Only Jesus: What It Really Means to Be Saved

By John F. MacArthur

Discover what Jesus meant when he said, "Follow me." And what happens when you do.

Only Jesus—from John MacArthur, author of the classic bestseller, The Gospel According to Jesus—examines the gospel as Christ himself proclaimed it so that you can gain a proper and complete understanding of the true way of salvation. You'll learn the answer to questions like:

• What does it mean to be saved?
• What is saving grace?
• Why does the Cross matter?
• What does it mean to be born again?
• What did Jesus teach about eternal life?
• What do "sin" and "repentance" mean?
• What is the role of the Holy Spirit in salvation?

Only Jesus is perfect for:

• Christians who want a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ.
• Seekers who want to know who Jesus is and what he taught.

 

John MacArthur will guide you in discovering how Jesus' actual words and teachings call us to salvation and new life through the power of the Holy Spirit. Transformation will result in our hearts and lives when we truly answer Christ's call to discipleship.

So let’s explore what Lord Jesus had to say about the gospel...

• Language: English
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson
• Release date: Mar 17, 2020
• ISBN: 9780310108252

John F. MacArthur

Widely known for his thorough, candid approach to teaching God's Word, John MacArthur is a popular author and conference speaker. He has served as pastor-teacher of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California, since 1969. John and his wife, Patricia, have four married children and fifteen grandchildren. John's pulpit ministry has been extended around the globe through his media ministry, Grace to You, and its satellite offices in seven countries. In addition to producing daily radio programs for nearly two thousand English and Spanish radio outlets worldwide, Grace to You distributes books, software, and digital recordings by John MacArthur. John is chancellor of The Master's University and Seminary and has written hundreds of books and study guides, each one biblical and practical. Bestselling titles include The Gospel  According to Jesus, Twelve Ordinary Men, Twelve Extraordinary Women, Slave, and The MacArthur Study Bible, a 1998 ECPA Gold Medallion recipient.

Book preview

Introduction

COME AND DIE

What did Jesus mean when He said, Follow Me? He certainly wasn’t calling anyone to a life of ease and earthly prosperity.

In the plainest possible terms He frequently made clear that His call to discipleship was a call to self-denial, crucifixion, and daily death (cf. Luke 9:23). Following Him meant dying to self, hating one’s own life in this world, and serving Him (John 12:24–26).

In Luke 14:26–27, He said, If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.

Difficult demands? Impossible in human terms. Yet those are Jesus’ exact words—unequivocal, unadorned, unmitigated by any explanation or soothing rationalization.

He was sounding a note that is missing from much that passes for evangelism today. His follow Me was a call to surrender to His lordship.

"[We preach] Christ Jesus as Lord, the apostle Paul wrote (2 Cor. 4:5). Jesus is Lord was the core of the early church’s confession of faith, the primary nucleus of truth affirmed by every true Christian (1 Cor. 12:3). What must we do to be saved? Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved (Acts 16:31). If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved" (Rom. 10:9). The lordship of Christ is clearly at the heart of true saving faith.

True salvation produces a heart that voluntarily responds to the ever-awakening reality of Christ’s lordship. Because we are sinful creatures, we can never respond as obediently as we should. We experience pathetic failures or extended periods of spiritual dullness. But if we are true believers, we will not fall back into the cold, hard-hearted, determined unbelief and rebellion of our former state. Those who live like that have no reason to think they have ever been redeemed.

The gospel is a call to faith—and genuine faith demands our surrender to Jesus as Lord. Those who would come to Him for salvation must be willing to acquiesce to His sovereign authority. No one who rejects His right to rule can lay claim to Him as Savior. Our Lord had no interest in gathering half-hearted or occasional followers. His hard demands are therefore stressed repeatedly in Scripture. That’s one of several reasons the gospel message is a stumbling block to some and folly to others (1 Cor. 1:23).

