In 2013, John MacArthur and Grace to You hosted a highly controversial conference titled Strange Fire. Over four days, John MacArthur brought in several bible teachers like R.C. Sproul, Steven Lawson, Conrad Mbewe, and Justin Peters to discuss the doctrines and dangers of the modern Charismatic movement. The conference also launched MacArthur’s book Strange Fire: The Danger of Offending the Holy Spirit With Counterfeit Worship.
He based the title of the book on the story of Nadab and Abihu. They were sons of Aaron who offered unauthorized “strange fire” before the Lord and perished for it. (Leviticus 10:1-3). MacArthur likens their irreverent actions to that of the modern Charismatic movement. That is, Charismatics don’t worship God as He requires, and don’t treat Him—specifically, the Holy Spirit—with reverence.
He said, “The Holy Spirit—the glorious third member of the Trinity—is no less God than the Father or the Son. Thus, to dishonor the Spirit is to dishonor God Himself. To abuse the Spirit’s name is to take God’s name in vain. To claim He is the one who empowers self-willed, whimsical, and unbiblical worship is to treat God with contempt. To turn the Spirit into a spectacle is to worship God in a way that He deplores. That’s why the many irreverent antics and twisted doctrines brought into the church by the contemporary Charismatic Movement are equal to (or even worse than) the strange fire of Nadab and Abihu. They are an affront to the Holy Spirit, and therefore to God Himself—grounds for severe judgment (Hebrews 10:31).”
MacArthur wrote this book to expose these false teachings and present the real and biblical ministry of the Holy Spirit. He hopes to show the truth to the half a billion people who are deceived in this movement worldwide.
Strange Fire has twelve chapters divided into three main parts.
Part one is titled, Confronting a Counterfeit Revival. In this section, MacArthur documents the beginnings of Pentecostalism and its evolution to today’s Charismatic movement. He also tests their teachings using Jonathan Edwards’ fivefold test based on 1 John 4.
Part two is, Exposing the Counterfeit Gifts. In this section, MacArthur examines each of the miraculous gifts, which are apostleship, prophecies, tongues, and healing. He pleads a case for cessationism—miraculous gifts have ceased—by showing how the gifts in Charismatic circles differ from the ones in the Bible.
Part three is titled, Rediscovering the Spirit’s True Work. Here, MacArthur explains the genuine work and ministry of the Holy Spirit as established in the Holy Scriptures. He concludes this section with an open letter to continuationists (those who believe the miraculous gifts continue but are not charismatics) to consider the danger of their stance to the Church.
One thing I love about John MacArthur and respect him for is his unwavering stance for the truth. He fears offending God more than man, and this book proves it. In Strange Fire, Macarthur exposes the fallacies of the Charismatic movement and doesn’t shy away from naming names. But despite these exposures, Strange Fire is not a smear campaign. MacArthur’s primary goal is to present the actual work of the Holy Spirit, the nature of His miraculous gifts, and why they have ceased.
He makes a powerful case for cessationism drawing from Scriptures. MacArthur also included supporting quotes from theologians throughout Church history like John Chrysostom, Augustine, Martin Luther, John Calvin, John Owen, and Jonathan Edwards. Thus, proving that cessationism is also a historical position of the Church.
You may not agree with the cessation of the gifts, but you can’t argue that the “miraculous gifts” in the Charismatic movement today are unbiblical.
Before reading this book, I considered myself a skeptical continuationist. I didn’t believe the gifts ceased, but I didn’t believe in the practices of the modern Charismatic movement either. But following MacArthur’s explanation of their purpose and why they ceased, I am slightly shifting my position. Until I see Christians routinely perform miraculous gifts as in the Bible, I will set my tent in the cessationist camp.
If you are a Charismatic or hold to the continuationist position with clenched fists, I highly recommend reading Strange Fire. It will be challenging due to its hard truths and John MacArthur’s not-so-gentle delivery, but it will be worth it.
And if you are a die-hard cessationist, Strange Fire is still worth a read as it exposes the dangerous doctrines of the charismatic movement.
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