Image courtesy of Grace to You
John MacArthur passed away on Monday, July 14, at age 86. He served as pastor of Grace Community Church in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles for more than 56 years. He became well-known through his radio show, Grace to You, and the many books and commentaries published over the decades of his ministry. He also hosted a popular annual pastors conference.
Though he pastored a non-denominational church, the influence of his ministry was felt throughout American evangelicalism, including the PCA. During his ministry, he was invited to preach in several PCA pulpits, including Tenth Presbyterian and Briarwood Presbyterian. He also invited PCA ministers – including James Boice, Kevin DeYoung, and Ligon Duncan – to preach at Grace Community Church.
In the early years of his ministry, MacArthur’s theological framework was aligned with traditional dispensationalism. However, it shifted in the 1990s when he embraced and expounded a doctrine of salvation more in line with Calvinism.
In the early 1990s, MacArthur was deeply bothered when Evangelicals and Catholics Together was launched. A vocal critic, he found allies in the PCA with D. James Kennedy and R.C. Sproul who were also concerned that ECT represented a compromise in foundational doctrines. They met together, issued statements, and sought to raise concerns around the initiative. From this effort, he discovered the common convictions he shared with ministers in the Reformed tradition.
MacArthur also influenced the PCA through the ministers and church leaders who sat under his ministry or graduated from The Master’s University or The Master’s Seminary, which he led as president and then chancellor. I am included in this group.
I’m a Reformed Presbyterian because of John MacArthur, and I mean that in the most positive way possible. I read his books, sat under his preaching, attended his church, and graduated from The Master’s College (now The Master’s University) while he was serving as its president. “The Gospel According to Jesus” helped rescue me from cultural Christianity and awakened me to the claims of Christ’s lordship.
If there’s anything that I carry with me from MacArthur’s ministry, it is a belief in the power and priority of God’s Word. He explored the Bible as someone seeking to extract every ounce of truth from its pages. Moreover, he preached with the conviction that it would not return void. It was this appreciation of Scripture that ultimately led me to become convinced of the Presbyterian system of doctrine. I’m confident that wasn’t the outcome he desired, but I’m thankful God used his ministry as part of the journey.
I’ve invited some leaders from across the PCA to share their appreciation of MacArthur’s ministry and its influence on their lives.
Ligon Duncan
Chancellor and CEO, Reformed Theological Seminary
John MacArthur has been a longtime friend to me. Eric Alexander introduced me to him many years ago, and since that time I have had the joy of ministering the Word alongside John at the Shepherds Conference, Together for the Gospel, Ligonier Ministries, the Puritan Conference, and more. It is hard to even know how to mark the passing of a man whose ministry was of the scale of John’s, but there are at least two things that I would want my fellow Presbyterians to know about John.
First, though he was bold in his public ministry, he was a most gracious and kind Christian gentleman in person. I cannot remember a private interaction with him in my life that wasn’t a joy and an encouragement. And, let me add, he was a genuine Christian. He lived what he preached. Second, as I have traveled the world on behalf of Reformed Theological Seminary for the last many years, I have met more people who have been introduced to the Reformed faith by John’s ministry than any other single person. That may surprise some of you, because John’s own theology parts ways with confessional Reformed theology at some important points, but nevertheless, I think that John’s teaching has been a gateway into Reformed theology for people all over the world.
Because of his stand on the inerrancy of Scripture, commitment to expository preaching, highlighting God’s sovereignty in salvation, friendships with Reformed theologians (like R.C. Sproul, Joel Beeke, Eric Alexander, Sinclair Ferguson, et al.), concern for Word-based, Christ-honoring worship, and defense of the faith against theological liberalism and evangelical antinomianism, John’s ministry has introduced people to truth that has led them to appreciate the truth and beauty of what we call the Reformed faith.
