Welcome back to Defender’s Voice. This is Dr.Paul. Thank you for joining us today. Please send your questions to info@doctorpaul.org. Visit our website at www.doctorpaul.org. Subscribe to this channel and share your comments. Some of you asked me why are you calling yourself Dr. Paul? The reason is to provide medical services to those who are in need. Some of you came to my medical centre and said, I watched your videos and came to know about you. I have a medical problem that needs to be taken care of. Every week I have people like that. I watched your videos. I have a medical problem that needs treatment. That is the reason I call myself Dr Paul so that those of you who need medical treatment, especially those who live in Pennsylvania can come and get help.
Today’s question is, in John MacArthur vs. Tony Evans fight. Who is right? This is an excellent question because nothing is more important than the truth of salvation. John MacArthur and Tony Evans. Both are great preachers. They are so passionate about the Word of God. When I heard Tony Evans for the first time, I thought, ‘Wow, what a voice that is! so profound and intense’. John MacArthur, if you hear him once, you would like to hear again because they are full of scriptures. Now, what is their take on the gospel?
John MacArthur pointed out that Tony Evans has used a term called transdispensational in his book Totally Saved. It means that God will save people all across the ages if they open their hearts to the truth they received from God. This includes people who never heard about Jesus. In an interview, Tony Evans said that even a Hindu who never heard about Jesus, if he or she lives up to the truth they learned about God, God will save them because God is just and fair. So, people who never heard about Jesus will be saved if they obey the amount of truth they received.
Predictably, John MacArthur has been furious about this teaching. He firmly believes that salvation is only for those who received Christ no matter how sincerely they lived wherever they are located. John MacArthur believes in limited atonement, that is Jesus Christ died only for those who were chosen by God in eternity for salvation. He did not die for the sins of all human beings.
I don’t agree with that teaching. I believe Jesus Christ our Lord died for the sins of all human beings, from Adam till the last person to live on this planet. We read in John 1:29, ‘Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world’ John 1:29 . He is the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, that means everyone who ever lived on this planet. What about the people who lived before Christ? How did Abraham get saved? Our Lord and Savior Jesus said in John 8:56,
“Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day; and he saw it, and was glad”
So, Abraham saw the coming Messiah through the eyes of faith. That is so profound and mind boggling. Abraham who lived two thousand years before Christ saw Christ through the eyes of faith.
We read in Genesis 15:6, ‘Abraham believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness’. Abraham was justified because he looked forward to Christ. He was saved because he believed in God’s promise about the coming Messiah who would sacrifice himself for his sins. In Genesis 22, when Abraham was ready to sacrifice his son Isaac on Mount Moriah, God intervened and provided a Substitute. That Substitute points to Christ. When God provided that ram, Abraham knew that one day God will send the lamb of God to die for our sins.
Every child of Abraham went in the same path. They looked forward to Christ in faith. Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David, Samuel, every believing Jew when they made sacrifices they looked forward to Christ, who would be their ultimate sacrifice. Some Jews like Jonah went around and preached repentance in cities like Nineveh. Those believing gentiles also looked forward to Christ.
For all humanity, in all ages, there is only one way to God, that is our Lord Jesus Christ. We read in Ephesians 2:8, ‘By grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God’
All people in all ages are saved through faith. Remember that. All people in all ages are saved through faith. All people in the Old Testament looked forward to Christ. In the New Testament, we look back to Christ.
Salvation through faith in Lord Jesus Christ – that is the core of Christian faith. We usually make two mistakes. We add other things to Christ. Apostle Paul wrote a very serious epistle to Galatians because they were adding Jewish customs to the plan of salvation. Nothing wrong with eating Kosher while believing in Jesus. But if you say eating Kosher is essential to get saved, then that is a serious error. Apostle Paul called it out in the epistle to Galatians. That is the Judaization of the gospel. That is a serious error. You don’t have to be kosher to get saved.
On the other extreme, we have Hellenization of the gospel. Like all roads lead to Rome, all roads lead to God. Apostle Paul opposed the hellenization of the gospel. In Acts 17, we see Paul in the city of Athens. It was full of idols. There was one idol named ‘to the unknown God’. That idol became the focus of Paul’s sermon. He told Athenians, ‘You are so religious. You have so many gods and goddesses. But, they are not going to save you. That statue you erected for the unknown God. I came here to tell you about that Unknown God. He came to this world as Jesus Christ of Nazareth. You must believe in Him to get saved’.
Going by Tony Evans’ argument, the Athenians would not have to listen to the gospel preached by Apostle Paul. Hindus would not have to accept Christ to go to heaven. If they receive any amount of God’s truth, God will accept them to heaven. This ‘universalism’ is not scriptural. Tony Evans loves people and he would like to see as many people in heaven as possible. We also feel like that. We want to see as many people in heaven as possible. I go through that anxiety all the time. But we can get comfort from the fact that God is more noble than any one of us. Every good quality in us takes perfection in God’s being.
