MacArthur, in his usual style, takes us along a winding, twisting road of history and vocabulary lessons that leave us scratching our heads and wondering when he will ever get to the point.
Nothing is ever straight forward. Nothing is ever Black & White. We can't help but wonder how Christians living before the 20th century could have even understood the Bible. Apparently we need massive libraries and Internet access to understand how each word of the text was used by Plato and Augustine, Luther and Melancthon as well as the latest edition of Strong's concordance along with Liddell & Scott.
By the time he's finished with his hermeneutical roadmap his listeners have been lulled into a stupor with nothing left to think about except how well his tie matches his suit.
When it's all said and done, I believe MacArthur is equating Sanctification with Spiritual growth and I believe that is a sad comparison.
Does a Christian grow in Grace and Truth? Of course they do. God didn't give us a "Tweet" (140 characters or less) from Jehovah@therealjehovah. He gave us the Bible and it takes time to read the Bible.
Christians grow in Grace and Truth but their Sanctification is complete in Christ. Christ is our Righteousness.
The Apparent Paradox of Sanctification