The Only Way To Happiness: The Beatitudes (Foundations of the Faith) [Paperback]

John MacArthur Jr. (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 1998 | Series: Foundations of the Faith

Jesus' first recorded sermon in the Bible is a blueprint for being happy here on earth. And though His definition contains no prescriptions for acquiring cars, homes, or savings, it does require transformation and obedience. MacArthur examines Jesus' timeless definition of happiness, and explains that our reward for following Jesus' plan is citizenship in the kingdom of God- and an abiding joy that can never be taken away. Study guide and review included for individual or group study.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

JOHN MACARTHUR (B.A., Pacific College; M. Div., D.D., Talbot Theological Seminary) pastors Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California, and serves as president of the Master’s College and Seminary.  A well-known Bible expositor and conference speaker, he has written more than six-dozen books, including the MacArthur New Testament Commentary Series and the MacArthur Study Bible.  He is the Bible teacher on Grace to You, an international radio broadcast.
9/03

Product Details

• Paperback: 210 pages
• Publisher: Moody Publishers (April 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0802430546
• ISBN-13: 978-0802430540
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #486,690 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Widely known for his thorough, candid approach to teaching God's Word, John MacArthur is a popular author and conference speaker and has served as pastor-teacher of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California since 1969. John and his wife, Patricia, have four grown children and fourteen grandchildren.
John's pulpit ministry has been extended around the globe through his media ministry, Grace to You, and its satellite offices in seven countries. In addition to producing daily radio programs for nearly 2,000 English and Spanish radio outlets worldwide, Grace to You distributes books, software, audiotapes, and CDs by John MacArthur.
John is president of The Master's College and Seminary and has written hundreds of books and study guides, each one biblical and practical. Best-selling titles include The Gospel According to Jesus, Truth War, The Murder of Jesus, Twelve Ordinary Men, Twelve Extraordinary Women, and The MacArthur Study Bible, a 1998 ECPA Gold Medallion recipient.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good, In-Depth Study of the Beatitudes, May 13, 2004

By 

Chip Webb (Fairfax Station, VA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Only Way To Happiness: The Beatitudes (Foundations of the Faith) (Paperback)

This book has been around in one form or another since 1980, when it was known as Kingdom Living Here and Now (edited back then by Jerry Jenkins, later to become the co-author of the Left Behind series). It sold reasonably well for several years, and then was reissued under this title in 1998.

MacArthur's verse-by-verse teaching this time looks at the Beatitudes as commending fruits that are the evidence of a life truly transformed by God. He eschews modern-day liberal interpretations that apply the Beatitudes to oppressed peoples and argues that they instead apply to Christian believers. In this relatively early MacArthur teaching series (he preached this series sometime around 1979), you can see the germ of ideas that would later become central to his ministry (in particular, early inklings of the lordship salvation teaching that would make him a bestselling author with The Gospel According to Jesus).

If there's a major negative to The Beatitudes: The Only Way to Happiness, it's that MacArthur won't consider any application other than the spiritual. For example, is there any sense at all in which Jesus may be talking about physical (and not just spiritual) poverty, even given that it be among believers as opposed to the poor in general? MacArthur more or less ignores such issues. Another drawback is that the book lacks warmth even though it deals with subjects such as meekness, spiritual poverty, etc.

But this is a convicting, challenging book that should challenge any Christian in his or her spiritual life. MacArthur's discussion somewhere in the first few chapters about humility deeply impacted me. This is not his best book, but it's a good one.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Much Needed Study on an over-familiar passage, May 2, 2006

By 

M. Brinkley (Eure, North Carolina) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Only Way To Happiness: The Beatitudes (Foundations of the Faith) (Paperback)

People are very familiar with the Beatitudes, but very dull in their understanding of it. Christians, as well as others, can sometimes quote it but they have no true understanding of it. Whether it's Psalm 23, the "Lord's Prayer, or the Beatitudes people have "traditionally" been drawn to these passages of Holy Scripture yet many of their insights are surface level at best. MacArthur does a fine job in uncovering the true meaning of the Lord Jesus' teachings. The Beatitudes is not just a teaching on how a person is to live, it's not just a teaching on how to become a Christian, but it's also a teaching on how to be truly "blessed/joyful." Happiness is found in the center of God's will. Obedience to the Lord puts us underneath the facet of God's blessings. I would write more, but I don't want to give away the blessings of God's Word before you read it for yourself. Be blessed!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Really read the Beatitudes, December 19, 2006

By 

Dorothy of Oz "Sooz" (Oklahoma) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Only Way To Happiness: The Beatitudes (Foundations of the Faith) (Paperback)

Wow! I have never heard anyone teach about the Beatitudes like John MacArthur has. Even though this book isn't very large, it took me a long time to read...not because it was boring, but because it explains the Beatitudes thoroughly. John MacArthur takes each part and breaks it down, tells history/context, and how to apply it to our own lives. A great book. Would make a great gift to someone who loves to study God's Word!