Don't you just hate when preachers don't have a clue what in the world they are talking about? John MacArthur describes the message of absolute grace as "a no-strings-attached, open-ended package of amnesty, beneficence, indulgence, forbearance, charity, leniency, immunity, approval, tolerance, and self-awarded privilege divorced from any moral standards." He claims that "[Paul] was careful to state, however, that grace does not nullify the moral demands of God's law." Did the apostle Paul state such a thing? Not on your life!
MacArthur has failed to pay careful attention to the Scriptures. I understand that those who worship the ground MacArthur walks on will find issue with what I'm about to say because they have made an idol out of him. It's why they run to his defense even when he's 100% wrong. That is a cult with a cult mentality.
Which "law" is John MacArthur referring to here? The 613 commands of the Law of Moses? The Ten Commandments of the Law of Moses? Or the two greatest commands of the Law of Moses? These have no place in the life of the believer and cannot produce morality! In Romans 7, Paul describes one of the commandments from the Ten Commandments: coveting. He found that it only produced in him covetousness of every kind. In other words, the commandment caused him to covet more — not less! So when MacArthur speaks of "God's law," has has no clue what in the world he is talking about.
In 2 Corinthians 3, where Paul speaks of "letters engraved on stone," what is he talking about? The Ten Commandments. What does Paul say of the Ten Commandments? He calls them a "ministry of condemnation" and a "ministry of death." In Romans 7, what does the commandment against coveting belong to? The Ten Commandments. Did this "moral law" help Paul to stop coveting? No! It aroused in him all sorts of coveting!
The power of sin is what? The Law! (1 Cor. 15:56) What did the Law do? It increased the trespass (Rom. 5:20), aroused (not stifled!) sinful passions (Rom. 7:5), and afforded sin to seize an opportunity (Rom. 7:8). The Law could not impart life or righteousness (Gal. 3:21b), and it certainly cannot impart morality!
Did God find fault with the Law? Of course not! "The Law is holy and the commandment is holy and righteous and good" (Rom. 7:12). God found fault with the people (Heb. 8:8a). The Law was so holy and perfect that the people could not attain it. So God provided another way (Jer. 31:31-34; Heb. 8:8-12). God swore by Himself to accomplish all that man could not. He promised to provide the way. All of this was done in, by, and through Jesus.
With everything Paul has said about the Law, about the Ten Commandments, do we honestly believe that when God speaks of writing His laws upon our hearts and minds that He is speaking of any part of the Law of Moses? Do we honestly believe God wrote the 613 commandments of the Law on our hearts and minds? The Ten Commandments? The two greatest commandments? No! If you want to keep any part of the Law, you are obligated and required to keep all of it (Gal. 3:10; 5:3). If you break even one, you are guilty of breaking it all (Jam. 2:10). The whole Law, including the Ten Commandments, was fulfilled by Jesus and then set aside. It is obsolete (Heb. 8:13) because it was "weak and useless" (Heb. 7:18). How is MacArthur ignorant of this?
So what "laws" are written on the believer's heart and mind? In John 13:34, Jesus gives us a new commandment. The apostle John picks up this same idea in 1 John 3:23: "And this is His command: to believe in the name of His Son, Christ Jesus, and to love one another as He commanded us." To believe and to love are the laws written on the Christian's heart. These are certainly not burdensome (1 John 5:3)! Love is the true fulfillment of the Law (Rom. 13:10) and covers a multitude of sins (1 Pet. 4:8). The Spirit is inspiring us to bear the fruit (singular) of the Spirit because "against such there is no law" (Gal. 5:23).
Paul's letters point out the impossibility of the Law, or any rules and regulations, or "Christian" principles, being able to aid you in morality. By trying to follow any such things you will only be met with failure, grief, confusion, and more sin. what is the only thing that gives us victory over sin? God's grace. God has given us everything we need, up front and beforehand, in order to live upright and godly lives, and it has nothing to do with "God's law." Not only has He done everything in order to bring us into right standing with Himself, but He has also provided everything we need. Unlike the Old Covenant, the New Covenant is not based on a "If you... then God..." proposition. All of Paul's letters start out informing us of what God has done for us in Christ Jesus, and then end by encouraging us to live a certain way because of Christ's finished work.
John MacArthur preaches a cheap grace. He preaches a false interpretation of Romans 7:14-25, which ignores and denies everything taught in the New Covenant Scriptures. He preaches a defeatist mentality, giving power to his words that believers are nothing but sinners with wicked hearts who can do nothing but sin. This is not the message of the New Covenant or the Gospel! Nowhere in the entire New Covenant Scriptures are believers called "sinners." The moment you believe in Jesus and place your trust in Him, God gives you a new heart. Is this new heart wicked? If so, does Jesus reside in filthy, wicked places? No! He cleans house and then moves in. Do believers do nothing but sin? That's not the message of the New Covenant Scriptures. Paul says we are dead to sin and encourages the saint not to yield their members as instruments of sin since it no longer masters us. We now have the power to say "No" to sin, stopping it in its tracks. The fact is, MacArthur doesn't know the Gospel. He preaches the atonement as "the Gospel," failing to understand that "atonement" is merely a covering, whereas Jesus took our sins away. Permanently! We are totally, completely, utterly forgiven and He does not remember our sins any more because they have been removed. He has made us spotless and blameless.
Stop believing ignorant preachers who preach contradictory messages. Such men are double-minded and unstable. They will tell you out one side of your mouth that you are completely forgiven, but then out the other side are telling you that you need to ask for forgiveness every time you sin. They will tell you that you died with Christ, but that you also have to die to yourself daily. These people don't know what they believe.
Cheap grace denies the very things the Scriptures say are true because of grace!
P.S.: If a preacher claims that the message of grace is negating God's justice and wrath, he is once against demonstrating his colossal ignorance of Scripture and truth. God's justice was accomplished at the cross and His wrath was assuaged for the believer. The Christian does not have to fear His justice and wrath. For us, God is a God of love and grace. It is the unbeliever that needs to worry about His justice and wrath. If the God of all grace sounds too good to be true, that is because you have been preached fear and legalism by ignorant preachers. God is first and foremost a God of love, because He loved the world so much that He sent His only Son in order to reconcile us to Himself. If we refuse to receive Him, then His anger and wrath still abide on us. But if we have believed, His anger and wrath have been assuaged and we are in right standing with Him. He loves us unconditionally and is always seeking our good. If your preacher tells you that God is punishing you in any way, shape, or form, he is saying that the punishment of Jesus was not enough and God has to exact more from you. This is a lie! This is a preacher who knows nothing of the Scriptures, the New Covenant, the Gospel, or grace. Run far and fast from such false teachers!
