Rating: 
Summary: Spurgeon Spoke of this Heresy.....
Review: I cannot believe people are still buying this Lordship Salvation Garbage... Macarthur goes way to far here... for everyone who put 5 stars cannot understand total depravity and unconditional Grace of God.. The Gospel Message is Easy to Believe... It is the Good News... We cannot qualify one for salvation... Many tie Macarthur to Spurgeon... here is Spurgeon speaking on this same Lordship Salvation movement in his day... You will see that Spurgeon would list Macarthurs Belief's as Heresy...
Perhaps no one has better answered this debate by Macarthur other than Charles Spurgeon who himself was a fervent Calvinist. However Spurgeon recognized the danger of mixing law with grace and adding things to God's simple command to believe on God's Son. I'm going to quote at length from one of Spurgeon's sermons entitled, "The Warrant of Faith." This sermon is based on 1 John 3:23--"And this is His commandment, That we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ." The following is a lengthy quote taken from this sermon by Spurgeon:
O, when will all professors, and especially all professed ministers of Christ, learn the difference between the law and the gospel? Most of them make a mingle-mangle, and serve out deadly potions to the people, often containing but one ounce of gospel to a pound of law, whereas, but even a grain of law is enough to spoil the whole thing. It must be gospel, and gospel only.
"Believing" is most clearly explained by that simple word "trust." Believing is partly the intellectual operation of receiving divine truths, but the essence of it lies in relying upon those truths. I believe that, although I cannot swim, yonder friendly plank will support me in the flood-I grasp it, and am saved: the grasp is faith. Thus faith is accepting God's great promises, contained in the Person of His Son. It is taking God at His Word, and trusting in Jesus Christ as being my salvation, although I am utterly unworthy of His regard. Sinner, if thou takest Christ to be thy Saviour this day, thou art justified; though thou be the biggest blasphemer and persecutor out of hell...if thou wilt honor God by believing Christ is able to forgive such a wretch as thou art, and wilt now trust in Jesus' precious blood, thou art saved from divine wrath.
The WARRANT OF BELIEVING is the commandment of God. This is the commandment, that ye "believe on His Son Jesus Christ."
They (certain Calvinists) preached repentance and hatred of sin as the warrant of a sinner's trusting to Christ. According to them, a sinner might reason thus-"I possess such-and-such a degree of sensibility on account of sin, therefore I have a right to trust in Christ." Now, such reasoning is seasoned with fatal error. Whoever preaches in this fashion may preach much of the gospel, but the whole gospel of the free grace of God in its fullness he has yet to learn. In our own day certain preachers assure us that a man must be regenerated before we may bid him believe in Jesus Christ; some degree of a work of grace in the heart being, in their judgment, the only warrant to believe. This also is false. It takes away a gospel for sinners and offers us a gospel for saints. It is anything but a ministry of free grace.
If I am to preach the faith in Christ to a man who is regenerated, then the man, being regenerated, is saved already, and it is an unnecessary and ridiculous thing for me to preach Christ to him, and bid him to believe in order to be saved when he is saved already, being regenerate. Am I only to preach faith to those who have it? Absurd, indeed! Is not this waiting till the man is cured and then bringing him the medicine? This is preaching Christ to the righteous and not to sinners. "Nay," saith one, "but we mean that a man must have some good desires towards Christ before he has any warrant to believe in Jesus." Friend, do you not know that all good desires have some degree of holiness in them? But if a sinner hath any degree of true holiness in him it must be the work of the Spirit, for true holiness never exists in the carnal mind, therefore, that man is already renewed, and therefore saved. Are we to go running up and down the world, proclaiming life to the living, casting bread to those who are fed already, and holding up Christ on the pole of the gospel to those who are already healed? My brethren, where is our inducement to labour where our efforts are so little needed? If I am to preach Christ to those who have no goodness, who have nothing in them that qualifies them for mercy, then I feel I have a gospel so divine that I would proclaim it with my last breath, crying aloud, that "Jesus came into the world to save SINNERS!"