But there is a great deal of confusion nowadays regarding the gospel message. The visible church is full of people who want to soften Jesus’ message, remove the stumbling blocks, and make the message sound sophisticated. There is no legitimate way to achieve those goals, and those who try invariably truncate, twist, or trash the biblical message.

Believers must look to Jesus—only Jesus—as the starting point, the proper focus, and the anchor of gospel truth. Following Him doesn’t mean adding Him as an adjunct to a list of things we already love and serve. Radical changes are wrought in the hearts and lives of those who truly answer Christ’s call to discipleship. He is Lord of all (Acts 10:36), and genuine believers will confess and yield to that truth. Those who treat Him merely as an addendum to their other pastimes and priorities have not yet truly believed in Him.

This book examines the gospel as Christ himself proclaimed it—with an eye toward gaining a thorough and proper understanding of the true way of salvation. He is, after all, the one true author and perfecter of faith (Heb. 12:2). He is the One (ultimately the only One) to whom we must turn for words of eternal life (John 6:68).

Let’s explore what He had to say about the gospel.

CHAPTER 1

Master and Slaves

Jesus is Lord (1 Cor. 12:3).

That is the fundamental article of faith for all true Christians. It’s the first essential confession of faith every true Christian must make: If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved (Rom. 10:9). You cannot remove the lordship of Christ from the gospel message without undermining faith at its core.

Jesus’ own teaching and ministry always kept the issue of His lordship at the center. He never once shied away from declaring His authority as sovereign Master. He proclaimed it to disciples, to enemies, and to casual inquirers alike—refusing to tone down the implications of His demand for unconditional surrender. When Jesus called people to follow Him, He was not seeking companions to be His sidekicks or admirers whom He could entertain with miracles. He was calling people to yield completely and unreservedly to His lordship.

A Word about Words

The expression most often translated Lord in the English New Testament is the Greek word kurios. It speaks of someone who has power, ownership, and an unquestionable right to command. A nearly synonymous Greek term also sometimes translated Lord in the New Testament is despotes. That word (the root of our English word despot) describes a ruler with absolute power over his subjects.

Both words are used in reference to Christ as Lord in the New Testament. In John 13:13, for instance, Jesus took the title kurios for Himself: "You call Me Teacher and Lord [kurios]; and you are right, for so I am. Jude 4 employs both words in parallel fashion: Ungodly persons . . . turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master [despotes] and Lord [kurios], Jesus Christ."

Both words belonged to the vocabulary of slavery in New Testament times. They describe a master who has absolute dominion over someone whom he literally owns. His subjects are duty-bound to obey their lord—not merely because they choose to do so but because they have no rightful liberty to do otherwise. Wherever there was a lord (kurios) or a master (despotes), there was always a slave (doulos). One idea is essential to explain the other. That explains Jesus’ incredulity at the practice of those who paid homage to Him with their lips but not with their lives: Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? (Luke 6:46).

That Greek word doulos is used in Scripture to describe what it means to be a true Christian: "He who was called while free, is Christ’s slave [doulos]. You were bought with a price" (1 Cor. 7:22–23).

Doulos is not an ambiguous term. It suggests a very specific concept, which—while repugnant to our culture and our natural minds—should not be toned down or backed away from. It is the main Greek word that was used to describe the lowest abject bondslave—a person who was literally owned by a master who could legally force him to work without wages. In other words, a doulos was a person without standing or rights.

English Bibles tend to shield us from the full force of the word doulos because of an ages-old tendency among Bible translators to tone down the literal sense of the word—translating it as servant, or bond servant rather than slave.

But service and slavery are not really the same thing. A slave is someone who lacks personal freedom and personal rights—whose very existence is defined by service to another. This is total, unqualified submission to the control and the directives of a higher authority—slavery, not merely service at one’s own discretion.

