Faithful to the End: Honoring Dr. John MacArthur’s Legacy

I was thirteen when I first fell in love with reading—and the books of Dr. John MacArthur and Dr. R.C. Sproul were some of the first that captured my attention. At that time in my life, I read anything I could find, and I didn’t yet have much discernment. I would go through everything available in the church library. Eventually, the church librarian took notice and said, “Hey, would you like to check out the books that were donated before I put them out?” My answer: “Yes!” So, I started getting access to books early and devoured them all. In high school, I even began studying Greek and Hebrew on my own. I didn’t think that was unusual at the time—I just knew I was interested and went after it.

Looking back, what I remember most is how people began to see my life changing. I was being transformed by God’s grace through His Word. I was glued to my MacArthur Study Bible, which I still own. It’s so tattered from mission trips and ministry events during my teenage years that it’s barely holding together. Today it sits untouched but well-used, a visible reminder of the Lord’s work in that season.

During my teen years, my parents fought constantly. They didn’t know how to communicate. Now, with my father in heaven after passing from dementia, and my mother in her early 80s living nearby here in Oregon, it’s been a season of reflection. Over the past four years, I’ve also lost a dear mentor who called me his adopted big brother. This year alone, I said goodbye to my dad and my older brother, both now with the Lord. Another mentor from high school, a man who had a huge impact on my life, also passed away last year.

I am a man who has been deeply invested in by godly men. I haven’t just studied the books; I’ve been discipled and mentored. Sure, I have the degrees to back it up, but in the end, what truly matters is not the resume. As Dr. MacArthur often emphasized, we are to focus on the depth of our ministry and let God handle the breadth.

There have been times when I didn’t like Dr. MacArthur, to be honest. I thought he was too brash, too strong. But over time, my view changed. I realized that this was a man who deeply loved the Word and earnestly sought to help God’s people. In conversations I’ve had with pastors from Grace Community Church, I’ve come to see that they are men of integrity, humility, and godliness. Godly men surround themselves with other godly men, and Dr. MacArthur has long been surrounded by such men—men of high caliber who not only preach well but engage relationally and pastorally.

As I reflect on all this, I see how God used Dr. MacArthur to shape not only my life—but the lives of countless others around the world.

We’re facing a crisis among men today, and the need for godly men has never been greater. Manhood is under assault. The authority of Scripture is under assault. Every major doctrine of the Christian faith is under attack. We are a mile wide and an inch deep, as the saying goes. But in this sea of confusion stood Dr. MacArthur—Bible open, ready to preach the Word in season and out of season. That’s what he will be remembered for.

It won’t be because he was the most eloquent preacher of his generation (though he was an excellent one), or the most gifted writer. Others may claim those accolades. But what set Dr. MacArthur apart was this: he didn’t flinch. He didn’t give in to the celebrity machine. He didn’t compromise with the shifting winds of culture.

In a time when many pastors are faltering on essential doctrines—especially around sexuality, gender, and biblical authority—Dr. MacArthur stayed rooted. He preached the same message week after week, year after year, to the same people God entrusted to him. He endured the trials and heartbreaks of pastoral ministry, trained men for service, and kept his focus on Christ, the Word, the Church, and the lost.

And yet today, some seek to tarnish his legacy. Some go so far as to call him a heretic and claim he’s in hell. These accusations, sadly, come from people with platforms—“pastor this” and “pastor that.” But let’s be clear: such charges show a complete misunderstanding of what a heretic is. Worse, they reveal a lack of biblical charity. Dr. MacArthur’s fruit speaks for itself. Even if one disagrees with him on certain doctrines of salvation or eschatology, his love for the Word, the fruit of his ministry, and the godly men he trained all testify to a life of integrity.

It would be laughable—if it weren’t so tragic.

I’m not a MacArthur follower. But I admire his ministry, his boldness, his endurance, and his love for the Word. I’ve had the privilege of friendships with men who know him personally and others who have been impacted by his ministry. You don’t have to agree with everything he taught to honor a man who stood behind the same pulpit, preaching to the same church, for over fifty years. That alone speaks volumes.

Dr. MacArthur’s life stands as a testimony and a challenge to our generation. In an age of biblical and theological drift, he thundered from the pulpit with courage and conviction. He considered himself a slave of Christ. A slave doesn’t belong to himself—he belongs to his Master. Dr. MacArthur lived like that. He longed to please Jesus in everything. He trained men. He led a university and seminary. He shepherded faithfully. And he loved his people.

I heard countless stories when I lived in Southern California of how he would show up hours away to visit a hurting church member. That’s the mark of a shepherd. He didn’t just know the Word—he knew his people. He loved them.

A good pastor loves the Word and the people. A great pastor is unafraid to say what needs to be said in his time. Again and again, Dr. MacArthur did just that. Many have said they can’t imagine a world without MacArthur or Sproul. Yet here we are. Every man and woman has an expiration date known only by God. He numbers our days. He appoints our seasons.

A Call to Faithfulness

Dr. MacArthur’s day has come, and now he joins my father, my mentors, my brother, and others in the presence of the Lord. For those of us still here, it is now our time to be faithful.

We’ve been taught. We’ve been modeled. We’ve been invested in. Now it’s time for us to stand up and speak out. We need godly men and women who know the Word, love the Church, and are unafraid to speak the truth in love. There is no cost too high. There is no mission greater than the Great Commission. And there is no hope greater than the gospel.

Over the years, I’ve grown in my appreciation for Dr. MacArthur. Now that his time has passed, so too has the era of MacArthur and Sproul. But I am more hopeful for the Church than ever—not because of how bad things are, but because Christ is still King. He is still building His Church. He is still saving. He is still sanctifying. And every breath I take is mercy.

Dr. MacArthur’s Bible is closed now, but ours is still open. Let us read it, preach it, live it—and be faithful.

His life was grounded in and shaped by the Word of God. May ours be too—for the sake of the lost, the strength of the Church, and the glory of God.

Dr. MacArthur’s legacy is not an end—it’s a baton. Now it’s our turn to carry it forward with courage, conviction, and compassion.