Book Review: The Gospel According to Paul by John MacArthur

There’s a joke me and some of my ministry friends would get out whenever we heard someone say something that was biblically questionable, or just plain out there. We’d say, “That must be in the book of Paul, somewhere near the back.” The reason is simple, there is no book of Paul. However there are many books written by Paul, or more correctly, letters or even more correctly letters, and those letters lay out much of the theology of the New Testament. While there is no book of Paul, there is definitely a “Gospel According to Paul” that can be discerned from his letters. In The Gospel According to Paul, John MacArthur lays out Pauline theology masterfully.

John MacArthur is one of the great thinkers in the church today and this book is a wonderful, thought provoking dissertation on some of the great theological points of the Apostle Paul. MacArthur starts off with the bad news behind the Good News, which is the sinful condition of all humanity. From there, MacArthur explores through Paul’s Eyes (and of course from Gospel truth), how to be right with God, Salvation by faith alone and many other truths that everyone needs to know. MacArthur is brilliant. I found myself disagreeing on one or two points, but even in this, he provoked me to thought and to really explore what I believe and more importantly, why I believe it. This is a must read for anyone who wants a deeper understanding of their faith. Not to be missed are the Appendixes at the end, especially the Spurgeon Sermon on Paul’s Glorious Gospel. Five Stars!