Rating: 
Summary: The Biblical Gospel Powerfully Presented
Review: The Gospel According to Jesus is one of the most important Christian books written in the latter half of the 20th century. There are several reasons for this. On page 14 in the introduction, the author identifies one of them, "No more serious question faces the church today. It can be phrased in many ways; what is the gospel? Must a person accept Jesus as Saviour and Lord in order to be saved? What is saving faith? ... Several who disagree with my views have said in print that the Lordship controversy is a matter of eternal consequences." Another reason for the importance of this book, in addition to the subject matter addressed, is the wide sphere of influence that John MacArthur's teaching ministry has had. Also significant is the fact that his teaching ministry has received a wide hearing in circles where both the Lordship and non-Lordship view are espoused. There are many approaches that Mr. MacArthur uses to show that Lordship salvation is the biblical teaching. I will illustrate by quoting from the book showing the relationship between faith and obedience. On page 174-175,"The real believer will obey. Because we all retain the vestiges of sinful flesh, no one will obey perfectly (cf. 2 Cor. 7:1; 1 Thess. 3:10), but the desire to do the will of God will be ever present in true believers (cf. Romans 7:18). Faith always produces a longing to obey...clearly, the biblical concept of faith is inseparable from obedience. Believe is synonomous with obey in John 3:36,'He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son shall not see life.'" How can anyone that does not submit to Christ as Lord walk in obedience to God's Word. Jesus said if you love me, keep my commandments, so someone who does not submit to Christ's lordship is not manifesting any love to Christ. MacArthur sums it up on page 15, "The gospel in vogue today holds forth a false hope to sinners. It promises them they can have eternal life yet continue to live in rebellion against God." The gospel is clearly set forth in this book. It is the historic Christian gospel that John MacArthur teaches in this book. Those who oppose this teaching adhere to a watered-down gospel at best.
Rating:
Summary: A MUST READ for all who claim Jesus as LORD
Review: This book really put it all toghter for me. As a new believer I intuitively had a problem saying a pray or asking Jesus into my heart and then thinking I am totally saved with out counting the cost or making an life changes. This book refutes that easy believism approach and really explains what a saved follower of Jesus is expected to do or be. A NUST READ FOR ANY SERIOUS CHRISTIAN
Rating: 
Summary: A Call to Radical Discipleship!
Review: This is one of the most thorough and biblical books so far on the "Lordship Salvation" controversy in recent times. Authored by noted Bible expositor John MacArthur, this book is a well-researched and systematic polemic against the "easy-believism" of modern evangelicalism. With a noted emphasis on the 4 Gospels, MacArthur invites the reader to an exposition on the sayings of Christ - His parables on the Kingdom, His call to discipleship, His sayings on justification, sanctification, repentance, etc. Known for his detailed exegesis on biblical texts, MacArthur shows us, historically, culturally, grammatically, theologically, how and why these portions of Scripture show that a genuine faith in Christ will result in holiness and pure living. And any other sustained lack of fruit is a result of a false salvation. Being a dispensationalist himself, MacArthur's intention is not to tear apart or criticize Dispensational theology, but to expose the Church to a creeping danger of rigid dispensationalism in which large portions of Scripture is divided into unbiblical categorizations which are clearly man-made and not biblical. With references to works of great theologians like Lewis Sperry Chafer and Charles C. Ryrie, MacArthur crosses theological swords with them concerning these issues. Also included in the appendix is a chapter on what the historical church - the early fathers - as well as the puritans, have to say on the essence of the Gospel; as well as a section on Q&A concerning important and vital queries. Truly a landmark book for decades to come, "The Gospel According to Jesus" calls us, as Christians, back to the glorious era of the puritans - in holiness and purity of power, grace and glory. A must read for every Bible-believing Christian!
Rating:
Summary: What does beingsaved mean?
Review: This is perhaps the most englightening book i've read. The central thesis in this book is whether or not one can be saved without being a disciple of Christ. The Zane Hodges, Charles Stanley approach is that there exists carnal christians who can sin repeatedly and evidence no change in character after trusting in Christ and still be saved. Macarthur argues that this is impossible and there is no such thing as carnal christians. In essence, Macarthur argues - one is a christian and acts like it or is not a christian. The review before mine has done a great job at explaining this book and I will not bore you with a repeated critique. I'll just say that this book is excellent and offers a close analysis of Jesus' teaching.
