He was the towering preacher of his age. John Fullerton MacArthur, Jr., known to so many as “Pastor John,” has died, after more than a half-century of faithful preaching. John McArthur was the son and grandson of preachers. He became pastor of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California just as the state was exploding.

John was a master expositor of Scripture, and his straightforward preaching built his church, then built a larger preaching ministry, then a vast reach by radio, and then a movement to encourage and train preachers from all over the world. He was president of The Master’s University and The Master’s Seminary and the founder of Grace to You—which now makes tens of thousands of hours of John’s preaching available 24/7. He completed preaching the entire New Testament, verse-by-verse, in 2011—and kept preaching.

He was a man of courage and Christian character. He was my dear friend.

I thank God for the life and legacy of John MacArthur.