Pastor John MacArthur's Open Letter to Governor Gavin "Groomer" Newsom

Governor Gavin Newsom

1021 O Street, Suite 9000

Sacramento, CA 95814

 

Sir,

Almighty God says in His Word, “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people” (Proverbs 14:34). Scripture also teaches that it is the chief duty of any civic leader to reward those who do well and to punish evildoers (Romans 13:1–7). You have not only failed in that responsibility; you routinely turn it on its head, rewarding evildoers and punishing the righteous.

The Word of God pronounces judgment on those who call evil good and good evil (Isaiah 5:20), and yet many of your policies reflect this unholy, upside-down view of honor and morality. The diabolical effects of your worldview are evident in the statistics of California’s epidemics of crime, homelessness, sexual perversions (like homosexuality and transgenderism), and other malignant expressions of human misery that stem directly from corrupt public policy. I don’t need to itemize or elaborate on the many immoral decisions you have perpetrated against God and the people of our state, which have only exacerbated these problems. Nevertheless, my goal in writing is not to contend with your politics, but rather to plead with you to hear and heed what the Word of God says to men in your position.

“Let all kings bow down before Him, all nations serve Him” (Psalm 72:11).

“He who rules over men righteously, who rules in the fear of God, is as the light of the morning when the sun rises” (2 Samuel 23:3–4).

“It is an abomination for kings to commit wicked acts, for a throne is established on righteousness” (Proverbs 16:12).

What God said to Cyrus is a truth you should take to heart: “I am the LORD, and there is no other; besides Me there is no God. I will gird you, though you have not known Me; that men may know from the rising to the setting of the sun that there is no one besides Me. I am the LORD, and there is no other” (Isaiah 45:5–6).

In mid-September, you revealed to the entire nation how thoroughly rebellious against God you are when you sponsored billboards across America promoting the slaughter of children, whom He creates in the womb (Psalm 139:13–16; Isaiah 45:9–12). You further compounded the wickedness of that murderous campaign with a reprehensible act of gross blasphemy, quoting the very words of Jesus from Mark 12:31 as if you could somehow twist His meaning and arrogate His name in favor of butchering unborn infants. You used the name and the words of Christ to promote the credo of Molech (Leviticus 20:1–5). It would be hard to imagine a greater sacrilege.

Furthermore, you chose words from the lips of Jesus without admitting that in the same moment He gave the greatest commandment: “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength” (Mark 12:30). You cannot love God as He commands while aiding in the murder of His image-bearers.

Psalm 50:16–19 speaks to people who pervert the Word of God for their own sinful ends:

But to the wicked God says,
“What right have you to recount My statutes
And to take My covenant in your mouth?
For you hate discipline,
And you cast My words behind you.
When you see a thief, you are pleased with him,
And you associate with adulterers.
You let your mouth loose in evil
And you harness your tongue for deceit.”

My concern, Governor Newsom, is that your own soul lies in grave, eternal peril. “Each one of us will give an account of himself to God” (Romans 14:12). One day, not very long from now, you will face that reality. Nothing is more certain. “It is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). You will stand in the presence of the Holy God who created you, who is your Judge, and He will demand that you give an account for how you have flouted His authority in your governing, and how you have twisted His own Holy Word to rationalize it. As you look over the precipice of eternity, what will your answer be? When you look ahead of you and see that nothing awaits you but eternal misery—the just punishment for your sins—what will all the clever rationalizations and political talking points avail for you then? And by then it will be too late for any remedy or redemption. “It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:31).

My plea to you, Sir, is that you would not let it come to that—that you would not go to that day of judgment apart from receiving forgiveness and righteousness through faith in Christ alone. In Psalm 50, after rebuking the wicked for uttering God’s words in a profane way, Scripture makes this promise: “Now consider this, you who forget God, lest I tear you in pieces, and there will be none to deliver. He who offers a sacrifice of thanksgiving glorifies Me; and he who orders his way, I shall show the salvation of God” (Psalm 50:22–23).

So there is salvation for those who repent. Christ purchased full redemption for all who will turn from wickedness, forsake their evil thoughts and actions, and trust fully in Him as Lord and Savior.

