1939–2025)

John MacArthur's Can God Bless America? is a short book you can breeze through in about an hour, but it asks an incredibly important question: is God able to bless America — and should He? In a time when the phrase "God bless America" has become a clichéd slogan, lip-service to a generic and rather selfish patriotism, we need to use this phrase advisedly (if at all). MacArthur takes a look at the underlying assumptions we have about this phrase and — more importantly — what the Bible show more has to say about national blessing and the conditions attached to it.

Basically, we want God's blessing without God in the bargain. God, give us safety and wealth and good feelings about ourselves as Americans, please. But don't demand anything of us. Obedience and then blessing — are You kidding? MacArthur writes, "While people reject the God of Scripture as their sovereign, they still claim Him as their servant" (vi).

I appreciated MacArthur's discussion of the dangers of moralism and how attempts to use politics as the church's main strategy for influencing our nation are doomed to failure. Jesus didn't try to overthrow or control government. We don't need more laws to make us moral; we need regeneration. MacArthur lists sixteen reasons that moralism doesn't work, and his arguments are compelling (to list just a few, 1.) it isn't our commission, 2.) it wastes immense amounts of precious resources, 4.) moralism misconstrues the nature of God's kingdom, 6.) moralism is a religion devoid of theology, 8.) moralism has no New Testament model except the Pharisees, 13.) the politics of moralism makes those we are supposed to reach with the gospel into enemies, etc.).

America is not God's chosen nation, entitled to special privileges and first in line by right for when He hands out blessings. That would be Israel, and even their national blessings are and have always been dependent upon their obedience. The fact is, we're fast becoming a post-Christian nation and we have no right to expect special treatment from God simply because we are Americans. Our sense of entitlement must be so disgusting to Him.

Unpatriotic? Maybe. But my citizenship is in Heaven, and God forbid even a good thing like honest earthly patriotism to become more important to me than my real country. show less

In John MacArthur's most recent book, he examines what he calls one of the biggest cover-ups in Bible translation: the use of the word "bond-servant" instead of the more faithful translation of the Greek doulos: slave. Yes, the Bible teaches slavery! But not as we might think.

MacArthur starts with an exploration of historical Jewish and Greco-Roman slavery, noting how such institutions varied from our Western experience of slavery in Britain and the American South. He claims that the cruelty show more of Western slavery is most likely what caused the translators over the years—from the Geneva Bible to the King James Version and on into almost all of our modern translations—to soften the word to "servant." (In addition, they were probably influenced by the Latin translation of the word, servus, and the fact that in sixteenth-century England, a "slave" usually meant a prisoner or person in chains.) But even though these translators had good intentions and some understandable reasons, their choice has robbed us of the true impact of this powerful biblical metaphor.

The truth is that the Bible presents all people as slaves of something. As unbelievers, we are slaves of sin and of Satan; as Christians, we are bought from the slavery of sin so that we may be slaves of righteousness. Most unbelievers believe that they are free and don't serve anything but themselves, but consider: we cannot reform ourselves, and our selfishness rules our actions and choices. We are slaves to sin. But upon salvation, God transfers us from one state of slavery to another. This sounds a bit shocking, but as MacArthur argues, the experience of a slave depends entirely on the character of his master. Slavery for created beings is not the evil; cruel masters are. And in God we have the kindest and best Master possible. Paradoxically, slavery to Him is the real freedom.

And He doesn't even stop there. In addition to the slave metaphor, Christ calls us His friends, and God calls us His children. These metaphors do not contradict one another, but highlight and enrich the truths of our identity in Christ. We are His slaves, His children, even Christ's brothers and sisters. We are His possession forever.

I found this book to be both scholarly and accessible. MacArthur uses footnotes to cite his many sources and at the end includes a brief survey of Christian writings, from the first century to the twentieth, on the concept of slavery to Christ. His style is imminently readable. He repeats himself frequently, but I'm learning this is a necessary and oft-used technique of the best Bible teachers. They never know when someone will catch on to some basic and vital truth, and so they weave those truths into everything they say.

So now we come to personal application. Do I consider myself a mere servant of God, putting in my time and earning my rightful wages, giving Him the benefit of my contribution to His cause? Or am I His slave, totally dependent on Him for everything, even the grace to obey? Do I belong, really belong, to myself or to Him? Something to think about the next time I am confronted with the choice to sin or submit. I am not my own. show less

MacArthur does an incredible job of detailing history and cross-referencing passages for each story. I was surprised that there were only two sources cited at the back of the book, evidencing MacArthur's vast knowledge of his topic.

This book is a fairly easy read about twelve women from Scripture who were "critical to the story of redemption" (MacArthur). Some of these women include Rahab, Ruth, the Samaritan Woman and Lydia. Each woman is presented with her faults and virtues, and then is show more tied into the story of Christ and how she showed her faith in God and her history in Scripture.

I really enjoyed reading about Sarai/Sarah. She's never been one of the characters I particularly identified with, but I love how MacArthur wrote of her being a respectful wife and one who hoped against all hope. Circumstances for her were truly not in her favor, yet despite her barrenness and desire for a child, her foolishness and unbelief, she waited in the silence and did indeed receive the fulfillment of the promise. "Sarah is pictured as the spiritual matriarch and the ancient epitome of all faithful women." (MacArthur) I found points of conviction in her story, as well as point from her life to emulate.

