“The dominant thrust of my ministry . . . is to help make God’s living Word alive to His people. It is a refreshing adventure,” Pastor John MacArthur wrote in the preface to his New Testament Commentary series.
John MacArthur went to be with the Lord on Monday, July 14, 2025, at the age of 86.
“Pastor John MacArthur was a man of unwavering conviction and profound dedication to the clear and faithful exposition of God’s Word,” reflected Dr. Mark Jobe, president of Moody Bible Institute. “As a student, I remember being both challenged and deeply convicted by his preaching during Founders Week. Later, as a young pastor, I greatly benefited from his in-depth, verse-by-verse New Testament commentaries, which thoughtfully unpacked the context and meaning of even the most difficult passages. He once said, ‘With clarity comes conviction,’” Jobe added. “We invite everyone to join us in prayer for his wife, Patricia, his family, and the entire church community during this time of loss and transition.”
In 1969, he became pastor of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California, where he focused on verse-by-verse expository sermons that lasted an hour or longer.
“To study and to teach is the beginning, middle, and end of my responsibility,” he told Moody Monthly.
John MacArthur spoke at the historic Moody Bible Institute in Chicago on several occasions, including Founder’s Week, as well as pastor conferences and student chapel services.
He released several books with Moody Press (now Moody Publishers), including Can a Man Live Again (1979), Kingdom Living Here and Now (1980), Jesus’ Pattern of Prayer (1981), and Worship: The Ultimate Priority (1983).
Creating a commentary
During his Chicago campus visits, MacArthur attracted the attention of Jerry Jenkins, then the vice president of Moody Press. “I was fascinated by Dr. MacArthur’s ability to make 50 minutes in the pulpit seem like 10 minutes,” Jenkins says. So he asked MacArthur the obvious question: “Have you ever thought of doing a New Testament commentary?”
In 1981, Jenkins received a manuscript of MacArthur’s sermon notes from the book of Hebrews, later released as the first volume of The MacArthur New Testament Commentary.
“None of us realized what a massive undertaking it was,” says Greg Thornton, former senior vice president of media at Moody Bible Institute. Thornton helped coordinate the editors who worked on the MacArthur manuscripts.
“An editor would do the initial editing to move from oral to written commentary,” Thornton says, “and then Pastor MacArthur would spend countless hours with each volume.”
To date, more than 2.8 million copies of books in the 34-Volume MacArthur New Testament Commentary Set have been sold since its first volume (Hebrews) was released in 1983
Though MacArthur was noted for his radio ministry, which has been heard on Moody Radio since the 1970s, as well as more than 150 books, perhaps his crowning achievement was still his 34-volume The MacArthur New Testament Bible Commentary.
John MacArthur will be remembered for his emphasis on expository preaching and diligent Bible study, Greg Thornton says. “For me, MacArthur and the Word go hand in hand.”
He is survived by his wife, Patricia, four children, 15 grandchildren, and nine great-grandchildren.
For more information about the life and legacy of Pastor John MacArthur, please visit the Grace Community Church website.
