The Gospel according to God: Rediscovering the Most Remarkable Chapter in the Old Testament

by John F. MacArthur

Publisher:

Crossway

, 2018

Overview

Often hailed as one of the greatest chapters in the Bible, the prophecy of the suffering servant in Isaiah 53 foretells the crucifixion of Jesus, the central event in God’s ultimate plan to redeem the world.

This book explains the prophetic words of Isaiah 53 verse by verse, highlighting important connections to the history of Israel and to the New Testament—ultimately showing us how this ancient prophecy illuminates essential truths that undergird our lives today.

Key Features

• Emphasizes the larger picture of the story of Scripture
• Frame's Jesus' life and death in the context of the Old Testament
• Includes an appendix with a sermon by Charles Spurgeon

Contents

• Introduction: The Whole Story of Salvation in Prophecy
• Part 1: The Suffering Servant
  • The Most Remarkable Chapter in the Old Testament
  • About Whom Does the Prophet Say This?
  • Astonishing!
  • What If Some Did Not Believe?
  • The Substituted Servant
  • The Silent Servant
  • The Suffering and Exalted Servant
  • The Sin-Bearing Servant
• Part 2: The Life and Times of Isaiah the Prophet
  • Here I Am! Send Me
  • Judah's Demise

Top Highlights

“Still, an essential feature of Isaiah’s prophecy is often totally overlooked by commentators and Bible students. Don’t miss this fact: the prophet is describing the sacrifice of the suffering servant from a vantage point that looks back from a time still in the future even now. He is seeing the cross from a prophetic perspective near the end of human history. He is prophesying the collective response of the Jewish people when they finally see, understand, and believe that the one they rejected truly is the promised Messiah.” (Page 38)

“The book of Isaiah is sometimes called the ‘fifth Gospel.’” (Page 16)

“The real problem is who we are. We are not sinners because we sin; we sin because we are sinners.” (Page 105)

“That brief but pivotal portion of Isaiah is a crystal-clear prophecy about the ministry, death, resurrection, and coronation of the Messiah, written more than seven centuries before he came. It is the gospel according to God. Of all the Old Testament’s messianic prophecies, this one stands out for its sublime richness and unparalleled clarity. In particular, Isaiah paints a precise prophetic portrait of Messiah’s sufferings. He also explains in vivid detail the true meaning of Messiah’s death as an atoning sacrifice for the sins of his people.” (Page 24)

“Isaiah is standing prophetically on that very day, near the end of human history, literally thousands of years after Jesus was crucified. He therefore speaks of Christ’s death on the cross as a past event. That explains why all the verbs in chapter 53 from verse 1 through the first part of verse 10 are in the past tense.” (Page 39)

Praise for the Print Edition

The Gospel according to God is a beautifully written exposition of the gospel of Jesus Christ as it is revealed through the prophet Isaiah. Like Philip in the chariot of the Ethiopian court official, MacArthur takes up his pen and, beginning from Isaiah, preaches Jesus to us! The work is scholarly yet devotional––a resource for teaching the gospel to the church and a tool for the evangelization of both Jew and Gentile.

—Paul David Washer, Director of HeartCry Missionary Society; author, Recovering the Gospel series; Knowing the Living God; Discovering the Glorious Gospel; and Discerning the Plight of Man

John MacArthur’s skillful exposition of Isaiah 53 brings us face-to-face with the gospel of Christ crucified. In the death of our divine substitute, we behold the height of God’s love and the depth of our iniquity. The clarity of this prophecy is all the more astonishing when we realize that God revealed it to Israel seven centuries before Jesus came. Though Christians hold to different understandings of God’s covenant and the end of the age, we find ourselves drawn together as we bow at the foot of the cross in adoration and humble joy.

— Joel R. Beeke, president and professor of Systematic Theology and Homiletics, Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary and pastor at Heritage Reformed Congregation, Grand Rapids, Michigan

MacArthur gets better and better. The Gospel according to God is sure to become the definitive treatment of Isaiah 53 for years to come. An outstanding achievement by one of our leading pastor-theologians.

— Derek W. H. Thomas, senior Minister at First Presbyterian Church, Columbia, South Carolina; Chancellor’s Professor of Systematic and Pastoral Theology, Reformed Theological Seminary; Teaching Fellow, Ligonier Ministries

Product Details

• Title: The Gospel according to God: Rediscovering the Most Remarkable Chapter in the Old Testament
• Author: John MacArthur
• Publisher: Crossway
• Publication Date: 2018
• Pages: 256
• Christian Group: Evangelicals
• Resource Type: Monographs
• Topic: Theology

About John F. MacArthur

John MacArthur (b. 1939) is a Calvinist theologian, author, editor, and teacher. He is a popular conference speaker and the president of both The Master's College and The Master's Seminary. He has also served as pastor-teacher of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California since 1969. Best known for his expository exegesis of the Bible, Logos has collected more than 3,000 of his sermons in the John MacArthur Sermon Archive and offers the complete MacArthur New Testament Commentary.

MacArthur’s pulpit ministry extends around the globe through his media ministry, Grace to You. In addition to producing daily radio programs for nearly 2,000 English and Spanish radio outlets worldwide, Grace to You distributes books, software, and CDs by John MacArthur. He has written hundreds of books and study guides, including the bestselling John MacArthur Essential Bible Study Library and the MacArthur Study Bible. He is also the author of notable titles like Different by Design and Twelve Ordinary Men.