MacArthur on the Radio (2006) Addresses the Issue of Christ's Sonship

John MacArthur's Position on the Eternal Sonship of Christ

Pastor John MacArthur of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, CA preached at the chapel of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary on Reformation Day (10/06). On this same day, Pastor MacArthur was the guest on the radio program of Dr. R. Albert Mohler, president of SBTS. During this program, Pastor MacArthur graciously took calls from listeners. One of these calls (starting at 31:29 in the program) concerned Pastor MacArthur's teaching on "incarnational sonship." Addressing this issue, Pastor MacArthur said the following:

Let me make it real simple. He is eternally God. Jesus Christ is and always will be the eternal God—a member of the Trinity. He is eternally One of Three. And I don't have any problem with calling Him the eternal Son therefore. But I do understand that there is a uniqueness to His incarnation in that the Scripture says, "This day have I begotten Thee." And that's related to His incarnation.

Although MacArthur certainly believes that Christ is eternal and that He is the Son of God, the above statement is not a forceful affirmation of the doctrine of the eternal Sonship of Christ. Why is it so difficult for John MacArthur to make a clear, unequivocal declaration of Christ's eternal Sonship? His answer could have been, "Let me make it real simple. He is eternally the Son of God." Issue settled!

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