provokes such. Salvation is produced only by the action of
the Savior, Jesus Christ, not the Bible. Salvation is not
some "thing" imparted or dispensed; rather it is the on-
going saving activity of Jesus Christ our Savior.
But the real clincher of misunderstanding is evident
when MacArthur states:
"Believing God's Word (Bible) results in eternal life." 19What did Jesus say? He said to the Jews, "You search the
Scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal
life; and it is these that bear witness of Me" (John 5:39).
Later Jesus prayed, "this is eternal life, that they may know
Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast
sent" (John 17:3). John MacArthur, Jr. has apparently
placed himself in the company of Judaistic Pharisaism!
Robert P. Lightner, professor of theology at Dallas
Theological Seminary, has made similar assertions
concerning the Scriptures:
"The Written Word and the Living Word...(as the article is
entitled)...These Words from God (Scripture and Jesus Christ) are
two impregnable forces, the pillars upon which Christianity stands
or falls." 20What does he mean that the Bible is a "force"? Jesus Christ,
by His Spirit, might be said to be a "force," i.e. to have