Forgive Me....

In concluding the Truth About Series, John MacArthur picks up the theme of Forgiveness.  The progression of this series is quite logical – the Lordship of Christ establishes the fact that His offer of forgiveness can only be accomplished by the grace of God.  The three topics are highly intertwined and their connectedness only begins with the deity of Jesus Christ.  If His deity is not clearly established, the remaining pillars cannot rest upon a firm foundation.  

 

Why has this occurred?  The modern world is consumed with the philosophical beliefs of betterment and value.  Betterment teaches that our physical universe is improving so the “old paths” are of less importance that our enlightened ways.  Yes, you got it – that means the teachings of Scripture are not needed either.  Value teaches that we are worth something and our self-esteem should be stroked at every opportunity.  In other words, our self-worth is tied up in promotion and earning things which can easily be transferred into salvation.  Do you doubt that fact?  Then, think of people that believe they are getting to heaven because they are a “good person.”  

As humans, we are confronted with two salvific choices:  earn your salvation through extreme rules and good works or depend totally upon God for sin’s atonement.  The Pharisees, like contemporary culture, have chosen the former by trusting in self for eternal security.  The life of Christ is filled with examples of His challenge to their choice – the wrong one – but they were unrelenting in changing their opinion.  Currently, our modern “Christianity” is replete with works oriented salvation and philosophies that exalt man’s role in forgiveness.  We have adopted a modern version of ancient Pharisaicalism and are paying a deep spiritual price.  As a Christian who lived the life of a Pharisee before understanding my need for Jesus Christ, this book resonates very well with me.

As is the case with any MacArthur work, he provides cogent analysis with a deep theological understanding.  Although the “serious academics” would disagree with me here, a great teacher’s mastery of complexity is revealed in this fashion – they can present the idea in a written and simple format.   The analysis is packed with Scripture which further reinforces our need to stand upon the only source of unchanging truth in the world – God’s Word.

Being quite frank in my rating, this is the strongest of the three books in the Truth About Series.  As I have said about the others, any Christian should own the trilogy and new Christians should get these in their discipleship programs.  

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”