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In this sermon on union with Christ, Dr, Martyn Lloyd Jones states that “The union of the believer with Christ is one of the most glorious doctrines of the Christian faith.” What makes this biblical doctrine extremely beautiful and incredibly vital to one’s understanding of Christian living? How does it differ from the false views of eternity and spirituality? In this sermon, Dr. Lloyd-Jones teaches what it means to be permanently, irrevocably united with Christ. Christians are now partakers of the divine nature, complete through His priestly work. Their relationship with God is personal and individual. There is no need for Catholicism’s idea of an intermediary as the relationship is not dependent on a church or priest. Beginning with the mystics, a view of eternity and spirituality has emerged that reduces a person after death to no more than a part of the spiritual aura surrounding the universe. Dr. Lloyd-Jones cuts through this false view and demonstrates the beauty of the Christian worldview where Christians maintain a distinct personhood throughout now and eternity, while still enjoying the divine nature due to the union with Christ.
In this sermon on Romans 6:3 titled “Union with Christ,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones breaks down several thoughts or viewpoints concerning baptism, including the Catholic and Protestant views. In addition, he also discusses several views within each belief. In Romans 6:3, it almost seems like Paul is stating that baptism into Christ is baptism in His death. Dr. Lloyd-Jones warns that if one is stumbling over specifics in the varying viewpoints, they could potentially miss the glories that baptism represents. The most glorious aspect of baptism is that Christians are in Christ and He is in them. The saved were once in Adam and dead because of sin, but their union with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection is shown through baptism. This means that the final salvation is guaranteed. Whatever viewpoint is held, the Christian must always acknowledge that they are literally united with Christ and baptism shows a united nature with Him.
The truth that all Christians are united with Christ changes everything. It is no overstatement to say that the doctrine of Christians’ union with Christ is one the most important truths for anyone to understand. It is this glorious doctrine that Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones expounds in this sermon on Romans 7:4 titled “Union With Christ: Its Nature.” Looking at the apostle Paul’s epistle to the Romans, he shows that those who believe in the gospel have been delivered from sin and darkness once and for all. While all are born in Adam, all who believe are born supernaturally into Christ Jesus. It means that the law of sin and death no longer reigns in the Christian, and that they are now part of God’s family and now forgiven from all sin. They are safe in salvation as Christ is loving and powerful. This doctrine is the ultimate hope against all depression, sorrow, and loneliness because it teaches that Christians have a great friend in Jesus. Listeners are encouraged to ask: “do you believe in Jesus? Do you believe that He has died for sinners? Do you have assurance that God loves?” There is great hope to all who have truly forsaken themselves and put their trust in Jesus.
In Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones’s sermon on 1 Peter 1:3-5, he describes, “the great characteristic of the New Testament.” This being our response the gospel. Dr. Lloyd-Jones points out how Peter “burst forth in Praise to Christ” when he relayed the gospel to his audience. But we must ask ourselves, do we have a similar response? Is there the same spirit within us that was in Peter? Well, to answer this question, Dr. Lloyd-Jones first defines what the gospel is. It is, simply put, the resurrection of Jesus Christ who, by rising from the dead, takes away the sins of the world. Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that by rising from the dead, Christ becomes our living hope who enables us to endure hardships that we go through in life. But how is the resurrection of Christ a living hope, and why should we celebrate it with such joy? Dr. Lloyd-Jones establishes that the resurrection of Christ is, in fact, a living hope because Christ died and rose again. He defeated sin and death and now is a living hope to all who believe in him. Our sinful selves were buried with Christ so that we can live as new people. However, this is not the final step to unification with Christ. No, we are only truly unified with Christ when we enter heaven. When we pass from this world into eternity, our physical body will be renewed as well so that the entire man will be renewed. Dr. Lloyd-Jones then finishes his sermon by asking the question, “Have we got this living hope?”