Rating:
Summary: Good Exposition, Discernment
Review: When I bought The Gospel According to Jesus, I was curious as to what John MacArthur's position would be. The "free grace" side was saying that you can't earn your salvation and that it is totally free. This I know to be true. However, as I read MacArthur's book, I was astounded by the "common-sense"ness of it. Are we to obey God or not? Can we claim to be a Christian and not follow Christ? Is repentance part of the Gospel? I would literally have not believed that anyone would need to be told this if it weren't for almost 200 footnoted quotations from prominent Christian leaders and scholars, many stating that it is not necessary to follow Jesus to be saved. It's hard to argue with extended quotations with references; if you believe it's out of context, go look it up! MacArthur is as charitable as someone can be who is saying another person is wrong about the Gospel. It certainly is not a polemic. Major points:
1)The gospel preached by many today has no power to save because it involves no call for repentance and no power for transformation. It seemed reasonable to me that a faith that produces no outward sign of change has likely produced no inner change. This can be supported by any Barna poll, btw, all of which show that even born-again-Christians are barely different from the world. If salt has lost its saltiness . . . 2)The gospel preached by Jesus involved accepting Him as Lord. Jesus always asked for a lot, and this is easily verifiable from the New Testament. 3)The parables preached by Jesus support the idea of costly grace. We can't buy, earn, or even make payments on it, but those who receive it are called to sacrifice. Every one of the apostles suffered in this world for receiving grace and becoming a disciple. Jesus Himself said that the disciple is not greater than the master, and that if He suffered persecution, we will too. All that John MacArthur puts forward in The Gospel According to Jesus resonates well with the letters of James, John, and some of Paul's letters (Corinthians comes to mind). If it is Biblical, that is all that matters to me. The only argument I have heard against it that carries water is that if you believe this, how do you know if you are sufficiently obedient and repentant for sins? All I can say is 1 Corinthians 9: 26-27
"Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified."
Rating:
Summary: Good Exposition, Discernment
Review: When I bought The Gospel According to Jesus, I was curious as to what John MacArthur's position would be. The "free grace" side was saying that you can't earn your salvation and that it is totally free. This I know to be true. However, as I read MacArthur's book, I was astounded by the "common-sense"ness of it. Are we to obey God or not? Can we claim to be a Christian and not follow Christ? Is repentance part of the Gospel? I would literally have not believed that anyone would need to be told this if it weren't for almost 200 footnoted quotations from prominent Christian leaders and scholars, many stating that it is not necessary to follow Jesus to be saved. It's hard to argue with extended quotations with references; if you believe it's out of context, go look it up! MacArthur is as charitable as someone can be who is saying another person is wrong about the Gospel. It certainly is not a polemic. Major points:
1)The gospel preached by many today has no power to save because it involves no call for repentance and no power for transformation. It seemed reasonable to me that a faith that produces no outward sign of change has likely produced no inner change. This can be supported by any Barna poll, btw, all of which show that even born-again-Christians are barely different from the world. If salt has lost its saltiness . . . 2)The gospel preached by Jesus involved accepting Him as Lord. Jesus always asked for a lot, and this is easily verifiable from the New Testament. 3)The parables preached by Jesus support the idea of costly grace. We can't buy, earn, or even make payments on it, but those who receive it are called to sacrifice. Every one of the apostles suffered in this world for receiving grace and becoming a disciple. Jesus Himself said that the disciple is not greater than the master, and that if He suffered persecution, we will too. All that John MacArthur puts forward in The Gospel According to Jesus resonates well with the letters of James, John, and some of Paul's letters (Corinthians comes to mind). If it is Biblical, that is all that matters to me. The only argument I have heard against it that carries water is that if you believe this, how do you know if you are sufficiently obedient and repentant for sins? All I can say is 1 Corinthians 9: 26-27
"Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified."
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