Our church, and countless Christians nationwide, are praying for your full repentance. Please respond to the gospel, forsake the path of wickedness you have pursued all your life, turn to Christ, ask for forgiveness, and use your office to advance the cause of righteousness (as is your duty) instead of undermining it (as has been your pattern).

Seek the LORD while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return to the LORD, and He will have compassion on him, and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon. (Isaiah 55:6–7)

Governor Newsom, “now is the acceptable time, behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2).

 

For the Master,

John MacArthur
Pastor-Teacher

Coronavirus: Why All the Hype?

The title may seem unkind to many.

But really, let's get this Coronavirus crisis in perspective.

Here are some crucial data to help us see this viral spread in light of other health plagues:

Intelligence Report, University of Hamburg

The number of deaths in the world in the first two months of 2020

       2360 : Corona virus

      69602 : Common cold

      140 584 : Malaria

     153,696 : suicide

     193,479 : road accidents

     240,950 : HIV loss

     358,471 : alcohol

     716,498 : smoking

  1,177,141 : Cancer

 Then do you think Corona is dangerous?

 Or is the purpose of the media campaign to settle the trade war between China and America

Or to reduce financial markets to prepare the stage of financial markets for mergers and acquisitions

Or to sell US Treasury bonds to cover the fiscal deficit in them

Or is it a Panic created by Pharma companies to sell their products like sanitizer, masks, medicine etc.

If you look, more people die from the common cold, cancer, HIV than the coronavirus!

So, what is going on?

People are more afraid of what they cannot control, what they cannot understand. The Coronavirus can catch anyone unawares, and it's not detectable with our eyes.

The Coronavirus undermines people's sense of self-control and mastery.

When it comes to cancer, alcohol abuse, or even HIV, there are best practices and behaviors which are easy to abide by, which enable individuals to avoid contracting these illnessess or falling victim to these diseases.

But let's take this analysis one step further.

This Coronavirus crisis truly is a great deal of hype, and nothing more. This virus will not kill you, necessarily, if you catch the virus. It's important and necessary to stay at home, rest, and recover. It's worthwhile to stay put and stay in peace.

And that is the larger problem in this world. People are running around, scurrying, refusing to rest, refusing to let God lead, let God reign. Well, point of fact God is going to reign, whether we respect Him or not.

But it works so much better for all of us if we just sit down and let Him make all our enemies our footstool. This was a big problem for me. Over the last two years, more or less, I have needed to learn to walk more and more by faith. I don't necessarily understand everything that is happening, but it does not mean that nothing is happening. It was essential for me to stop listening to the upsetting voices inside of me that were telling me to worry, wonder, and get worked up about what could be happening--or whether something was happening or not.

The people in this world think that the world cannot operate without their efforts, without their scheming.

Well, God has something to say about that:

"The wicked plotteth against the just, and gnasheth upon him with his teeth.

"The Lord shall laugh at him: for he seeth that his day is coming." (Psalm 37:12-13)

People have laid out their best plots and plans, to do the best they can, or rather the worst, for their benefit and at the price of everyone else.

James writes:

"13Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: 14Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. 15For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that." (James 4:13-15)

People around the world think that they have everything mapped out. They know where they are going, and they know how they are going to get there. They have mapped out their lives five years in advance, and they never once considered what God wanted, or what God could do, if He so chose.

As for the world:

"He stretcheth out the north over the empty place, and hangeth the earth upon nothing." (Job 26:7)

The world hangs on nothing. The world does not need our help to keep turning, either.

The fallen people of this world are falling victim to their own self-loving pre-eminence. They are not victims of the worlds that they mapped out in their own minds, and it all comes to naught.

As for me and my house, we are resting in the LORD, believing that He is taking care of all things for us. The hype will affect this fallen world, as it should. For too long, they have treated God with such arrogant disdain, assuming that they are gods unto themselves. Now they face their grave mortality, and the greatest fear has come upon them:

"14Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; 15And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage." (Hebrews 2:14-15)

For those who walk by faith, not by sight, there is nothing to fear. For those who trust in Christ Jesus, there is no reason for the hype. For those who do not believe, hype and the hurts and harms which follow are inevitable--and they are indeed necessary to teach these fallen, rebellious creatures on two legs to honor their Creator and believe on their Redeemer.