Why is the doctrine of union with Christ so important? Many people consider theology to be useless and irrelevant for their everyday life. They want what is practical. In this sermon on Romans 7:4 titled “Union – Its Privileges and Purpose,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones expounds on the great theological doctrine of union with Christ and its everyday importance. He says the Christian has hope anew each and every day because they have died to themselves and now live in Christ. The doctrine of union with Christ teaches that they are no longer slaves to themselves, but are now slaves to Christ. They are inheritors of all the promises because they are one in Christ Jesus. This is the pure and unmatched hope of the gospel: God in Jesus Christ for His people. What of those that do not know Jesus? It is only in Christ that anyone can have true hope and all those that reject His gospel reject the only way of salvation. This is why the church must preach Jesus Christ and Him crucified. The church is not only the bride of Christ, but also the ambassador of Christ in the world. This sermon asks all if they have this hope. Are they now one with Christ?
On one hand, people fail to realize the depth of sin. On the other hand, they fail to see the height and glory of the gospel. The problem with the church today is that it fails at both of these points. In this sermon on Ephesians 2:4–7 titled “Risen with Christ,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones declares what makes one a Christian: their union with Christ. In this union, the Christian has been raised together with the Lord Jesus Christ. Rejoicing in the heights of one’s own resurrection makes sense only when the believer understands their original state of death. By nature they were children of wrath. Jesus died for them and their old nature died with Him. In dying with Him they are also raised with Him. Starting at this point of human depravity, Dr. Lloyd-Jones explores the goodness of union with Christ. Christians, he declares, are dead to the law and no longer under the curse of sin. Christians are alive unto God. The new person thinks in terms of eternity. They care not only for their body but also for their soul. They seek to share Christ with the lost and want to please God. Listen as Dr. Lloyd-Jones asks, “Have you been raised together with Christ? Do you know God?” Rejoice as one risen with Christ.
What has God done for the Christian? In this sermon on Ephesians 2:4–7 titled “In Christ Jesus,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones focuses on Paul’s answer to this question. Paul is concerned that believers are clear about what God has done for them. True Christianity is what God has done to and for the believer. People can decide to be religious, to start or stop doing things, and believe that God forgives them, but that is not essentially Christianity. Some schools of thought have taught that the doctrine of union with Christ is something the Christian strives to attain. But apart from this union, a person is not a Christian. One must examine themselves and ask: is my way of thinking of myself as a Christian in terms of what I am striving to do or make of myself? The difference between the unbeliever and believer is that the believer has a new disposition bending or redirecting their faculties accordingly, affecting the whole person — mind, heart, and will. Birth is sudden and so it is with the new birth. One cannot understand or explain it fully; all one knows is that it has happened. It is a creative act of God that the apostles, and others, referred to as the “new creation.” Apart from union with Christ, this new regeneration cannot make a Christian.
According to Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, the biblical view of marriage is not a sacrament or simply a legal union. The biblical view is a covenant union between a man and woman that reflects the relationship between Christ and the church. Because marriage is a picture of this relationship, Christians are not to marry someone who does not have faith in Christ. In this sermon on Ephesians 5:22–24 titled “The Analogy of the Body,” Dr. Lloyd-Jones argues that husbands are to care for their wives in the same way that Christ cares for His church, and that the wife is to submit to the husband as the church submits to Christ. This submission is to be seen in the broader context of a loving relationship where both seek the good of the other. This does not make the wife inferior or less than the husband as some claim. Nor does this mean that the wife has to do everything that the husband commands without exception. The wife is to serve God and Christ before any other. All believers are ultimately under the authority of Jesus Christ.
Evangelical unity is not simply a matter of associations and coalitions, but it is a based on the central doctrines of the faith. In this sermon titled “Evangelical Unity,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones preaches that unity is centered on doctrine; the doctrines of the natures of Christ, the sufficient atoning work of Christ, the doctrine of justification by faith, and the doctrine of God’s word. This is a Spirit-empowered supernatural work in the life of believers that unites them to God and to one another. The church cannot sacrifice the truth of the Christian faith and God’s word for the appearance of union, for true evangelical union is found in the non-negotiable doctrines of Christianity. Evangelicals should seek to build up the church around God’s truth as found in His word. To substitute unity in the gospel for worldly unity based on nothing more than human institutions is to compromise the truth of the Christian faith. The pursuit of evangelical union will often cause controversy and division, but this is the inevitable effect of seeking to follow God above people. Evangelicals are not to compromise the glorious truths of God’s word for the fading recognition of sinful people and the world. God commands His church to follow Him no matter the cost.
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.