Secondly, to tell the sinner that he is to believe on Christ because of some warrant in himself, is LEGAL, I dare to say it-legal. Though this method is generally adopted by the higher school of Calvinists, they are herein unsound, uncalvinistic, and legal.
If I believe in Jesus because I have convictions and a spirit of prayer, then evidently the first and the most important fact is not Christ, but my possession of repentance, conviction, and prayer, so that really my hope hinges upon my having repented; and if this be not legal I do not know what is...If I lean on Christ because I feel this and that, then I am leaning on my feelings and not on Christ alone, and this is legal indeed. Nay, even if desires after Christ are to be my warrant for believing, if I am to believe in Jesus not because he bids me, but because I feel some desires after him, you will again with half an eye perceive that the most important source of my comfort must be my own desires. So that we shall be always looking within. "Do I really desire? If I do, then Christ can save me; if I do not, then he cannot." And so my desire overrides Christ and his grace. AWAY WITH SUCH LEGALITY FROM THE EARTH!
If you tell a poor sinner that there is a certain amount of humblings, and tremblings, and convictions, and heart-searchings to be felt, in order that he may be warranted to come to Christ, I demand of all legal-gospellers distinct information as to the manner and exact degree of preparation required. Brethren, you will find when these gentlemen are pushed into a corner, they will not agree, but will every one give a different standard, according to his own judgment. One will way the sinner must have months of law work; another, that he only needs good desires; and some will demand that he possess the graces of the Spirit--such as humility, godly sorrow, and love to holiness. You will get no clear answer from them.
And let me ask you, my brethren, whether such an incomprehensible gospel would do for a dying man? There he lies in the agonies of death. He tells me that he has no good thought or feeling, and asks what he must do to be saved. There is but a step between him and death-another five minutes and that man's soul may be in hell. What am I to tell him? Am I to be an hour explaining to him the preparation required before he may come to Christ? Brethren, I dare not. But I tell him, "Believe, brother, even though it be the eleventh hour; trust thy soul with Jesus, and thou shalt be saved."
How DANGEROUS is the sentiment I am opposing. My hearers, it may be so mischievous as to have misled some of you. I solemnly warn you, though you have been professors of the faith in the Lord Jesus Christ for twenty years, if your reason for believing in Christ lies in this, that you have felt the terrors of the law; that you have been alarmed, and have been convicted; if your own experience be your warrant for believing in Christ, it is a false reason...
Sinners, let me address you with words of life: Jesus wants nothing of you, nothing whatsoever, nothing done, nothing felt; he gives both work and feeling. Ragged, penniless, just as ye are, lost, forsaken, desolate, with no good feelings, and no good hopes, still Jesus comes to you, and in these words of pity he addresses you, "Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out."
Our preaching, on the theory (erroneous theory) of qualifications, should not be, "Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved;" but "Qualify yourselves for faith, be sensible of your sin, be regenerated, get marks and evidences, and then believe."
They (the apostles) ought not to have commenced with preaching Christ; they should have preached up qualifications, emotions, and sensation, if these are the preparations for Jesus; but I find that Paul, whenever he stands up, has nothing to preach but "Christ, and him crucified."
Sinner, whoever thou mayest be, God now commands thee to believe in Jesus Christ. This is his commandment: he does not command thee to feel anything, or be anything, to prepare thyself for this. Now, art thou willing to incur the great guilt of making God a liar? Surely thou wilt shrink from that: then dare to believe. Thou canst not say, "I have no right:" you have a perfect right to do what God tells you to do. You cannot tell me you are not fit; there is no fitness wanted, the command is given and it is yours to obey, not to dispute. You cannot say it does not come to you-it is preached to every creature under heaven!
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent Book!
Review: I encourage everyone to read this book. If you struggle with time to read then go to: http://store.yahoo.com/grace-to-you/hartobel.html , where you are able to order it in cassette, CD or MP3 format.
