From the MLJ Archive

What is regeneration, and how can one know if it has taken place in their life? In this sermon on regeneration titled “A Child of God in Christ,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones tackles these questions as he leads through key passages in 1 John and Galatians. Dr. Lloyd-Jones systematically shows how salvation is proven in the life of a believer. Regeneration occurs when God implants spiritual life into people. Authentic regeneration proves itself in those who are living under the lordship of Jesus Christ as they outwardly demonstrate His holiness. But what does it look like? A genuine believer will show this regeneration in their love of other believers, conviction over sin, and desire for spiritual things. No one can produce this on their own. Regeneration means union with Christ. As Jesus taught in the gospels, a believer’s relationship with Him is similar to the interaction of a vine and its branches—just as a branch cannot thrive or survive without the support from the vine, change in the life of a believer cannot take place apart from that person’s union with Christ.

Why do some believe in Christ’s message while others do not? In this sermon titled on the new birth, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones answers this by appealing to the biblical doctrine of the new birth. This new birth is an act of God by which He regenerates the hearts and minds of fallen people. From this act of regeneration comes the new life with new desires and dispositions. This new person lives a Spirit-empowered life that evidences the supernatural work of Christ. In this it is seen that regeneration does not merely change one’s standing with God, but it transforms their very hearts and minds. Because this new life is brought about by the work of the Spirit, it is kept by the work of the Spirit so that once a person has been born again they cannot lose this new nature. The new person cannot become old again, for it is the Spirit that forms and keeps them. Once the Spirit transforms the believer, they will seek a life that honors Christ. This seeking of Christ and His kingdom do not make a person new, but it is the result of the Spirit regenerating them and making them a new creation in Christ Jesus the Savior.

How does God remove sin and make a person new? In this sermon on regeneration, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explains that it is the result of the work of God’s Holy Spirit applying the work of Christ to the hearts and minds of those that are called according to His will. When people are granted the gift of God’s grace by the work of the Spirit, they are transformed and renewed. They are new creatures and part of the new creation that Christ has brought and will bring. The transformation that is brought about by regeneration does not change the substance of people, but it renews their minds and gives them new desires. These new Spirit-gifted dispositions result in a new life. This is the life of the Christian who seeks to love God and their neighbor. It causes them to love new things that they once despised, and it causes them to hate old things that they once loved. This is brought about by the sovereign work of God in the life of sinners that He chooses to renew and adopt into His family. This work cannot be directly perceived, nor can it be understood fully, but it is the beginning of the new life. It is a rebirth that wholly and completely reorients the will and desires of a once sinful people. It is the fountainhead of the new life in Christ.

The gospel call goes to all, but only some are saved. Some are not saved. What’s the difference? In this sermon titled “Effectual Call,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones examines that while the gospel call goes to all, this effectual calling goes to those who will be saved. On its own, humanity is incapable of any true spiritual activity. No one can know the things of God. How, then, does one ever come to the point of discerning and delighting in the truth of God? Dr. Lloyd-Jones traces the theology of this effectual calling through the Scriptures. In it, he demonstrates that this effectual call is what enables Christians to receive the gospel. It is the internal operation of the Holy Spirit upon the souls of humanity. It produces change. And since this calling is the work of the Spirit, it is absolutely certain. The called person will now desire the truth of God. They are able to know the things of God. This is not something they have done for themselves, but it is the work of God. They are, therefore, debtors to mercy alone. Listen, as Dr. Lloyd-Jones declares, “I am what I am by the grace of God.”

What is so unique about Pentecost? Certainly, it was not the first time the Holy Spirit had come upon a believer. Yet, there must be something special about this occurrence. What is the significance of the coming of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2 at Pentecost? In this sermon on the significance of Pentecost, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explores the operation of the Spirit throughout the Old Testament, contrasting the Spirit’s work among the Old Testament saints with the Spirit’s work in the New Testament. In Acts, the Spirit is poured out upon all believers in a way which unites the diverse people of God into one body. Listen as he examines this Jerusalem event, followed by similar outpourings in Samaria and Ephesus. What one discovers is that the result of Pentecost is the formation of the church of Christ. The body of Christ is welded together into one. Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that this event happened once, never again to be repeated. The church has been established and from that point on, every believer is indwelt by the Holy Spirit in His fullness. The listener is led to praise God for the gift of the Holy Spirit, who dwells with them and is in them.

