John MacArthur (June 19, 1939 – July 14, 2025) was one of the most well-known pastors in America. The 85-year-old preacher was the pastor of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California since 1969 and was the chancellor of the Master’s University and the Master’s Seminary. He is the sole editor of the MacArthur Study Bible, which has sold over a million copies, and has also written or edited over 150 books. His radio program, Grace to You, is played on stations worldwide.
Grace Community Church did not belong to any formal denomination. So, some people understandably wonder what exactly MacArthur believes. Let’s look at his background and his ministry first.
MacArthur attended the fundamentalist school Bob Jones University from 1957 to 1959. He took a year off and then attended Los Angeles Pacific College, a school of the free Methodist Church, from which he received his bachelor’s degree. This was followed in 1963 with a master’s of divinity from the Bible Institute of Los Angeles’s Talbot Theological Seminary, now Talbot School of Theology at Biola University.
Grace Community Church was founded in 1956 and John MacArthur became the third pastor in 1969 at age 29. He was ordained by the Independent Fundamental Churches of America, now called IFCA International. The Master’s University was founded in 1927 as Los Angeles Baptist College, but it became the Master’s College in 1985 when John MacArthur became its president. Then in 2016, it became the Master’s University. MacArthur resigned as president and became chancellor in 2019. In 1986, the Master’s Seminary was founded. MacArthur has been married to his wife Patricia for 61 years. He is sometimes informally called by the nickname “Johnny Mack.”
Core Christian Doctrines
MacArthur affirms what is in the statement of faith of Grace Community Church, including the doctrine of the Trinity. He believes that Jesus, God the Son, took a human nature but was without sin, born of a virgin, died on a cross, resurrected, ascended to heaven, intercedes for believers there, and will return.
Government Involvement and War
On government involvement in war, MacArthur said, “I think one of the most foolish things I’ve ever seen the American government do is aid and abet revolutions in the Middle East. I said this when the Arab Spring first began. This is absolute insanity because you are aiding a revolution, the overthrow of power. That’s going against everything God has said in the Bible. I don’t care who the power is. God placed them there.” MacArthur identifies with the just war theory, believing that believers may support or join in defensive wars against evil aggressors.
Marriage, Sexuality, and Roles
The statement of faith of Grace Community Church says, “God defined marriage as a lifelong covenant between one man and one woman.” Scripture elsewhere dictates that any sexual activity outside of marriage is an abomination before the Lord.
Of homosexuality, MacArthur says, “This sin has taken on unique properties in our culture. It has been declassified as a sin and turned into a sort of civil rights group. God has good news for homosexuals. They are redeemable. They can be saved. They can be delivered from that sin.” In 2014, MacArthur stated, “Same-sex attraction is sin in the heart and Jesus says carries the same weight of guilt as the act.” He has also stated, “Any sinful desire for anything God has forbidden is itself sinful.”
After Bruce Jenner came out as transgender, MacArthur said, “What is shocking is that he is about to receive the ESPY award as the most courageous athlete in the world. Not for anything he did athletically but for declaring himself to be a weird, bizarre, twisted, perverted transgender person and that literally has become the model of courage in our culture.” He has also said psychiatric diagnoses like gender dysphoria have wreaked havoc in our society by offering destructive surgical solutions to sinful inclinations.
On interracial marriage, MacArthur says nothing in the New Testament prohibits it. Christians are at liberty to marry whomever they wish as long as the other person is also a Christian.
Regarding roles in marriage, MacArthur says that women are to be submissive to their husbands. Women are not under the control of all men, but a wife is under the control of her husband. On head coverings, in MacArthur’s commentary on 1 Corinthians 11, he says it is the principle of women’s subordination to men, not the particular mark or symbol of that subordination, that Paul is teaching in this passage. The apostle is not laying down a universal principle that Christian women should always worship with their heads covered.
Slavery in the Bible
MacArthur says in his New Testament commentary in part, “Although slavery was carefully regulated under Mosaic law, neither the Old nor New Testaments condemns slavery as such. Social strata are recognized and even designed by God for man’s good. Some people will be served and some will serve others. That is the nature of human society. How they treat each other is what concerns God. Slave/master relationships and responsibilities are dealt with much as those of employer/employee. And both testaments give considerable instruction about God’s plan for those relationships and associated responsibilities. Although slavery is not uniformly condemned in either the Old or New Testaments, the sincere application of New Testament truths has repeatedly led to the elimination of its abusive tendencies. Nowhere in scripture is rebellion or revolution justified in order to gain freedom, opportunity, or economic, social, or political rights. The emphasis is rather on the responsibility of slaves to serve their human masters faithfully and fully in order to reflect the transforming power of God in their lives.”
Divorce, Remarriage, and Sanctification
On divorce, MacArthur says the only New Testament grounds for divorce are sexual sin or desertion by an unbeliever. On remarriage, MacArthur says that the innocent party in a divorce is permitted to remarry in two situations: when the divorce was because of adultery or when the unbelieving spouse initiates the divorce.