MacArthur is simply proclaiming the gospel and not giving into the "seeker sensitive movement" that often has strong tendencies to elevate "man's felt needs" above God's glory. Truly, "salvation is of the Lord." I praise God for a preacher that is proclaiming the truth and not giving in to spirit of our age. It is a must read!
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Summary: John Macarthur's Hard To Believe
Review: I find it absolutely amazing how compelled I was to this book. I couldn't stop reading it until it was finished. Being a new student of reformed theology, this book was one of MaCarthur's best yet. Praise be to God for boldness from men who aren't monetarily afraid to write more about the truth. A must have for anyone who is interested in the truth of the Bible. A perfect gift for a reformed students library or any serious student of the Word.
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Summary: Clarification note !
Review: I recently noticed on John MacArthur's website (www.gty.org) a clarification for this book, Hard to Believe: The High Cost and Intimate Value of Following Jesus. The clarification corrects a key paragraph in the book (one that was commented on by a reviewer Challies Dot Com above). The Grace To You staff comments that they believe this was an honest editorial error that unfortunately resulted in severely muddling the message of that portion of the beginning of Chapter 6.
Here is how the future revisions of the book will read regarding this portion on page 93.
"Don't believe anyone who says it's easy to become a Christian. Salvation for sinners cost God His own Son; it cost God's Son His life, and it'll cost you the same thing. Salvation isn't gained by reciting mere words. Saving faith transforms the heart, and that in turn transforms behavior. Faith's fruit is seen in actions, not intentions. There's no room for passive spectators: words without actions are empty and futile. Remember that what John saw in his vision of judgment was a Book of Life, not a book of Words or Book of Intellectual Musings. The life we live, not the words we speak, reveals whether our faith is authentic."
I'd encourage anyone who has the early version of this book to go to Grace To You's website (www.gty.org) and copy this corrected portion of Chapter 6 for your copy.
I think alot of Dr. John MacArthur's writing and I found this to be an excellent book - I hope this helps.
Rating:
Summary: Getting to the heart of it without mutilating it.
Review: I truly appreciate, in this world of "easy-believism", the opportunity to praise someone who resists it. I don't always agree with everything John MacArthur says, but I give him kudos for speaking out on this most unpopular of issues. I've passed the book around a bit to friends who attend "seeker-friendly" chruches, and invariably they report that the book is "too harsh", "depressing", and the like. Does this scare anyone besides me? When did it happen that the gospel needs to be happy and cheery or "we won't listen", or, worse yet, "let's change it to make it sound more enticing"? Most depressing of all is the fact that truth no longer matters - it's all about making the narrow way as broad as we can. I'm sorry the current popular view of God is so low. We all need to remember that "converts" must be weighed as well as counted. If you'd like a thoughtful, well-written response to "easy believism", read this book. As usual, MacArthur points the reader to God's Word as the final authority.
Rating:
Summary: RIGHT ON!
Review: I'm so glad to see someone taking a stand for what is right even though it is not popular. This is the truth of Christianity; narrow is the path and small is the gate that leads to life and only a few find it. Some things mentioned in this book may, and probably will seem offsensive or even grotesque, but John MacArthur is not worried about that because he's preaching God's Word the way it's meant to be preached. That's the whole point of the title of the book, because it is in fact "Hard to Believe." The offensiveness has been taken out of modern Christianity and today's evangelicalism has been utterly prostituted; Jesus Christ is made out to be some utilitarian genie and you just rub the lamp and he says "you have whatever you want".This is a great book and tells the Christian faith the way it's meant to be told. I'm not saying this becuase the book has been sold numerous times, but because John MacArthur sticks stubbornly to God's Word.