Kevin DeYoung
Senior Pastor, Christ Covenant Church in Matthews, North Carolina
I grew up in a church tradition that was far removed from the fundamentalist and dispensationalist circles that revered John MacArthur. I don’t think I read a MacArthur book, or had heard much about him, until I was stirred by “The Gospel According to Jesus” as a college student. Since then, I’ve read many of his books and listened to many of his sermons—both online and in person.
What I will remember about John most is his unwavering commitment to expositional preaching. Even today, when I meet a “MacArthur” guy or a “MacArthur” church I know that they will be absolutely committed to the inspiration, inerrancy, and authority of the Bible – and the verse by verse teaching of that Bible. That is a tremendous legacy to leave behind.
Over the past 15 years, I’ve had the honor to preach with John at different conferences and in his own church on a few occasions. In all my interactions with John—at a conference, on the phone, or in a private meeting—he was always a model of gentlemanly warmth and magnanimity. It is to his credit that I’ve encountered the same gracious spirit (in abundance) at Grace Community Church and at The Master’s Seminary and The Master’s University. John was never anything but kind and encouraging to me, which, I’m sure, has been the experience of many other younger men. I give thanks for his Bible-shaped life and his Bible-saturated ministry.
Terry Johnson
Senior Pastor, Independent Presbyterian Church in Savannah, Georgia
I first started attending Grace Community Church my freshman year of college. A group of us drove from USC out to the San Fernando Valley to attend a Sunday night service. He was preaching through 1 John. The churches I grew up in were of the revivalistic Baptist type in which every service was evangelistic, concluding with an altar call. That Sunday night was the first time I heard verse-by-verse preaching. It was dynamic, powerful, inspiring, challenging. I walked out of the service, saying to myself, “That is what the preacher is supposed to do.”
His job is not to give us updates on current events, to entertain us with stories, to share his political opinions, but simply to explain the Bible and apply its message. I knew from that point on that whatever church I attended would feature expository preaching, and if I were ever a minister, verse by verse would characterize my own approach to preaching. All that to say, he had a direction-setting impact on my life through both the power and pattern of his preaching.
Chandra Oliver
Women’s Ministry Leadership Team for the Committee on Discipleship Ministries
The first John MacArthur book I read was ”God: Coming Face to Face with His Majesty.” I was a student at a secular liberal arts women’s college seeking clarity and truth in a world that seemed increasingly relativistic. That book marked a turning point for me – it was the beginning of a theological and spiritual journey that would ultimately reshape my understanding of God, Scripture, and life itself.
From there, I kept reading – “The Gospel According to Jesus,” ”Our Sufficiency in Christ,” and ”Reckless Faith” – each one challenging me to think more deeply about truth, grace, and the authority of God’s Word.
After graduation, I moved to California and enrolled at The Master’s College (now The Master’s University) to pursue a master’s degree in biblical counseling. Dr. MacArthur was president of the college, and I had the privilege of sitting under his preaching at Grace Community Church week after week. What struck me most was his unwavering conviction that Scripture is not only true—it’s sufficient and authoritative. That conviction began to shape the way I saw the world. His faithful exposition taught me how to read the Bible not just for inspiration, but as the lens through which to understand life itself.
That high view of Scripture led to a shift in my theology. Over time, I moved from an Arminian perspective to embracing the doctrines of grace—predestination, total depravity, irresistible grace, and all the rest. I met my husband Matt at The Master’s College, and he was on a similar journey. Eventually, we joined the Orthodox Presbyterian Church and later the PCA. The trajectory of our lives changed, and it all started with the steady influence of a pastor who pointed us back to the Word, again and again.
With great affection, I have often called Dr. MacArthur “the gateway drug to Reformed theology.” And I say that with deep respect. His teaching laid the groundwork for many of us who eventually found our home in the Reformed tradition. He modeled how to hold firm convictions while still welcoming thoughtful dialogue—like when he invited R.C. Sproul to speak at Grace, rejoicing in the gospel they both loved, even while differing on other points. For that reason and so many more, I’m deeply grateful. Thank you, Dr. MacArthur—for your passion, your clarity, and for helping so many of us fall in love with the Word of God.