For example, in Matthew 6:24, Jesus said, No one can be a slave to two masters (literal translation). That rendering is much stronger (and actually makes better sense) than what you will find in most versions: No one can serve two masters. An employee with two jobs could indeed serve two masters. But slavery—not merely service—is what the word doulos and all its derivatives speak of.

The distinctive idea is ownership. We are not our own, for we have been bought with a price (1 Cor. 6:19–20). We have a Master who purchased us (2 Peter 2:1). To be specific, we were purchased for God with the precious blood of Christ (Rev. 5:9). This is the very essence of what it means to be a Christian: For not one of us lives for himself, and not one dies for himself; for if we live, we live for the Lord, or if we die, we die for the Lord; therefore whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. For to this end Christ died and lived again, that He might be Lord both of the dead and of the living (Rom. 14:7–9).

Why Such a Revolting Concept?

In one sense, we can understand why Bible translators have tended to soften the implications of doulos. The word slavery conjures up so much negative imagery and so many strong passions that we instinctively shy away from it.

That’s not a modern development. Slavery was by no means a glamorous institution in first-century culture either. It was a

Reviews for Only Jesus

[exinanition · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

John MacArthur has accomplished a superb work in this book. Known for his activism against "easy-believism" and superficial Christianity, MacArthur has written a marvelous little book detailing the ACTUAL gospel of Jesus Christ. The gospel has become so utterly watered down today it is no wonder the church has become weakened in its effectiveness. MacArthur challenges believers to read the truth about The Truth and to become more than just a comfortable group of "pew-warmers" on Sunday mornings. MacArthur reminds us God did not call us to be His "cheerleaders." Rather, than this He has called us to be Salt and Light in a fallen, darkened world.

[lgfarlow · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is a very powerful and Biblical presentation of the truth that being a Christian is more than just saying I am one. A Christian acts and thinks differently than a non-Christian. I think McArthur has been wrongly accused of promoting some new doctrine called "Lorship Salvation" when in fact all he's doing is discussing what the Bible says about the cost of following Christ. This is not a new concept but an old one, as old as scripture itself. If I claim to be a believer yet consistently think and behave like a pagan, chances are I'm not a Christian whether I've "prayed the prayer" or not. McArthur does an excellent job of fleshing out this concept from scripture and I would highly recommend this book to any believer who wants to evaluate their walk in the light of what the Bible says about being a disciple of Christ.

[nesum_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A masterful work of what it really means to be a Christian. There is so much confusion in the Church about whether we are saved by faith or works, and tempers can run high on this topic. MacArthur helps a great deal with a Bible-saturated explanation of the truth -- We are saved by faith, and faith does not fail to produce works. If you see no works, there is no faith.This really is MacArthur at his best, and it is a book we still so desperately need. When it was released, it caused a stir and set many people on the right theology. But it is a book that should be continually read.More than that, though, the subject should be explored in depth with the Word. We Christians can be so lazy sometime. We read Paul saying, "We are justified by faith," and we don't want to hear another word on the subject. So we learn the surface truth, but we don't even know that we don't know what "faith" really means.Let us follow Christ, and Christ will change us. If we are not changed, then who have we been following?