Love…God loves people more than us
Mercy…God is more merciful than us
Just…God is more just than us
We can leave the fate of the unsaved souls to God. They are God’s problem. Not ours. All we can do today is to preach the gospel of grace through Christ to as many people as we can. If you get strep throat today, what happens if you do not take penicillin? You may die. What happened to all those people who got strep throat before the invention of penicillin? They all died.
What is happening today as the Covid Pandemic rages through our world? Millions of people died of this infection in India. I got a message today. In the town I grew up in India, there is no place even to bury the dead. Some family members are not even picking up the dead bodies of their loved ones because they don’t know how to arrange for a funeral. That’s the reality of our world. Sin is like infection. What happens to all people who die without Christ? They perish in their sins.
Our hearts ache for their eternal souls. That is a good thing. We can be comforted by the fact that God deals with their souls with utmost love and fairness. We read in Matthew 11:24, I tell you, even Sodom will be better off on judgment day than you.
Jesus said those words to people who rejected his gospel. ‘Even Sodom will be better off on judgment day than you’. God will not give the same punishment to all people. People who reject the gospel will get more severe punishment than people who never heard the gospel. If you are convicted of a crime, the judge will do a pre-sentencing investigation into your background. Where were you born? How were you brought up? Were you abused in your life? Did you commit any violence before? He would investigate so many things about you before giving you his sentence. God is no different. He goes into every person’s biography and historical setting before giving them the punishment.
So, we should leave all unsaved souls to the good hands of God. We should not corrupt the gospel to make more room for the unsaved people in heaven. That is what Tony Evans has been doing. To make more room for the unsaved people, he is corrupting the gospel. So, we should reject Tony Evans’ message on this important topic. I agree with John MacArthur on this.
I think ALL 3 of you are wrong. Each has some TRUTH for sure but none encompass all biblical truth..
Read 1 Cor 2:8
Read Matthew 16:21-23
Additionally,
There are plenty of TRANSDISPENSATIONAL TRUTHS. That DOES NOT mean all truths are transdispensational.
IMO => it’s how one responds to the light given. A hindu or muslim may well say => GOD/CREATOR => i am incapable of doing what i should…..i know i fall short….i can only rely on you for forgivness, grace and mercy……please help/save me
Excellent understanding and application of God’s Word and Truth. I just found your site and very happy to see we agree 💯 !
The commentary in the MacArthur Study Bible for Romans 1:18-20 states: “. . .God holds all men responsible for their refusal to acknowledge what He has shown them of Himself in His creation. Even those who have never had an opportunity to hear the gospel have received a clear witness about the existence and character of God – and have suppressed it. If a person will respond to the revelation he has, even if it is solely natural revelation, God will provide some means for that person to hear the gospel.”
Looks a lot like John MacArthur agrees more with Tony Evans here than what the article stated.
But Mcarthur is saying that God will provide some means for that person to hear the GOSPEL, which he can accept or reject. THE GOSPEL.
I disagree with Tony Evans, period and this article’s opinion. I also disagree with Bonnie Dills’ last statement. Dr. MacArthur did not state Jesus was not necessary, but, in the last phrase of the last sentence quoted, inferred the evidence which is seen and observed in natural revelation will lead one either to seek or reject its and their own Creator. In the last Chapter (12) of Tony Evans’ book TOTALLY SAVED and in a radio interview about that book, he proudly states he conceived this new salvation term and its principles and has no knowledge of anyone else previously using it. It is his very own.
But, instead, God will provide those who seek Him and seek Him with all their heart an opportunity to hear the Gospel of His Son Jesus Christ.(Jeremiah 29:13) He is the Only one who quickens the dead spirit in man to life to draw him to Himself (John 3:7-8). No one is good! We can do nothing in ourselves or on our own as we seek to go our own way that seems right but the end is the way of death (Isaiah 53; Proverbs 14:12). As Scripture asserts from beginning to end, God cannot be known except through a mediator and the perfect mediator whom He would send: His Son Jesus Christ. There must be a payment for sin, a benefit in receiving it and a consequence for rejecting it. The True Gospel of Jesus Christ has been, since Christ came, distorted, diluted, and perverted because mankind doesn’t like it or parts of it. Man’s pride of sin still seeks to usurp the authority of God and His Word. It doesn’t matter what we think or like, but what God’s Word says. And what God says is true and complete and consistent to all of His word as to those who trust in Jesus Christ alone as the only way (15-21; 10:7-9; 14:6-7; Matt. 7:13-14; Acts 4:12) for salvation and a relationship with Him as He determined. Jesus died for the whole world but only those who “believe in” Him by “faith” (Romans 10:17) as their Lord God and Righteous Savior will respond and will be saved; granted forgiveness and receive eternal life through the Holy Spirit.
