John MacArthur's Heresy On The Blood

The following "Question" was asked by a member of the congregation at Grace Community Church in Panorama City , California , and "Answered" by their pastor, John MacArthur Jr. It was transcribed from the tape, GC 70-9, titled "Questions and Answers" -- A copy of the tape can be obtained by writing, Word of Grace, P.O. Box 4000, Panorama City, CA 91412 or by dialing toll free 1-800-55-GRACE. Copyright 2001 by John MacArthur Jr., All Rights Reserved.

"I see that someone is speaking on MacArthurism. Could you let us know from the pulpit, what your belief is on the Blood of Christ?"

I have done that in the past, and just in order to "touch base" with the fact that he may have created some questions in your mind, [let me say]. Through the years there has been no question about what I believe, regarding the Blood of Christ, none at all. For twenty years that I have been preaching here, and all the myriad of books and tapes, and things that have come out of the Church, and out of my ministry, no one needs to question anything that I believe about the Blood of Christ.

Yes, but you also believe and teach that Jesus' shed blood soaked into the ground at Calvary (Read: "Our sufficiency in Christ" by John MacArthur)

He died as a sacrifice for sin. I saw a letter, the other day, from someone who said, that Christ could have died "any other way," as long as He died. That is not correct, that is not true, I do not believe that. He had to die by being lifted up. He had to die shedding blood in a sacrificial way to fulfill the pattern of Old Testament prophetic truth.

MacArthur has followed in the footsteps of R. B. Thieme Jr., a heretic on the blood also. Both of these men believe that Jesus' blood soaked into the ground at Calvary and that it is Jesus' death that is truly important, not the blood. Read John MacArthur's study Bible on the blood. Look in MacArthur's reference Bible under Hebrews 9:22 and see what he says about the blood. The proof is right there. MacArthur teaches that the death of Christ is what really matters, not the blood.

I believe what the Church has always believed. And somebody always says to me, "Well, why are they always attacking you on the Blood of Christ?" And I need to tell you what I have mentioned before, that this basically has very little to do with theology. It has very little to do with the Blood of Christ and everything to do with trying to discredit me.

This is a big lie! MacArthur is evading the issue. He knows exactly why Bible-believing, Christ-honoring Christians are upset with him--Because He denies that Jesus applied His shed blood to the mercy seat in Heaven. Listen my friend, Jesus (just as the Old Testament high priest) had to enter into the holy of holies and apply the shed blood to the mercy seat. Read more by clicking HERE!!!

And so, they are trying pick an issue that is volatile, misrepresent what I believe, just for the sheer sake of attacking me.

I will never forget, of course, when this first came out. It came out in a magazine put out by Christian College , that I denied the Blood of Christ. I called the president of the school, and I said, "You know better than that, you know me, you know exactly what I believe, you know what I teach. Why would you do that?" He said to me on the phone, "We have made a terrible mistake."

I sincerely doubt this! Besides, I am not making a mistake--This man is a heretic! It's a wonder how a man can be right on so many areas of God's Word, and then utterly wrong on something this critical. Then again, that's true of the Jehovah Witnesses as well. Much of the literature that the Jehovah witnesses' put out has good stuff in it (lies mixed in with truth). Most of the "Watchtower" magazine is truth, but it's that small amount of heresy that kills, steal and destroys. To the unsuspected soul, it all appears as truth. This is how I feel about John MacArthur; He has written MUCH good material (and is a suave and likeable guy); however, he is a heretic on the matter of Christ's blood. I sincerely doubt this man's salvation.

I said, "Well, is there some way that you could correct it?" He said, "No, we could never do that."

So, he admitted to me it was a mistake, personally to me, over the telephone. But what was curious about it was, that I heard from a faculty member, that there was a faculty prayer meeting there, a prayer meeting with the administration, in which the request that was given for the prayer meeting was, "Lord, help us to find a way to discredit the ministry of John MacArthur." Now, that was the prayer request. Now if you are seeking to do that, you can find some way, I suppose, to do it.

This matter did not simply begin with one school. Every born-again, blood washed, Christ-honoring, sin-hating, soul-winning and Bible-studying believer would puke over such heresy as John MacArthur and R. B. Thieme have been teaching.

For some reason, perhaps unknown to me, these people have decided to try to discredit our ministry, and to attack our belief in the Blood of Christ, that is, the sufficiency of the atoning work of Christ for salvation, would definitely be a way to upset people and that's what they have done.

The blood had to be applied Mr. MacArthur!!! Just as the Passover lamb's blood had to be applied to the door posts of the home, lest the first-born die when the death angel came over Egypt. If the dead lamb's blood remained in the ground, then the first-born died! Please read, "The Blood applied" and The Importance of the Blood

But what we believe about the Blood of Christ is available for all to see, in fact, I gave a special communion message on that, a number of months ago. And I believe exactly what the Bible teaches and what the church has always believed. And I just think, that we have to just keep dealing with this onslaught, because of the effort to discredit. And I realize there are ramifications of this, I realize that. I realize that people have left our church over the last couple of years. It has been a tough two years, and part of it has been the endless attacks on our church. I know there have been attacks on our church, but we just keep trying to be faithful to the Word of God and moving ahead. If you have question about what we believe on the Blood of Christ, you can read the New Testament and we believe that. Exactly what it says.