By Mark Ellis —
Pastor John Fullerton MacArthur Jr., a titan of evangelical preaching and one of the most influential Bible teachers of our time, entered the presence of his Savior on July 14 following a battle with pneumonia, compounded by heart and lung challenges. He was 86.
The highly esteemed pastor of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California, who first took the helm of the church at age 29, leaves a steadfast legacy that will influence generations of conservative evangelicals.
Born June 19, 1939, in Los Angeles, to a lineage of pastors, MacArthur’s life was steeped in the gospel from childhood. His father, Jack MacArthur, a Baptist preacher and radio host, passed a legacy of faith to his son. “I don’t ever remember a time when I didn’t believe the gospel,” MacArthur once shared, recalling his early days preaching to neighborhood friends from a backyard box.¹
After studying at Los Angeles Pacific College and Talbot Theological Seminary, he took the helm of Grace Community Church in 1969, transforming a modest congregation into a 3,500-seat bastion of Bible-centered teaching.
For 56 years, MacArthur’s expository preaching—verse-by-verse, unwavering, and anchored in historical-grammatical context—defined his ministry. Rejecting seeker-sensitive trends, he declared, “A good sermon should still be good 50 years after it is preached”. His sermons, broadcast through Grace to You, reached millions across 2,400 stations in nine languages, while his 400+ books, including The MacArthur Study Bible and The Gospel According to Jesus, shaped countless lives. The Study Bible alone sold over a million copies.
MacArthur’s commitment to biblical truth made him a theological lion. A staunch cessationist, he argued that apostolic “sign gifts” like prophecy ceased after the early church, most notably through his book Strange Fire and the 2013 conference of the same name, which critiqued the Charismatic Movement.
His bold stances—opposing same-sex marriage, women’s ordination, and the social justice movement—sparked controversy but reflected his conviction that Scripture, not culture, dictates truth. He refused to wink at sin or capitulate to trends that have captivated some segments of evangelicalism.
His influence extended beyond the pulpit. As founder of The Master’s University (1985) and The Master’s Seminary (1986), MacArthur trained thousands of pastors in expository preaching, emphasizing God’s sovereignty and grace.
“He was a preacher God used to make other preachers better preachers,” said Rev. Al Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.²
MacArthur’s Grace to You ministry, distributing sermons and resources globally, embodied his slogan: “Unleashing God’s Truth, One Verse at a Time.”
During the COVID-19 pandemic, MacArthur defied California’s lockdown orders, holding indoor services and winning an $800,000 settlement for religious freedom violations, a “monumental victory” he celebrated.
Despite health struggles that included heart surgeries, lung procedures, and a 2023 hospitalization—MacArthur rested in God’s grace. “I see the good and gracious hand of God in every vicissitude,” he told his congregation in 2024.³ His final months were marked by declining health, yet he spoke of “incalculable grace” at The Master’s Seminary in August 2024. On July 13, associate pastor Tom Patton announced MacArthur’s hospitalization, urging prayer as he neared “the presence of the Lord.”
Tributes poured in from evangelical leaders. Franklin Graham called him “one of America’s great Bible teachers,” while Greg Laurie praised his “winsome and Christlike” character. John Piper noted, “His preaching made the heart sing.”
MacArthur is survived by his wife of 61 years, Patricia, four children—Matt, Marcy, Mark, and Melinda—15 grandchildren, and nine great-grandchildren.
John MacArthur’s voice, though silenced on earth, will continue through his sermons, books, and the lives he led to Christ.
1 Christianity Today, July 14, 2025
2 World magazine, July 15, 2025
3 The Christian Post, July 14, 2025
You need to do your due diligence and ensure that you are aware of the abominable responses by Macarthur towards abused women and children who came to him for help and he fed them to the wolves, upholding the predators, and devastating the victims even further. He betrayed their trust and public shamed and excommunicated a wife (and mother) who left her abusive husband who was also sexually abusing his own children. I pray to God that Macarthur repented before he drew his last breath. I pray for the victims and the devastation he caused their already wounded and suffering and broken spirits. Nauseating.
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