MacArthur rejects the concept of entire sanctification or Christian perfection. He says, “If you’re going to think in this life you’re entirely sanctified, you’re going to have to change two definitions: sin and sanctification.” He argues that those who believe in entire sanctification downgrade the biblical view of sin and holiness, living in a fantasy where they claim sin is only what is premeditated, conscious, and intentional.
Human Life and Suicide
MacArthur calls abortion slaughter and murder. On capital punishment, MacArthur says, “I affirm the validity of capital punishment. I think there are some people unequivocally who, should justice prevail, would lose their lives. But I also understand the mercy of God and he orders society the way he does.”
Regarding suicide, he believes those redeemed by God have been forgiven for all their sins—past, present, and future. If a true Christian commits suicide in a time of extreme weakness, he or she will be received into heaven. Though it may be possible for a true believer to commit suicide, they believe that is an unusual occurrence. Someone considering suicide should be challenged above all to examine himself to see whether he is in the faith.
Church Ordinances
MacArthur does not teach sacraments but rather ordinances, stating there are two ordinances of the church: communion and baptism.
Baptism
On the mode of baptism, MacArthur says the verbs bapto and baptizo are never used in the passive sense: “In other words, water is never said to be baptized on someone. Did you get that? Always someone is baptized into water. Never is water baptized on someone such as sprinkling, pouring, or putting water on your finger and dabbing it on someone’s head. Baptism always means an immersing, submerging, dunking into water.”
Regarding the candidate, he says, “There is no infant baptism in the Bible whatsoever. It isn’t commanded. It isn’t illustrated. It isn’t done. It isn’t there.” MacArthur also states, “Water baptism is certainly important and required of every believer. However, the New Testament does not teach that baptism is necessary for salvation.”
Communion
MacArthur’s view on the presence of Christ in the elements is that the terminology “This is my body. This is my blood,” refers to the elements representing Christ’s body and blood. It is not literal. However, of Christ’s presence in the communion service, he says, “When we partake of the table of the Lord, we literally commune with him. He is present. He is here. We fellowship with him.”
Grace Community Church observes monthly communion. MacArthur has said that if people don’t think that is often enough, they can do it in their home, prayer group, or Bible study. He notes, “Is it biblical to serve communion in your home? It sure is, and I really think it’s a great thing.”
Scripture, Creation, and Sin
On the scripture, MacArthur says that the Bible canon consists of 66 books. He states that the deuterocanonical or apocryphal books were not inspired, are filled with historical and theological errors, and were never recognized by the early church. MacArthur is a strong proponent of the inerrancy of scripture, hosting a biblical inerrancy summit in 2015 and editing the book The Inerrant Word.
Creation
MacArthur wrote in the article “Creation: Believe It or Not” that “the first chapter of Genesis teaches that God created the world in a normal week of seven days. The purpose of evolution is to explain away the God of the Bible. The absurd teaching of the big bang theory of evolution is that nobody times nothing equals everything.” He rejects old earth creationism, stating that it attempts to blend biblical creationism with naturalistic theories, resulting in explaining away rather than honestly executing the biblical creation account.
Sin
The MacArthur New Testament Commentary on Romans 5 states, “Sin originated with Satan who has sinned from the beginning. Through Adam, sin entered into the world. He does not speak of sins plural, but of sin singular. In this sense, sin does not represent a particular unrighteous act, but rather the inherent propensity to unrighteousness.” He believes every human being was present in the garden with Adam and shares in the indwelling sin nature and guilt passed down from his first disobedience.
Salvation and Calvinism
In the article “Jesus’s Perspective on Sola Fide,” MacArthur says no doctrine is more important to evangelical theology than the doctrine of justification by faith alone. He explains the Christian gospel as the reality that everyone sins and is under divine judgment, on their way to eternal hell. However, God is gracious and willing to forgive. Believers can escape the consequences of their sin by putting their trust in Jesus Christ, who took their place on the cross and paid the full penalty to satisfy the justice of God. Salvation by faith alone produces works, but works are not a component in the means of salvation.
Lordship Salvation
MacArthur self-identifies with the term “lordship salvation” and says the gospel Jesus proclaimed was a call to discipleship and submissive obedience, not just a plea to pray a prayer. He opposes “easy believism,” noting: “The lordship controversy is not a dispute about whether salvation is by faith only or by faith plus works… The lordship controversy is a disagreement over the nature of true faith. Those who want to eliminate Christ’s lordship from the gospel see faith as simple trust in a set of truths about Christ. But scripture describes faith as more than that. It is a wholehearted trust in Christ personally. Not merely faith about him, faith in him.”
Following some controversy over his theology on Christ’s blood, MacArthur clarified: “We are not saved by some mystical heavenly application of Jesus’s literal blood… When scripture says we’re redeemed by the blood, it is not speaking of a bowl of blood in heaven. It means we’re saved by Christ’s sacrificial death.”
Calvinism
On Calvinism, MacArthur outlines five core points that he believes are taught in scripture:
- Sinners are utterly helpless to redeem themselves or contribute merit toward their salvation.
- God is sovereign in the exercise of his saving will.
