John MacArthur directly contradicts the Bible, as does his Calvinistic theology. Both contradict historic Christian theology too. John MacArthur claims that regeneration happens before faith It is a rare Christian who would accept that regeneration takes place before faith. Most Protestants would reject this.

Here is Mr. MacArthur in his own words:

“Regeneration comes before faith. If I am dead in trespasses and sins; if I am in darkness; if I hate God; if I have no ability to know God; if I am blind to all divine truth; then, I cannot even believe until the Spirit of God has awakened my heart.”

This is not Christianity, it is MacArthurism. These are two different things. There are many problems with this. First, he implies that all non-believers hate God, which is categorically not true. Unbelievers come in all shapes and sizes. There are atheists, agnostics, skeptics, those who are lukewarm, and others who have never been taught. Many are just ignorant and simply don’t know better.

However, we cannot blindly claim that all unbelievers hate God. That might be a Calvinist position, but it is not a biblical one. Just because people may not know God or follow Him, does not automatically equate to hating him. I know a man who was never taught about God. He has zero opinion about the Almighty and has never thought of the question. He has nothing against God, but he has never really thought of the question. Mr. MacArthur holds an extreme position that is anti-biblical and reveals the flawed nature of Calvinism.

The second problem is that MacArthur says people are in darkness and cannot know anything about God and that unbelievers are blind to all divine truth. Yet, the Book of Romans, chapter one states the express opposite.

This is what Romans 1 says about non-believers and evildoers:

“For what can be known about God is evident to them, because God made it evident to them. Ever since the creation of the world, His invisible attributes of eternal power and divinity have been able to be understood and perceived in what He has made. As a result, they have no excuse. … Although they knew God… they did not glorify Him as God or give Him thanks. Instead, they became vain in their reasoning, and their senseless minds were darkened.”

This directly contradicts everything John MacArthur claimed. Scripture here is speaking of unbelievers and evildoers, saying that they did know God because God revealed Himself to them. This passage clearly demonstrates that people can know Him without being regenerated. These people were not born again, and yet, they were aware of the truths of God and his reality.

This is how people like Aristotle came to know God without being Christian. They could perceive Him through creation and through the order of the universe.

MacArthur claims that all unbelievers are in darkness and are incapable of knowing divine truth. Yet again, Romans 1 contradicts this claim. The Bible made it clear that they knew God yet rejected Him and refused to follow Him. Notice carefully, Scripture says their minds were darkened only after they rejected God. The Bible says people are without excuse precisely because they can know God through his creation.

Christians have historically believed that God reveals Himself through creation by grace.  Christ draws people to Himself by grace. Scripture speaks about different forms of grace, and Christ can reveal to us our need for Him without regenerating us. He shows us our sinfulness, emptiness, and dependence all before regeneration occurs.

According to MacArthur, regeneration must happen first. However, when does Scripture say regeneration happens? Does someone become regenerated simply because they suddenly realize their need for God? Absolutely not. Many people know their need and still refuse to follow God. God reveals it, and they reject it just like the pagans in Romans chapter 1.

Faith needs to come first by God’s grace (Eph 2:8-9). Regeneration does not happen before faith. We need faith to come to Christ. We need faith to please God. Through faith we are then reborn in Christ by His Spirit. I think nearly all Protestants outside of Calvinism would agree with that.

John 3:5 says we are born again by water and Spirit. The biblical definition of regeneration is by water and the Spirit through baptism. That is why Titus 3:5 speaks about “the washing of regeneration,” because baptism is referred to as a washing throughout Scripture.

Acts 22:16 says, “Rise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on His name.” We see washing and regeneration connected through baptism. Romans 6 teaches exactly the same thing. It explains how we die with Christ, rise with Christ, and become freed from slavery to sin through baptism.

Paul writes, “Are you unaware that we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?” Then 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.” How do we become “in Christ?”

Romans 6, 1 Corinthians 12, and other passages explain that we are baptized into Christ. We become part of Christ and part of His body through baptism not through an imagined awakening before faith.

Romans 6 says, “We were indeed buried with Him through baptism into death, so that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might live in newness of life.” We are baptized into His death and rise to new life through baptism.

Paul continues, “Our old self was crucified with Him so that our sinful body might be done away with, that we might no longer be in slavery to sin.” Then later, “Now that you have been freed from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit leads to sanctification and eternal life.” All of this is tied to baptismal regeneration. This is the biblical understanding of being born again.

This is also the historic Christian understanding of regeneration for the first 1,500 years of Christianity. I challenge anyone to find people in the first one thousand years of the Church who denied that John 3:5 referred to water baptism or that regeneration preceded faith. The earliest Christians universally understood these passages to teach baptismal regeneration.

The historic Christian understanding is that Christ draws us through grace. We recognize our need for Him, place our faith in Him, and surrender to Him. Then through faith and baptism, we are regenerated.

This is why 1 Peter 3:21 says, “Baptism now saves you.” Peter immediately explains that this is not merely external washing, but the interior renewal of conscience before God. This matches Romans 6 perfectly. Mark 16:16 confirms, “He who believes and is baptized will be saved.” Thus, faith and baptism belong together in the biblical model of regeneration.

If you are a Calvinist, I encourage you to study the earliest Christians from the first ten centuries of Church history and compare their beliefs to modern Calvinism. You will quickly discover that what MacArthur teaches is not historic Christianity and not biblical Christianity. It’s MacArthurism.