Revered Pastor John MacArthur Dies At 86

California Pastor Remembered For His Devotion To The Bible

Pastor John MacArthur, who had pastored at Grace Community Church in Los Angeles, California, for 56 years, contracted pneumonia last week as he continued to recover from ongoing symptoms of atrial fibrillation.

He died on Monday, July 14, at the age of 86.

A statement made by his church said, “Though our hearts are heavy with this loss, we do ‘not grieve as do the rest who have no hope’ (1 Thessalonians 4:13). For those who die in Christ are His, and He loses not one.”

While he was the pastor of a church for over five decades — preaching through the Bible, verse by verse, every Sunday — the reach of his ministry was wide, as he was president and chancellor of The Master’s Seminary, training ministers in expository preaching.

The church’s annual Shepherds Conference equipped ministers from across the world with tools for leading churches in today’s world. His radio and media ministry, Grace To You, reached millions of listeners, and he published over 400 books on the Reformed Christian theology.

MacArthur also oversaw the 2021 translation of the Legacy Standard Bible, which aimed to provide a word-for-word translation of the Bible.

He is survived by his wife of 61 years, Patricia; four children; 15 grandchildren; and nine great-grandchildren.

A Warrior For Christian Truth

Over the many decades of his ministry, MacArthur stood for the truth of the gospel, even when it was counter to the progressive bent of the contemporary world.

As a regular guest on CNN’s Larry King Live, MacArthur had several high profile opportunities to defend the Bible, including one with the current governor of California, Gavin Newsom.

Watch as MacArthur challenges then San Francisco Mayor Newsom on the issue of gay marriage, here, in this clip from 2004:

Years later, Ben Shapiro, of The Daily Wire, had MacArthur on to discuss Christianity in a culture opposed to Judeo-Christian values.

Their conversation from 2018 can be seen, here:

During the outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020, MacArthur opposed Governor Newsom by opening his church to the public, after abiding by the lockdown policies in the first six weeks of the pandemic.

In an overview of the church’s legal battle with California in light of COVID, the following is detailed:
“By mid-May, large numbers of worshipers began returning on Sunday mornings spontaneously. The auditorium was well filled by early June. Hardly anyone came wearing a mask, and because of limited space on the church campus, social distancing was not an option. So county health officials stepped up their efforts to close the doors of Grace Church to worshipers.”
These efforts were responded by MacArthur and the elders of Grace Community Church with a 2020 statement titled “Christ, not Caesar, Is Head of the Church.”

In it, MacArthur and the elders told the government of California:
“Christ is the one true head of His church, and we intend to honor that vital truth in all our gatherings. For that preeminent reason, we cannot accept and will not bow to the intrusive restrictions government officials now want to impose on our congregation. We offer this response without rancor, and not out of hearts that are combative or rebellious (1 Timothy 2:1–8; 1 Peter 2:13–17), but with a sobering awareness that we must answer to the Lord Jesus for the stewardship He has given to us as shepherds of His precious flock.”
By September of 2021, “the State of California and County of Los Angeles agreed to drop all legal charges, lawsuits, injunctions, fines, and other penalties they were attempting to claim against GCC.”

Further, the state of California and Los Angeles County agreed to pay $800,000 in the church’s legal fees.

Pastors Respond To MacArthur’s Death

With his position as both a pastor and educator of ministers, many ministers have released statements on MacArthur’s death.

Dr. Albert Mohler, president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, said in an essay reflecting on MacArthur’s ministry, “He was the greatest expositor of his times. One of the ironies of John MacArthur is that, to the end, he insisted that any God-called preacher of the Word could do what he did.”

The son of the late Dr. Billy Graham, Rev. Franklin Graham, wrote on Facebook, “One of America’s great Bible teachers, Pastor John MacArthur, has stepped into the presence of Almighty God.”

Looking to the New York Times‘ writeup of MacArthur’s life, Graham added, “Today, the New York Times recognized him as a ‘Firebrand Preacher and Culture Warrior’ and said that he influenced generations of evangelical preachers—that is true. His voice will be greatly missed.”

Pastor John Piper wrote the following in an article on the passing of MacArthur:
“I simply stood in awe of what he could do in the pulpit with a passage of Scripture. As with all powerful expositional preaching, no description can fully capture what makes it powerful … I think [MacArthur] would be happy with Martin Luther’s assessment of his own ministry — that he simply taught and wrote God’s word, and while he slept, God did it all.”
Pastor Doug Wilson, of Christ Church in Moscow, Idaho, posted on X, “May God glorify His name as much in John MacArthur’s passing into glory as He did through John MacArthur’s long and fruitful life. Thankful for long faithfulness.”

Pastor Mark Dever, of Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, D.C., wrote on the 9Marks Ministry website, “I am but one of countless undershepherds of God’s flock whom John has powerfully and regularly encouraged.”

Pastor Tom Ascol, president of Founders Ministries and Pastor of Grace Baptist Church in Orlando, Florida, wrote on Facebook, “May many follow him as he followed Christ. Faithful to the end.”

Share This Article