[twiga92 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book was a powerful and sobering message of what true salvation is and how modern-day evangelicalism has turned it into something that Jesus never intended. Salvation is not just saying a prayer and believing that Jesus is God (even the demons believe He is God). It is recognizing our total lost sinful condition and turning to Christ in surrender and repentance, acknowledging He is the only Way to God. Genuine salvation results in a life that is obedient to God. Works do not give us salvation but they are the evidence of it.“Modern evangelism is preoccupied with decisions, statistics, aisle-walking, gimmicks, prefabricated presentations, pitches, emotional manipulation, and even intimidation. Its message is a cacophony of easy-believism and simplistic appeals. Unbelievers are told that if they invite Jesus into their hearts, accept Him as personal Savior, or believe the facts of the gospel, that is all there is to it. The aftermath is appalling failure, as seen in the lives of millions who have professed faith in Christ with no consequent impact on their behavior.”The result of these emotional appeals is “Multitudes declare that they trust Christ as Savior while indulging in lifestyles that are plainly inconsistent with God’s Word – yet no one dares to challenge their testimony.”“Who knows how many people are deluded into believing they are saved when they are not?”“Many who think they are saved but live unholy lives will be shocked to discover in the final judgment that heaven is not their destiny.”“Many sincerely believe they are saved, but their lives are utterly barren of any verifying fruit.”“True salvation occurs when a sinner in desperation turns from his sin to Christ with a willingness to have Him take control.”On my blog with this book review, I posted a video of a song (by Steve Camp), Consider the Cost, which sums up the message of this book. For those who don't want to take the time to listen to the whole video, below are the lyrics.Consider the Cost by Steve Campto obey is better than sacrificeand to hearken than the fat of ramsfor what will a man give for his own lifehouses or money or landthere's a way that seems right to youbut in the end it leads only to deathbut come unto Him all ye wearycome and find your restconsider the cost of building a towerit's a narrow way that you must cometo do the will of the Fatheris to follow the Sonto love Him more than father or motherto love Him more than your own fleshto give all that you are, for all that He isthis is the gospel according to Jesusmany will say, "Lord, Lord" on that daylook what we've done in Your name"We've prophesied and performed many miraclesand Lord, even demons obeyed"then the Lord will declare unto themthe most terriifying words of truth"depart from me ye workers of iniquityfor I have never known you!"oh foolish man, how you built on the sandtrusting in your goodness to save!for when the rain falls, and the floodbreaks the wallsyou will be swept away!but blessed is he who builds on the Rockwho takes Jesus as Lord to save!for when the rain falls, he will endure it allstanding firm in His grace!More quotes from the book:“…the good news of Christ has given way to the bad news of an insidious easy-believism that makes no moral demands on the lives of sinners.”“You cannot remove the lordship of Christ from the gospel message without undermining faith at its core. That is precisely what is happening in the church today.”“The gospel Jesus proclaimed was a call to discipleship, a call to follow Him in submissive obedience, not just a plea to make a decision or pray a prayer.”“Contemporary Christians have been conditioned to believe that because they recited a prayer, signed on a dotted line, walked an aisle, or had some other experience, they are saved and should never question their salvation.”“Genuine assurance comes from seeing the Holy Spirit’s transforming work in one’s life, not from clinging to the memory of some experience.”“Teaching theology to a heathen will not bring him to faith in Christ. He may learn the evangelical vocabulary and verbally affirm the truth. He may intellectually accept a list of gospel facts. But without a divine miracle to open his blind eyes and give him a new heart, he will only be a theologically informed pagan, not a Christian.”“Obviously, a new believer does not fully understand all the ramifications of Jesus’ lordship at the moment of conversion. But every genuine believer has a desire to surrender. This is what distinguishes true faith from a bogus profession: true faith produces a heart that is humble, submissive, obedient. As spiritual understanding unfolds, that obedience grows deeper, and the genuine believer displays an eagerness to please Christ by abandoning everything to His lordship. This willingness to surrender to divine authority is a driving force in the heart of every true child of the kingdom. It is the inevitable expression of the new nature.”“…knowing and affirming facts apart from obedience to the truth is not believing in the biblical sense. Those who cling to the memory of a one-time decision of ‘faith’ but lack any evidence of the outworking of faith had better heed the clear and solemn warning of Scripture: ‘He who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him’ (John 3:36).”“The pattern of modern evangelism is to give people a pleasing and easy message; take them through a simple formula; get them to pray a prayer, sign a card, or whatever; then tell them they are saved and should never doubt it.”“If your life does not reveal growth in grace and righteousness and holiness, you need to examine the reality of your faith – even if you believe you have done great things in the name of Christ.”“The validation of salvation is a life of obedience. It is the only possible proof that a person really knows Jesus Christ.”