Brother Nathanael Refutes John MacArthur
Like a clanging cymbal, MacArthur’s arrogance astounds.
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Brother Nathanael Refutes John MacArthur
John MacArthur is a Protestant evangelical preacher based in Los Angeles.
He propounds the error that salvation is by “faith alone.”
Thus, anyone saying they “believe in Jesus Christ,” nothing else, are “saved” for life.
MacArthur—an avowed strict 5-point Calvinist holding a double-predestination view—denies the interaction between God and Man and human free will to work out personal salvation.
As Scripture says, “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God at work in you.”
Like a clanging cymbal, MacArthur’s arrogance astounds. [Clip]
[“What does the Eastern Orthodox Church believe about the Gospel? Here is Decree 13 of their dogma. ‘We believe a man to be not justified through faith alone, but through faith that works through love. That is to say, through faith and works.’ End quote. That’s what Eastern Orthodoxy teaches, ‘we are not justified by faith alone, but by faith and works.”’]
Nowhere in Scriptures is the phrase, “by faith alone.”
It only appears in St James to counter the error MacArthur propounds.
St James says, “A person is justified by works and not by faith alone.”
MacArthur then displays his ignorance of Church matters. [Clip]
[“There are about 300 million people world-wide who are in the Eastern Orthodox Church. The sister church in the West is the Roman Catholic Church that has the exact same doctrine, and there are 1.3 billion people in the Roman Catholic Church world-wide.”]
Fake history.
He’s never heard of the “Great Schism?”
Any seminarian knows that in 1054 AD the Eastern Orthodox Church and Roman Catholic Church split.
Thus no “sister church.” [Clip]
3:22 [“So 1.6 billion people call themselves Christians and believe in a salvation that is a combination of grace and works. That is false Christianity within true Christianity. That is false Christianity teaching a false Gospel. It is not to be joined. It is to be cursed.”]
MacArthur unwittingly curses St James, St Paul, St Peter, St John the Baptist, and even Christ Himself, Who says:
“If a man keeps not my commandments”—works sprung from love—“he is cast forth as a branch and withers.”
St John the Baptist says, “Bring forth works worthy of repentance.”
St Peter, “Add to your faith virtue.”
St Paul, “We are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works.”
St James, “Faith without works is dead.”
MacArthur’s “faith alone”—distorted from the Epistle of St James—leads to, as Decree 13 points out, ‘none being unsaved,’ which is false.
Ask anyone on the street if they “believe in Jesus.”
Most will say, “Oh yes, I believe in Jesus!”
Then they go their merry way as adulterers, connivers, whoremongers, porn addicts, homosexuals, I mean, everything contrary to Christ’s commandments.
All you got to do to be a “true Christian” is to walk into MacArthur’s church and say, “I believe in Jesus by faith alone.”
Pronto!
You’re invited to sip some grape juice passed around in a paper cup, with some pieces of matzah on the side.
Grape juice alone, matzah pieces alone, and your “faith alone,” all joined together in an empty religious setting. [Clip]
[“And as I have said, getting the gospel right is the most important reality in the world, because the true gospel is the only way of salvation.”]
No wonder people run from evangelical preaching.
What’s love got to do with it?
MacArthur turns the Gospel into a mount burning with fire.
Into a Mosaic dreadfulness of blackness and tempest.
I, raised in the synagogue, was drawn to the Orthodox Church because of its soothing worship, its mystic blessing of the Cup, and mild tones of the priest.
No shouting, no harsh dogmatizing, no demagoguery.
But a serene elucidation of the Gospel with its persuasive allurement to walk “worthy of the Christian name.”
More shouting from this self-appointed despot. [Clip]
[“We’re not surprised that the true gospel is under assault. We’re not even surprised that it is under assault inside the church. No sooner were the apostles preaching the true gospel than it was assaulted in their day from inside the church.”]
Thank God there was no Protestant innovation in the Apostles’ Day.
“What shall we do to be saved?” the people asked St Peter in response to his preaching.