When did the Holy Spirit begin His work? Was it only after Pentecost or was He active and present before that important day? In this sermon on the Holy Spirit’s role in creation and common grace, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explain his method of approach when coming to difficult doctrines or statements in Scripture, including the topic of the Holy Spirit. Unpacking the biblical evidence, one can say with confidence that the Holy Spirit was manifest before the day of Pentecost. He was manifest in the creation of the world; that is, He operated in creation by sustaining it. The Holy Spirit is also manifest through common grace. Common grace, Dr. Lloyd-Jones tells the listener, is the general blessings applied to all according to the pleasure and will of God. Common grace is seen everywhere. The culture is filled with common grace and aids in understanding of how God works to maintain order by government rule and restraining sin, as well as the joy and pleasure experienced through art, music, and science. The conscience found in everyone is manifest in morality and religion that pervades the cultures. But the morality, politics, religions, and beauty are not the main point. All of these things, these marks of common grace, glorify God because it is only through the Spirit that the gifts are distributed to humankind.

Christians tend to only think of the atonement of Christ’s death for sin. In this sermon on the Rule and Reign of Christ, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones teaches that there are many aspects of God’s creation which are affected by the death of Christ. One must not think forgiveness of sin is the only benefit from the atonement. Even the Lord Jesus Christ Himself has been affected by His work on the cross. What is the listener to make of these things? Dr. Lloyd-Jones surveys the Scripture in order to show how common benefits or common grace comes to humanity as a consequence of the Lord Jesus Christ’s death. Listen as he preaches on the blessings unbelievers and angels receive as a result of the atoning work of Christ. Hear as Dr, Lloyd-Jones considers the special and new glory the Lord Jesus Christ receives in the incarnation. It is only as a result of His obedient death on the cross that He receives this peculiar glory. Finally, as one witnesses the crucifixion, they learn about Christ’s mediatorial kingship and what it means for the church as He rules and reigns over it.

What are the results and consequences of the atonement? In this sermon on covenant blessings, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explores the new covenant made on Calvary by the blood of Jesus Christ. Dr. Lloyd-Jones returns back to the Old Testament laws and sacrifices that give the context for the New Testament’s teaching on this saving decree and the significance of Jesus Christ as the Savior and High Priest. Dr. Lloyd-Jones also deals with the issue of antinomianism and how the everlasting covenant under Jesus dispels wrong thinking. Clear thinking on the new covenant fills the believer with boldness, assurance, and confidence in their access to God. When God’s children are unified with Christ, His forgiveness of sins is applied to their account and they live in ongoing joy and peace before Him.

In addition to taking the punishment for sin on the cross, what else did Jesus’s death accomplish? In this sermon on Christ's victory on the cross, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explains that Jesus’s death was not only a passive act of receiving God’s wrath, but also an active sign of victory. Dr. Lloyd-Jones emphasizes that this victorious nature of the atonement is not a denial of penal substitution. Jesus first and foremost came to bear the punishment for sin. This doctrine doesn't remove it; it adds to it. Jesus went beyond passive sin-bearing, and actively defeated all enemies on the cross. Dr. Lloyd-Jones highlights three enemies Jesus destroyed. First, Jesus defeated Satan. He put him to shame on the cross. Second, Jesus defeated death. No longer does death reign over the children of God. And third, Jesus defeated sin. While Christians still sin, they are no longer under the power of sin. As a result, the whole universe is affected by Jesus’s death. Jesus dealt with and removed all enemies against His people.

What does the Bible mean when it calls God both just and the justifier? Moreover, was the atonement really necessary? Were there any other ways? In this sermon on the atonement, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explores these questions in his ongoing series of the Doctrine of the Atonement. After he reviews his previous seven arguments for the Protestant view of the atonement, he gives his final and last reason: the Bible emphasizes the death on the cross as an absolute necessity. By exploring Jesus’s words in the Garden of Gethsemane and epistles of Paul, Dr. Lloyd-Jones gives a clear picture for the biblical and Protestant view of the atonement. Dr. Lloyd-Jones also navigates through some objections against both the general doctrine of the atonement and the specific doctrine of the penal substitutionary atonement. This sermon by Dr. Lloyd-Jones is helpful as he gives arguments for and against this glorious doctrine of the atonement and offers robust understanding of salvation and justification by Christ alone.