Is it fear? Lack of faith?? Memories of pleasure those things gave us in the past???
I say...
None of the above.
They were both afraid to wait for God to work in her life. He wanted her to demonstrate before his eyes the miracle so that he could notch his bible. She was discouraged by his impatience and demands that flogged her out of the house.
Hopefully, she’s not forever discouraged. If she allows the spirit to continue his work in her life. She will eventually experience the miracle and lay that little book at the foot of the cross.
Faith is a difficult thing to explain to some people.
This story is simple to understand when you acknowledge that MacArthur believes in salvation by works. It is difficult at first to see through the Calvinist doublespeak, but their is a chain of logic to it.
If A=B, and B=C, then A=C.
Salvation is by grace through “faith”. Faith without works is not faith. The “grace” force which causes you to go through the belief theater, also forces you to do good works. Therefore, salvation is by works; you just pretend that God is the One doing them. If you do not do the works you go to Hell.
Under his form of Calvinism, generally known as “Lordship Salvation”, it is pointless to feel anything about this woman because under that doctrine she is totally unable to give up her book of contacts until irresistible “grace” makes her do so. Your comment Samurai, presumes that believing is something real that the woman is actually doing.
He wanted her to demonstrate before his eyes the miracle so that he could notch his bible. She was discouraged by his impatience and demands that flogged her out of the house.
.....................................
Maybe not. Jesus told the woman at the well to go and sin no more. Stating the next steps in faith can be done with love, understanding and concern.
The thing about demanding instant works is that it can give a person a false sense of being saved. They did X, Y, and Z because they were told they were supposed to and therefore they are saved, even if they might not be.
I am forever grateful that nobody pounced on me and demanded I start going to church, get a Bible and start reading it, start giving to church, etc. I did it because I felt I needed to, but it did NOT happen instantly. Soon after my decision, yes, but it was a process.
And now I can look back and see that I did it because of the regenerated nature, not because someone told me I was *supposed* to be doing those things.
If this story is true and not some Christian urban legend, then God dealt with her if her commitment was genuine. But I can see why she’d never go back to MacArthur’s church.