“Repent and be baptized,” he said.
Nothing about “faith alone.”
“Except a man be born of water and the Spirit”—Holy Baptism, without which there is no salvation—”he cannot enter the kingdom of God,” Jesus warned Nicodemus.
Where’s MacArthur’s “faith alone” here?
For in the ‘act’ of Orthodox Baptism, we die and rise again with Christ.
We put on the new man which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
And this “holiness,” Paul warns, must be “perfected,” without which, MacArthur, (and all people), “will never see God.” [Clip]
[“You may have read that over the last couple of weeks a famous evangelical teacher and radio personality joined the Eastern Orthodox Church. Went through a ceremony or ritual called chrismation in which a rag, supposedly infused with divine life, was placed upon his head and transferred to him. This is an Eastern Orthodox ritual.”]
We don’t use “rags,” MacArthur.
You might use “rags” to wipe your pulpit and shoes.
Orthodox chrismation—the sealing of the Holy Spirit—is when the baptized person’s forehead is anointed with the sign of the Cross by the Orthodox priest’s hand, not with “rags.”
If “we are made kings”, and “a royal priesthood,” why must MacArthur deny the people of the “Israel of God”—“The Church”—which MacArthur is outside of—the same royal and priestly anointing and blessedness which those of ancient Israel enjoyed?
MacArthur promotes rigid Calvinistic “faith alone” salvation.
You know you are one of the saved elect if you’re sitting in his bare-bones church, and you look and carry yourself like you are saved.
If you are not in MacArthur’s church, or one of his “sister churches,” you are not saved, you are not among his Calvinist predestinated few.
Thank God, as a former Jew, I’m not chained to MacArthur’s pew.
The letter enslaves.
But the Spirit, permeating the Holy Orthodox Church, sets me free!
I agree, there is to some degree action required, even the thief on the cross next to Jesus had to “appropriate” his faith in him. However, your argument is not quite as “black and white” as you appear tp think? I suspect you have overlooked Ephesians 2:8-9. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast”.
No matter how much you want this Ephesians passage to read as such, it still does not say “…through faith alone…”.
It does seem to say that, just not using the same words.
Thanks for the brilliant analysis and speaking the truth. Although I am not Eastern Orthodox, I am a protestant convert to the Roman Catholic Church. Now when I hear protestants make it up as you go preaching, I get a queasy feeling. Guess that is why there are approximately 35,000 different protestant denominations that all claim the truth. God bless you Brother Nathaniel, you are the greatest forerunner for truth and I only wish we had more priests with guts like you. Even our weak Pope is a disgrace to the Church and the homo mafia has taken over Rome. Sad.
Ephesians 2:
[8] For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
[9] Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Slow learner …
Faith, baptism and repentance invest the believer with the holy spirit, which serves as his guide and leads him to do good works. If good works are lacking, it’s because faith is lacking. Faith and good works are not opposed to each other. That’s the way I see it. Jews and Roman Catholics tend to emphasize works over faith, while Protestants emphasize faith over works. I don’t know enough about the Eastern Orthodox to comment one way or the other. I’d like to hear more from Brother Nathaniel about the Eastern Orthodox church. I would add that I believe baptism should take place in adulthood, not just infant baptism. Faith is a rational decision made by adults, not infants.
Dearest Nathanael
I had a revelation some 40 years ago. A bit of surprise as I for years had declared myself as an atheist – mostly because the church had no resemblance with the loving and caring God Who had helped me and been with me as a child.
This “on-my-way-to-Damascus” revelation turned my life upside down. I never came back to my wonderful job as consulting engineer. Have ever since only “worked” with Christianity as a teacher (outside churches of any kind), writing and talking. Not searching an “audience” or followers, I just have done what I felt I had to do.
Recently I wrote a small paper talking about “faith”, what our master means telling us to believe – having faith, what kind of faith we have to achieve to come Home.