The other three women who I loved reading about were the three Marys. Mary the mother of Jesus, though written somewhat as a defense against the Catholic description of her, was a sweet portrayal of a humble girl who remained in the background of history until Gabriel appeared to her. Her worship and praise to God, the incomprehensible pain she endured at the cross, and her love for the Savior--her Son--was beautiful to read.

Mary, the sister of Martha, was a reminder to place Christ as our first and formost priority. I also loved how MacArthur showed the goodness of Martha in her service and preparation. I think we all too often look down on her as the "bad" character in the story, but she really did love the Lord just as much as Mary. She only sought to show it in different ways, despite her failings. Mary was one who "simply fell at His feet in worship" (MacArthur) in demonstration of her love for Christ.

The other Mary, Mary Magdalene, was a special story of a woman delivered from her sin and indebted to and dependent on her Savior. She remained a faithful disciple while others forsook Jesus. She was at the cross when He died. She watched where he was buried. She went to anoint Him. And because of her faithfulness, she was the first to see the risen Lord. The dawn after the dark did come for her, and she rejoiced in it. She loved Jesus deeply, and it shows throughout her story.

Definitely a book I'd recommend. With the characters to emulate and a Savior to glorify, MacArthur once again gives us refreshment and encouragement through the people and events of Scripture. show less

"Christ's divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness." — 2 Peter 1:3

This verse is the cornerstone of Our Sufficiency in Christ by well-known author and pastor Dr. John MacArthur. In this work, he takes a biblical look at Christ's sufficiency for every believer in every time. There are many philosophies in the world today that attack the sufficiency of Christ. Secular psychology is one belief show more system that has infiltrated the church and undermined this basic doctrine. Many in the church don't really believe that Christ has already granted us everything we need to live godly lives, turning instead to psychiatric medication and secular counseling. Some believe that the Bible is fallible and should be "updated" for our times, thus denying that God has given us all we need in its pages. Others contravene Christ's sufficiency by studying techniques for spiritual warfare; they are convinced that unless they have a strategy in place, "Satan will have them for breakfast" (214), and Christ's power alone is not enough to combat demons. What all these errors share is a basic disbelief in Christ's perfect sufficiency.

MacArthur examines the tenets of modern psychology, which teach that if we can just dig deep enough, we can find the answers to our problems within ourselves. According to this belief system, people are inherently good but have been damaged by their experiences and environments. This directly contradicts the Bible's teaching that we are totally depraved (not as bad as we could possibly be in every respect, but with our sin nature permeating every part of our being). There are no answers deep down in our souls that just need patient digging to unearth; we need to look to something outside of ourselves. At its core, secular psychology is a flat contradiction to the Gospel. And yet many Christians have failed to realize this and have allowed secular ideas to dominate our thinking in this area.

In the chapter "Bible-Believing Doubters," MacArthur discusses the tendency of many pastors and evangelists today to "dress up" the Gospel to make it more appealing and palatable to the average nonbeliever. While we should strive to present the Gospel as clearly as possible, we deny its sufficiency if we believe that our technique adds any power to it. MacArthur writes, "Christians who search beyond Scripture for ministry strategies inevitably end up opposing Christ's work, albeit unwittingly... Scripture is the perfect blueprint for all true ministry, and those who build according to any other plan are erecting a structure that will be unacceptable to the Master Architect" (120).

MacArthur also discusses the closely related problem of religious hedonism, the use of gimmicks and glamor to make Christianity "relevant." The effect of liberal theology on the church has been disastrous because it teaches that Scripture alone is not adequate. The seeker-sensitive movement is guilty of this heresy, because it fails to trust in God's power to draw sinners to Himself. Instead, it relies on a pragmatic policy of marketing, in an attempt to lure people to services and events. But this idea is fatally flawed because it is based on human wisdom rather than God's. What you lure people with is what you'll keep them with. Under all the advertising, the Gospel is shuffled aside or treated merely as an add-on, an app you can use (or not) to improve yourself. Pragmatism "has succumbed to the humanistic notion that man exists for his own satisfaction" (155).

As I slowly worked my way through this book, I was amazed at how often I unconsciously assume that what God has provided is not enough. "Oh, well, God's provision doesn't really cover THIS area" or "God is more concerned about this over here; He's not really involved in that problem over there." MacArthur doesn't mince words and I appreciate his firmly biblical perspective on the issue. It's been very challenging and very necessary for me to be educated on this issue, basic as it may seem. I think the sufficiency of Christ and His Word is something many Christians would agree with, but don't really define clearly enough to work it out practically in our everyday lives. We scrape by somehow, but futility is a hallmark of our lives. And yet we possess such riches in Christ!

This might be a weak illustration, but I finished this book while on vacation at the beach and while I was there, I felt the lack of some toiletries that I had planned not to pack because of space constraints. The night before we left, I was repacking and found the items I had been missing at the bottom of my bag! I had them with me all week, but in the hurry of getting everything together, I forgot that I did pack them after all. It reminded me of MacArthur's oft-repeated thesis in this book: in Christ and His Word, the Christian has already everything he or she needs to live a godly life. We've had it the whole time — from the moment of salvation until forever. When we fail to believe and live this, we will always feel a lack. No secular wisdom can adequately address our needs.

I am not usually a proponent of blanket recommendations, but this is one book that I highly recommend to every Christian. Christ is sufficient! show less