John Murray (theologian)
John Murray (October 14, 1898 – May 8, 1975) was a Scottish Calvinist theologian who helped shape 20th-century Reformed theology. He was born on a croft at Badbea near Bonar Bridge, Sutherland, Scotland. In World War I he served in the British Army with the Black Watch and lost an eye. After the war he studied at the University of Glasgow and began theological study with the Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland.
Murray then studied at Princeton Theological Seminary under J. Gresham Machen and Geerhardus Vos, but left the Free Presbyterian Church in 1930 over a disciplinary matter in Chesley, Ontario. He taught at Princeton for a year and then spent many years (1930–1966) teaching systematic theology at Westminster Theological Seminary, helping to found the seminary and becoming a long-time professor. He was ordained in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church in 1937 and was an early trustee of the Banner of Truth Trust.
His most important writings include Redemption Accomplished and Applied, The Imputation of Adam’s Sin, Principles of Conduct, Baptism, and Divorce. He also wrote a commentary on the Epistle to the Romans, which was once part of the New International Commentary on the New Testament but has been superseded by Douglas J. Moo’s edition.
Murray preached in Chesley and Lochalsh from time to time. After retiring from Westminster in 1966, he returned to Scotland, joined the Free Church of Scotland, and married Valerie Knowlton on December 7, 1967. He is remembered for his deep influence on Reformed theology and his claim that Lochalsh felt most like home. He died on May 8, 1975, aged 76.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 18:45 (CET).