- Christ died as a substitute who bore the full weight of God’s wrath on behalf of his people, and his atoning work is efficacious.
- God’s saving purpose cannot be thwarted; none of Christ’s true sheep will ever be lost.
- God assures the perseverance of his elect.
In his commentary on Hebrews 6, MacArthur states, “The believer need never fear he will lose his salvation. He cannot.”
Church Movement, End Times, and Practices
Cessationism vs. Charismatic Movement
MacArthur is strongly opposed to Pentecostal theology and the charismatic movement. Grace Community Church held a widely publicized “Strange Fire” conference in 2013 on the topic. MacArthur has said nearly all the teachings distinctive to the charismatic movement are unadulterated mysticism and that Pentecostals and charismatics abuse the Holy Spirit’s name. He characterizes claims of modern visions, revelations, tongues, prophecies, and miracles as false deceptions. MacArthur is a cessationist, believing that revelatory gifts ceased to have a purpose and passed away before the end of the first century. He argues that modern tongues are not true human languages.
Dispensationalism and End Times
On dispensationalism, he remarks, “I have been perhaps aptly designated as a ‘leaky dispensationalist.’ Or the reformed people who want to claim me as reformed say I’m reformed but confused. Here’s my dispensationalism. I’ll give it to you in one sentence: There’s a difference between the church and Israel. Period.” He teaches that Israel has a future of national salvation when the Messiah comes to establish his kingdom.
On the subject of end times, MacArthur teaches premillennialism—a literal future 1,000-year reign of Christ on earth where he will rule from the throne of David in Jerusalem. He also teaches a pre-tribulation rapture. In his book Because the Time is Near, he explains that the rapture (where Christ comes for his saints in the air) must be distinguished from the second coming (where he descends to earth with his saints after the seven-year tribulation).
Hell and Heaven
MacArthur teaches that hell is eternal conscious punishment with specific degrees of punishment based upon the truth resisted. He views it as retributive justice rather than remedial justice, stating that sinners in hell remain God-haters forever. Regarding heaven, he says, “The temple in heaven is not a building. It is the Lord God Almighty himself.”
Preaching Style and Sabbath
MacArthur’s preaching style is expository—explaining doctrine rather than focusing heavily on specific sermon applications, which he leaves to the Holy Spirit. On the Sabbath, MacArthur says, “Don’t let anybody hold you to a Sabbath. There are no prescriptions or Sabbath rules anywhere in the New Covenant.”
Church Reopening and COVID-19
MacArthur took a public stance against online church services during the COVID-19 pandemic, stating in 2021 that “Zoom church is not church. It’s watching TV.” Grace Community Church reopened in violation of California state rules in 2020. MacArthur stated, “Compliance would be disobedience to our Lord’s clear commands.” Following a legal dispute, the US Supreme Court took issue with the California restrictions, and the church received a $800,000 settlement split from Los Angeles County and the state of California.
Worship Style and Attire
Regarding worship music, MacArthur rejects contemporary, loud music in favor of styles that won’t offend the congregation. He has previously compared the atmosphere of a rock concert to something raw, lustful, and ungodly. MacArthur preaches while wearing a suit and tie, stating he is not willing to downgrade his attire to what he would wear to pick up milk at a convenience store.
Alcohol and Giving
In a January 2012 sermon, MacArthur preached that wine in biblical times was low in alcohol content (about 2 to 4%) and was diluted with water or boiled, making it distinct from modern hard liquors and fortified wines. While he does not condemn moderate consumption with meals in cultures where it is a tradition, MacArthur notes he has never personally drank alcohol outside of a communion service, warns against drunkenness as a sin, and emphasizes not becoming a stumbling block to others.
On giving, MacArthur teaches that the New Testament does not command believers to tithe. He divides biblical giving into two categories: compulsory giving to the government (taxes) and voluntary giving to God.
Psychology and Psychiatry
MacArthur is skeptical of modern psychology and psychiatry. He has claimed that the concept of depression being caused by a chemical imbalance is a lie, criticized the widespread use of anti-depressants, and called the classification of PTSD as a medical disorder absurd. He argues that scripture and the sufficiency of Christ provide the true remedy for human suffering rather than relying on psychiatric diagnoses.
Church Government and Women Preachers
MacArthur teaches that the biblical norm for church leadership is a plurality of local, God-ordained elders who are not subject to any higher earthly authority or hierarchy outside the local assembly.
He strongly opposes women preaching or teaching men in the church. In his sermon “Does the Bible permit a woman to preach?”, he references 1 Timothy 2 and 1 Corinthians 14, stating: “It is improper for a woman to speak in church. That’s not ambiguous… No preaching, no teaching, no leading position in the church.”
View of Roman Catholicism
MacArthur says of the Roman Catholic Church, “Roman Catholicism belongs in the category of false religions. In the long war on the truth, the most formidable, relentless, and deceptive enemy has been Roman Catholicism. It is an apostate, corrupt, heretical, false Christianity. It is a front for the kingdom of Satan.” He argues that genuine believers have historically set themselves apart from this system and views Catholic priests as false claimants to a special priesthood order.