What does the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints have to do with identity as the body of Christ? Very much, says Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, in his sermon on Romans 8:28–30 titled “Eternity Secure (1).” One must be careful to remember that Christ did not come to just save isolated individuals but instead came to redeem His people, the church. The spiritual union between the church and Christ is modeled after the essential union between the Father and the Son. So, says Dr. Lloyd-Jones, it is absurd to think Christ’s love for His church can be frustrated somehow as if the Father’s love for the Son could be disrupted. Part of the assurance is based on the glorious truth that Christians are those the Father has given to His Son. It is impossible to imagine separation or falling away if one remembers that Christ died for the church in order to redeem it, perfect it, and present her to God the Father. Moreover, argues Dr. Lloyd-Jones, is the fact that perseverance is guaranteed based upon the teaching of chastisement. God refuses to leave His children alone. He will be faithful to discipline in order to conform His children more and more to the image of His Son. In the end, they are secure in Christ. Praise should erupt to the God who calls, keeps, preserves and will never forsake.
The Christian must consider how they feel about sin and about Jesus Christ. They must ask if their sin disgusts them to where they are driven to confession and repentance, and if they are drawn to love God, His Word, and people more and more? In this sermon on John 1:16 titled “For Christ’s Love Compels Us,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones delves into the joyous details surrounding the love of the Savior and how His love affects lives and desires. Paramount to understanding how the love of Christ affects is understanding the doctrine of union with Christ. This doctrine explains that those who have repented and believed in Christ are also united with Him. This not only means that the Christian is united to a righteousness like Christ’s through sanctification and justification, but also that they have been united to a death like Christ’s, namely, that they have died to sin. From this point Dr. Lloyd-Jones shows how the follower of Christ is not merely credited with Christ’s goodness, but also given a new heart and new desires to put off sin and put on righteousness.
One of the most exalted ways the church is depicted in Scripture is through the metaphor of the body of Christ. Not only is it an exalted picture of the church, but the church as the body of Christ is one of the most intimate metaphors of the New Testament church. In this sermon on Ephesians 1:20–23 titled “The Church Which is His Body,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explains that the metaphor of the body of Christ demonstrates that the church is in union with Christ, Christ is the head or source of the church, and Christ fills His body with life. The understanding of the doctrine of the church would be severely restricted if this picture were not in the Scriptures. Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones examines this metaphor in great detail and with great passion, preaching on this source of unity and holiness. Dr. Lloyd-Jones also challenges a popular view of sanctification which regards any working on the part of the believer as misguided. Listen as these themes are brought together in such a way as to challenge the members of Christ’s body to remember the great source of power as one mortifies sin and resists the devil.
Does the Christian rejoice that they are a child of God and an heir to the coming glory? Through his sermon on Romans 8:17 titled “Heirs According to the Promise,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones joyfully proclaims that every time that Paul references the Spirit being a seal, he also mentions that the Spirit is the guarantor of the fact that believers are heirs with Christ. This fact is great assurance and certainty of the Christian faith: if Christians are children of God, then they are also His heirs. Paul once again demonstrates that believers have union with Christ; it is absolute and cannot end. Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones expresses that only Christians have this kind of hope. The inheritance of glory for Christians was set before the beginning of time in God. This is a great promise and is shown often throughout Scripture. All believers are joint heirs with Christ and should be looking toward the coming of their Savior.
All Christians should seek to know and love God more. In this sermon on Ephesians 3:17 titled “The Indwelling Christ,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones says that part of this pursuit is what he refers to as the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. This indwelling should be thought of differently from the sealing of the Holy Spirit that all believers experience when they are saved and regenerated. This experience of the indwelling of Christ is one that comes when Christians seek to cultivate deep and abiding love for Christ and his word. It is not a one-time experience or action, but it should continue throughout the life of all believers. This relationship can be thought of as a mystical union whereby Christ and the believer are united in a special and mysterious way. This is an objective experience that is not simply emotional, but it is born out of a real knowledge of who Christ is and what He has done in His death. Dr. Lloyd-Jones cautions that this great truth should not promote feelings of spiritual superiority in believers, but it should strengthen all believers in their pursuit of Christ in this life. This is not a special experience reserved for the spiritual elite, but it is something that all Christians can experience by the power of the Holy Spirit.