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Summary: Not his best, but still a necessary reminder
Review: I've read a lot of MacArthur's stuff through the years, so as I read this I am comparing it to other things he has written. In that regard, I would have given this a four star rating because I don't think it is up to the standards he has set in "The Gospel According to Jesus." Also the basic themes of this book and several others are covered in "Our Sufficiency in Christ." In my mind, "The Gospel According to Jesus" is MacArthur's magnum opus, and everything after that ("Faith Works," "Ashamed of the Gospel," "Reckless Faith," and now this book) are postcripts and reinforcements of that one. Also, I am not the biggest fan of transcribed sermons, which I think this is. It seems to me that different communication styles are used in speaking and writing. "The Gospel According to Jesus" seemed to have been written before it was preached and it seemed to me to pack more punch. But these are picayune comments reflecting my own idiosyncrasies. Instead of giving it a four star I have given it a five star because the message is still crucial in our day of continued easy-believism. If someone is new to MacArthur I would recommend "The Gospel According to Jesus," but if this book fell into their lap first I would still say there is much to chew on. The message is vital - the Word of God has never changed, following Jesus means denying oneself and taking up a cross - there is no salvation apart from these things - it is now as it was in the beginning. As before, MacArthur illustrates the shallow gospel that is often preached in our day, and the great majority of spurious conversions that result. So, by all means, read "The Gospel According to Jesus," but if you get this one first you won't go wrong.
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Summary: The Christian Paradox
Review: In response to one of the more negative reviews by John Sherman from Ft. Worth, TX, perhaps I can shed some light on "John MacArthur's Church", since it is obvious he has never been here. As a longtime member of Grace Community, I have worn both business suits and casual clothes, and (gasp) I've actually had coffee during the service. I've even rejoiced with a smile on my face rather than a deadpan and (gasp) clapped during the music.
The issue of the gospel is "not eating and drinking" or even the "style" of the music, but the heart, something our Creator knows even better than we do ourselves. The paradox of the gospel, clearly presented from Chapter 1 of this book and throughout, is that in order to live, we must die to our natural selves. That is the evidence that we have been saved.
That salvation is a free gift "by grace through faith" is never disputed by John in this book or anywhere. Only God can save - even our faith is His gift after all. And a heart that has been changed by God will recognize its sinfulness and want to turn from it. A true presentation of the Gospel has to include that. It can't all just be this sentimental self-esteem nonsense that pervades much of evangelicalism today.
In order for there to be the "Good News" (gospel), people first need to know the bad news about their current fallen state, and where they're headed. But if no one ever tells them, because they're afraid to offend them (or worse yet, to loose money when all the unsaved people in their church leave for the next big fad down the street), then they have to come up with all kinds of other ways to "sell" their church. If the church thinks of its competition as movies, music, and sporting events, then it will target its strategy one way - seeker friendly, Gospel Lite. But if it thinks of its competition as hell, it will start telling people the truth. "Saved from What?" by R.C. Sproul is another good resource along these same lines.
Rating:
Summary: Definitely Something Good Out of This
Review: It was wonder I picked up this book, because I usually don't step foot into a bookstore. Nonetheless, I bought this book and reading it really affirmed what I thought was wrong in the Church, or about groups that have strayed from the true Gospel. My friend and I once was walking on campus duing Calapalooza and he was asking every fellowship "how to become a Christian." I suppose it is true that what John MacArthur says is compeltely correct. Most fellowships, I could hear, have really strayed from the complete urgency and importance of this message and have instead turned into a "feel-warm-and-fuzzy-all-over" type message as the author of this book describes. I am glad that there are pastors who are keen enough to keep to the "Sola Scriptura" especially with sufficient knowledge of original languages to make sense and make true again to the world the True Gospel that needs be preached to every nation. :)
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Summary: Solid Biblical explaination of the clear teachings of Christ
Review: John MacArthur does an outstanding job of laying out what the Bible says. It is so sad to read critics, because every chapter in this book is basically an expository sermon taught straight out of a passage of the Holy and Inspired Word.
In his typical no-compromise style, Dr. MacArthur condemns the bastardization of the the Bible by shallow and misinformed (sometimes well-meaning) Christians, clearly lays out the teachings of Jesus on what it takes to be saved, and then ascribes all of the glory to God for our salvation.
Glory be to God that He made a salvation plan that ascribes all of the glory to Himself! THAT is the God of the Holy Writ. The cost is high in following Jesus, but as the sub-title says, it also has infinite value!
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