The issue is people allow and depend on what “they” determine as fair and compassionate in their own sinful state, apart from what God declares, and get caught up in with the popularized, worldly compromised preachers (in the pulpit and the media) as their “source” of Scripture truth without researching, questioning ,or considering their distorted counter teaching “that tickles their ears.” (2Timothy 4:1-4) We cannot discern errors unless we know the standard of Truth by which all claims of truth are measured. Maybe if people earnestly sought the Truth in Scripture by studying Scripture themselves they would not fall prey to deceivers. But human nature is lazy and people love to be spoon fed, making them feel good and safe, but creates fear feeling threatened when confronted with Truth. The Book of John is the best place for everyone to begin reading in believing the true Gospel as Jesus Himself reveals His deity that demands He is the only way to God. That is the invitation-no other way is offered! We cannot even receive to possess the gift of eternal life (the Holy Spirit) except through Jesus given to us by God the Father. (John 14; 15:26; 1 John 2:26-27; 1John 5:9-12, 19-20)
Guard your lives and the lives of others from the father of lies, and those who speak his lies, who Jesus says is the Prince of this evil world. (John 8:42-47)
Please don’t just read, but Study God’s Word for yourselves!
Blessings! Ephesians 3:4-21
*NASB95 & LSB Versions used
Correction! I disagree only with the article on limited atonement. We share the gospel to everyone just as the disciples and apostles were commanded. Our Sovereign God alone knows who will respond. Ephesians 1:3-14
Your argument seems to imply that you agree more with John MacArthur. But for some reason at the end, you decide to side with MacArthur. I agree with what you find worth in your writing, we have no or else to put someone in so we should leave that up to go. It is our job to teach Christ who is recreated in the flesh by God. There is no savior without a creator and Jesus is petition on our behalf to God.
Millions have not died from Covid Its international espionage and propaganda Its been an agenda to control the masses People die with Covid if their immune is compromised. But millions are also dying from cancer, aids , car wrecks etc not mentioned much by the media What is happening is there is an evil globalist agenda to depopulate and they are doing it w the vaxxine The real enemy. Thousands of drs have come forward saying they are being threatened if they tell the truth about the media exxagerated Covid death stats.illions have NOT died from it. Want to fight Covid? Take Selenium and Vit D. and Hydroxychloriquin. See Gateway Pundit and Olive Tree Ministries
What is the Creator’s name? According to John 1, He became a man, Jesus Christ. According to Romans 1, God has spread His evidence of Himself in nature for all to see. This evidence of His existence can be rejected as Romans 1 points out that most did. John 1 says that the Creator came to His own (since we are all made in the image of God, I take that to mean He comes to everyone) But His own received Him not (sounds like Romans 1 again) BUT to as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to as many as believed in His name. What is the Creator’s name? A name stands for who we are, our character. If a person believes in the Creator’s character, he or she actually believes in Jesus Christ, they just haven’t heard that name. The Creator (Jesus Christ) can be found anywhere and He comes to us all. Will we accept the Creator, only knowing that He exists but that we earnestly desire to worship the Creator? Or will we reject Him? He became a man to die for us all and give us all the opportunity to live in Him. The decision is ours, wherever we are. It was our Creator who hung on the Cross. We who know that His human name is Jesus Christ have the serious responsibility to bring the good news to people, children of God according to John 1, who only know and love Him as the Creator. The good news for them is that He loved them first and sacrificed Himself to make the way to bring them to Himself.
So, if this is what Tony thinks, I agree with Tony. But if Tony thinks that just sincerely going with what you have been taught to worship in other religions will be enough, I do not agree with Tony. To become children of God, people need to decide to accept and worship the Creator, even it they know nothing more about Him except what He has shown in His works in nature. The ball is then safely in God’s court.
As for John McArthur, in my opinion, Calvinism horribly distorts the truth of the nature of God Who loves us all beyond imagination. The roots of that doctrine go back to pagan philosophy. He should take the log out of his own eye.
That’s the way I’ve sorted it out from John 1 and Romans 1, but I’m just a frail human, and my understanding and reasoning may be faulty. I recognize that God’s ways are not man’s way, so in the end it is in His loving and just hands.
John MacArthur was hardly one to criticize any other pastor when he was in such egregious error concerning theology. He was a false teacher and an advocate of 5-point calvinism, and reformed theology, neither of which the Bible teaches. And one of his beliefs, that of rejecting Christ sprinkling His blood on the Mercy Seat in Heaven is equivalent to making Christ guilty of sin by violating the Mosaic law while at the same time stating He kept the law perfectly. No, you can’t have it both ways. MacArthur would have made a great politician in that he was apt to talking out of both sides of his mouth at the same time. His views deserve to be ignored and dismissed.