John MacArthur - Essential Christian Doctrine: A Handbook on Biblical Truth

Essential Christian Doctrine: A Handbook on Biblical Truth

Copyright 2021 John MacArthur

Published by Crossway
1300 Crescent Street
Wheaton, Illinois 60187

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher, except as provided for by USA copyright law. Crossway is a registered trademark in the United States of America.

As detailed in the footnotes, some material in this book is adapted by permission from publications copyrighted by Thomas Nelson/HarperCollins Christian Publishing. As detailed in the footnotes, some material in this book is adapted by permission from publications copyrighted by Moody Press. Permissions to use additional material adapted from other publications are noted in footnotes throughout the volume.

Cover design: Tim Green, Faceout Studios

Cover image: Shutterstock #575008792

First printing 2021

Printed in the United States of America

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NASB are from The New American Standard Bible . Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www .Lockman .org .

Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version . Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

The Scripture quotation marked (NIV) is taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www .zondervan .com . The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.

Scripture quotations marked KJV are from the King James Version of the Bible. Public domain.

There are also citations of the Revised Standard Version (RSV) and the Holman Christian Standard Version (HCSB).

Italics in Scripture quotations have been added.

Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-4335-7185-5
ePub ISBN: 978-1-4335-7188-6
PDF ISBN: 978-1-4335-7186-2
Mobipocket ISBN: 978-1-4335-7187-9

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: MacArthur, John, 1939- editor.

Title: Essential Christian doctrine : a handbook on biblical truth / general editor, John MacArthur.

Description: Wheaton, Illinois : Crossway, [2021] | Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2020038522 (print) | LCCN 2020038523 (ebook) | ISBN 9781433571855 (hardcover) | ISBN 9781433571879 (mobi) | ISBN 9781433571862 (pdf) | ISBN 9781433571886 (epub)

Subjects: LCSH: Theology, Doctrinal.

Classification: LCC BT65 .E76 2021 (print) | LCC BT65 (ebook) | DDC 230dc23

LC record available at https:// lccn .loc .gov /2020 8522

LC ebook record available at https:// lccn .loc .gov /202 0038523

Crossway is a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

2021-07-14 10:09:29 AM

Ab ,

Abba ,

Abaddon,

abomination of desolation,

Abraham,

Abrahamic covenant,

accommodation and inerrancy,

adam ,

Adam

dominion of,

as historical person,

as representative head,

sin of,

Adam-Christ parallel,

Adam and Eve,

administration, gift of,

adon/adonai , name of God,

adoption,

and justification,

privileges of,

and regeneration,

and union with Christ,

Adoptionism,

adultery,

affections,

renewal of,

transformation of,

Al-Ghazali,

allegory,

Allis, O. T.,

Ames, William,

amillennialism,

Amyraldians,

Anabaptists,

Ananias and Sapphira,

angel of the Lord,

angelology,

angelos ,

angels

hierarchy among,

judgment of,

not to be worshiped,

personhood of,

animal death,

animal sacrifices,

Annas (high priest),

annihilationism,

anointing with oil,

Anselm,

anthropomorphism,

Antichrist,

anti-intellectualism,

antinomianism,

Apocrypha,

Apollinarianism,

Apollinaris,

Apollyon,

apostasy,

apostles,

as binding and loosing,

as messengers of the Word,

none living today,

as working miracles by Christs power,

apostleship (spiritual gift),

apostles and prophets

cessation of as spiritually gifted persons,

as foundation of the church,

Aramaic language,

archangels,

Arianism,

Arius,

Aristotle,

Arminianism,

on election,

armor of God,

assensus ,

assent (saving faith),

assertivism (strategy of Satan),

assurance of salvation. See

Athanasian Creed,

Athanasius,

atmospheric heaven,

atonement,

cause of,

efficacy of,

extent of,

nature of,

sufficiency of,

Augustine,

authority

of community,

of self,

of tradition,

autographs of biblical books,

Babylonian culture,

bad example position (view of original sin),

balanced mind,

baptism

as means of grace,

and regeneration,

and salvation,

baptismal regeneration,

baptism of the Holy Spirit,

Baruch (Jeremiahs assistant),

beast (of Revelation),

believer

death of,

giftedness of,

in the intermediate state,

resurrection of,

believers baptism,

belt of truth,

bma ,

Berkhof, Louis,

bestiality,

Bible. See

biblical theology,

binding and loosing,

bishops (pastors),

blame (as result of sin),

Blamires, Harry,

blasphemy against the Holy Spirit,

blessing, for faith and obedience,

blood of Christ,

bodily resurrection,

body (element of human constitution),

Boettner, Lorraine,

born again,

bowl judgments,

Brahman (Hinduism),

Branch, the (Christ),

breastplate of righteousness,

Bright, John,

brothers and sisters,

Brown, John,

Buddhism,

Bullinger, Heinrich,

Caiaphas,

Cain,

Calvinism,

Calvin, John,

capital punishment,

cause, ultimate and proximate,

cessationist interpretation (miraculous and revelatory gifts),

Chalcedonian definition,

charisma ,

charismatic theology. See

cherubim,

Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy,

childbirth, pain in,

children of God,

children of wrath,

Christadelphians,

Christian worldview,

Christlike mind,

Christoplatonism,

church

advancement of,

biblical metaphors for,

Christs design for,

definition of,

devotion of,

and edification of believers,

and evangelism of the lost,

as foretaste of heaven,

holiness of,

and the Holy Spirit,

and Israel,

and the kingdom,

local and universal,

marks of,

promise of success,

purposes of,

spiritual authority of,

as temple of God,

unity and purity of,

visible and invisible,

worship of God,

church discipline,

church government,

church life, biblical dynamics of,

church membership,

church tradition, and authority of Scripture,

Clement of Alexandria,

clothed, in the Holy Spirit,

common grace,

Communion. See

communion with Christ,

communism,