The strongest building is vulnerable by a weak foundation. How firm is the Christian’s foundation? As Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones proclaims in this sermon “Analysis” on Romans 1:1, a life built on the word of God and growing in sound doctrine is spared from the storms and threats that devastates many lives. Since the Christian’s union is with Christ and their fellowship with the local church, they grow in righteousness as they learn from the entire counsel of God. Listen as Dr. Lloyd-Jones overviews Paul’s letter to the church at Rome and explains the reason this letter is so important to the Christian life. In it is found certainty, security of salvation, and future glorification that awaits all who are declared righteous and saved by faith.
What is the minimum of what it means to be a Christian? In this sermon on Ephesians 1:1 titled “Saints…and Faithful in Christ Jesus,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones addresses this question. Three striking descriptions are proclaimed from this text: saints, faithful, and union with Christ. Dr. Lloyd-Jones centers his sermon around these descriptors and shows what the apostle Paul meant by these terms. While many Christians have a tendency to emphasize one of these descriptions over against the other, Dr. Lloyd-Jones calls the Christian to hold these together. The failure to do so is damaging to the church as Christianity is reduced to either some form of “easy believism” or an academic exercise. Correct doctrine, holiness, and participation in Christ must be at the center of one’s definition of “Christian.” Christians who have a burden for the lost must know who they are and what they are called to be, according to Dr. Lloyd-Jones. Having a robust understanding of what it means to be a Christian has a direct effect on one’s witness to the world.
The Bible tells that in marriage the wife is to submit to the loving and caring leadership of the husband, just as Christ himself submits to God the Father. Additionally, husbands are to love their wives just as Christ loves the church. In this sermon on true love from Ephesians 5:25–33, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones exhorts that every Christian marriage is to be marked by this love and service. It is not to be an oppressive and cruel union, but in all things it is to reflect Christ’s love. It is also to be marked by real communion and fellowship between husband and wife. Dr. Lloyd-Jones says this to confront the error that says that all sexual and physical pleasure in marriage is either wrong or not important. The Christian marriage is one that involves many forms of love, including physical love. This is in stark contrast to those who teach celibacy and abstention from sexual pleasure as a higher life than that of the married. This kind of thinking misses the biblical teaching that marriage is good and created by God for His glorification and human enjoyment. It is God who made marriage as a representation of the great relationship between Christ Jesus and the church.
What is the ultimate experience in this life? Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explains in this sermon from John 4:13–14 titled “The Spirit of Your Mind” that to know and love God is the highest end in life, and it is the only way of salvation from sin and condemnation. However, the presence of sin keeps humanity from knowing God and his gospel. It stops all from believing in Jesus Christ. It is only by regeneration that fallen men and women can be granted eyes of faith that are able to properly see God, and only by receiving a new nature can they truly know God. This creates an antithesis between fallen sinners who remain slaves to their sinful nature, and those who have been given a new nature by their union with Christ. In brief, Christians seek what is good, holy, and pure as a pattern of life. This desire for righteousness is not dead religion, but new life in Jesus Christ. Those in Christ can fight against sin and temptation, not because they are holy in themselves, but because they are empowered by the Holy Spirit to have victory over sin’s power and influence. Christians can have hope in eventual glorification because Christ has risen from the dead and given them the gift of salvation.
Should the Christian continue in sin so that grace may abound? God forbid. Aided by their natural minds, some in Paul’s day made it a habit of using grace as a cloak for sin. Paul argues against this mindset as he refutes those who charged him with preaching antinomianism—the belief that the gospel absolves any obligation to keep moral law. In this sermon on Romans 6:1–2 titled “Dead to Sin,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones contends that anyone who lives according to that belief has not yet begun to understand basic biblical doctrines. Instead of rightly living by grace, there were some in Rome who lived in depression as they sulked in their continual failures. Dr. Lloyd-Jones applies the timeless text in Romans to the many Christians who suffer from a sin-laden depression today. In this Palm Sunday sermon, he shows that the beautiful remedy for such a miserable depression is a true understanding of the cross of Christ and the union of the believer with Christ. Everyone is either in Christ or they are not. They have either been crucified with Christ and died to sin, or stand condemned in their sin.
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