Having been at “Home”, in “Paradise”, “Heaven”, where the lightening Christ “united” with me, I know that our master want us to understand that “faith” alone will bring nobody anywhere. We have to do a job here on planet earth and our job is to undo our guilt. Nobody can possibly enter the gate of Heaven unless he is without guilt. However, the gate is open for everyone who comes with open hands being nothing but LOVE.
This is our work, the work we have to complete, like Christ, becoming nothing but Love.
Thanks brother Nathanael for all your fine work. I’ll see you There.
Erik
Brother, Galations 3:26 – on tells us how we become a part of Christ’s body, the church. A living body has a spirit and the Lord’s body, those people baptized into it, have the Holy Spirit. Indeed, we are born of the water and the spirit.
Question – would a member of the Church of Christ be allowed to commune in an Orthodox Church? Blessings!
@Will Barret
Those who commune in the Orthodox Church are only those who have been baptized by an Orthodox priest, and show by their “works” worthiness to receive the Holy Cup. +bn
@Haakon Ivarsson
Why would you deny a new born babe the sealing of the Holy Spirit given at Orthodox baptism?
Newborns are just as welcome in the “Israel of God”–the Church–just as much as adults. +bn
The most important thing missed by all modern sects of Christians are the seven deadly sins.
One may life a life of piety and never sin and earn the deepest pit in hell. One goes where one’s home is. If one is tempted to do evil to begin with, one is unclean.
The greatest sin is the fig leaf apron or “I” which has to be denied by taking up the cross. This, like “faith,” has an inner meaning with is not permissible to give to the world. Mere mental adherence and acceptance as well as “being good” have nothing to do with the Christian gospel. Mary Magdalene had these seven devils cast out from her. Many still have thoughts of rage, lust, sloth, greed, envy, gluttony and the worst of them all which is pride.
This seven headed beast must be absolutely extinct before God will even speak openly to a person yet alone let them back to “Eden” or Unity. Anyone who is not in direct Oneness with Deity, “Father let them be One even as you and I are One” is still wearing the fig leaf apron of “I” and is unworthy. God cannot be seen except in the burning bush of the nervous system rendered free of ego. God is present ever but the slightest thought of any kind, and He cannot be seen.
The whole concept of “I am” must be held in abeyance. Moses asked God who He was, and He said, Eheieh Asher Eheieh, “I am THAT I am.” This is a break in the “I am” being blotted out. When you are, God is not, and when you are not, God is. Paul says “I die daily.” He is freed of the individual self and goes into a state resembling death. The very methods to do this are written in Revelation, albeit in allegory. When one is freed of the false self or Satan, the real comes.
Anyone who has tasted of this comes back with real power, and does the works of Jesus “greater works than these shall he do.” Exoteric religionists do not have a clue what they are talking about. They just parrot what the bible says. Imitation is as the sin of witchcraft. There were antichrists mentioned in the early church. Now almost all are antichrists and cannot see it. Such is the strong delusion and lie.
If one cannot even feel the peace which is priceless in the presence of a so called believer, they are probably serving the false self or Satan. Following that peace within leads to incomprehensible states of which it is unlawful to speak. The temple is within, as is the kingdom, not without in some congregation. Almost everyone that one ever comes across is just another parrot.
Very few of the wolves in sheep’s clothing even realize they are one. Everyone is right in their own eyes. God eventually makes them blind outwardly as inwardly as punishment for their presumption. Joel Osteen is the worst of them all. Directly preaching the doctrines of the satanic bible and passing it off as “Christianity.”
Everyone is sincere in their own way and God takes that into account. But the depths of Christianity are reserved for those who have really suffered for the faith. Real persecution only starts when one is going so deep within as to upset Satan’s plan to keep the world running, to try and extend the “short time” that he knows he has. All outer profession of Christ has no inner impact, one has to “profess Christ” out of that Oneness which Jesus spoke of.
Anyone not working in that spiritual force of the Holy Spirit should be taken with a grain of salt.
These preachers like Joel Osteen ultimately don’t even have a clue what they are talking about.