Ron Svendsen
Pastor, Valley Presbyterian Church in North Hills, California
For the last 34 years, I have served as pastor of a PCA church under the shadow of Grace Community (just a 12-minute drive from its lovely campus), but I never had the privilege of knowing John MacArthur personally. That being said, he has had a genuine
impact upon our church as a number of people over the years who started under his preaching ministry kept moving in the Reformed direction and ended up at our church. John was a man of God who faithfully stood for the truth no matter what it personally cost him. He will be greatly missed by us in the San Fernando Valley and around the world.
Isaias Godoy
Assistant Pastor, St. John’s Presbyterian Church in Orlando, Florida
Before the Lord saved me, I was fascinated with the doctrine of predestination. Even as an unbeliever, I engaged in conversations with believers who didn’t hold to the Calvinist view. My interest in doctrine began after reading John MacArthur’s works. His boldness and careful exposition of Scripture were refreshing and convicting, even though I was raised in a Christian home.
After my conversion in 2006, the Lord opened doors for me to attend The Master’s University and eventually The Master’s Seminary. Pastor John’s commitment to the gospel was so influential that the Lord placed in me a desire for pastoral ministry.
I had the privilege of meeting Pastor John in casual settings. Once, after learning that my dad taught at a TMAI seminary in Mexico, he invited me to his office, gifting me books and a signed MacArthur Study Bible. He was always kind, warm, and gracious. I recall him jokingly asking, “How is cemetery treating you?” referring to the seminary’s demanding nature. We laughed, and I saw a humorous, personable side of him.
The last time we spoke was at my graduation from The Master’s Seminary, before my wife and I left for Mexico City as missionaries. I jokingly invited him to move to Mexico, and with his signature humor, he chuckled, “Sure!”
While I now differ from him on some doctrines, I deeply value his love for God’s Word and bravery in the pulpit. May the Lord continue raising men committed to Scripture’s authority, with shepherding hearts for the Church.
Matt Oliver
Chaplain, U.S. Army
As I look back on the shaping influences of my spiritual life, few names stand out with such gravity as that of John MacArthur. His ministry was not simply formative for me; it was foundational. God used him as an instrument of grace in my life at a time when I was still in darkness, unknowingly hungering for truth.
I first encountered MacArthur’s voice—literally—during late-night security shifts while serving in the United States Air Force. I listened to his audiobooks as I patrolled the quiet hours at a local race track. ”The Gospel According to Jesus,” ”The Vanishing Conscience,” and ”Charismatic Chaos” became my companions in those long watches of the night. Each book was like a lighthouse cutting through a fog of confusion and self-assurance. MacArthur’s unwavering clarity and biblical conviction confronted the moral ambiguity I had grown used to and introduced me to a God who was holy, sovereign, and worthy of worship.
Though still an unbeliever, I found myself drawn to the very source MacArthur so clearly exalted—the Word of God. This pull eventually led me to The Master’s College, a place I entered with questions but without faith. But the Lord, in his providence, used that environment—the regular chapel services, the classroom discussions, and the genuine faith of fellow students—to bring me to saving faith. It was in the fall of my freshman year that I first truly heard the gospel, and God transformed my heart.
What distinguished MacArthur’s influence was not charisma or creativity, but conviction. His high view of Scripture challenged me profoundly. I had to wrestle with what I believed about truth itself. In a world of shifting foundations, MacArthur stood like an immovable pillar, declaring that the Bible is not just a source of truth, but the source of truth. Through his preaching and writing, he gave me a theological backbone at a time when I had none.
I thank God for the consistency and courage of John MacArthur’s ministry. His commitment to expository preaching, the sufficiency of Scripture, and the lordship of Christ has not only shaped generations of believers, but gave me a foundation on which to build my faith, ministry, and calling.
It is no exaggeration to say that I would not be who I am today apart from God’s work through John MacArthur. I honor him not because he sought honor, but because he faithfully pointed countless souls—including mine—to the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.