Spiritual Ignorance: The Root of Unbelief
A Sermon on Acts 3:17
Originally preached May 23, 1965
Scripture
17And now, brethren, I wot that through ignorance ye did it, as did also your rulers.
Sermon Description
Why is it that so many are not interested in Christ? Ignorance. Here in Acts 3:17, Peter confronts the crowd with the truth of their dire condition. They are ignorant of Christ and of His resurrection. In this sermon titled “Ignorance,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones calls the world to see its ignorance today. He identifies that the world is ignorant of their need for Christ, who Christ is, and the coming judgment. Humanity is ignorant because of the blindness of their hearts and minds. The crowd in Peter’s day rejected and hated Christ and refused to believe that He was the Messiah. The world today continues to reject Christ in this same way and are ignorant of who He is and what He has done. Peter called the crowd in Acts 3:17 to repent and be converted so that their sins may be blotted out. Dr. Lloyd-Jones does the same by calling all to repent. He calls all to see that they don’t have to live in ignorance.
Sermon Breakdown
- Peter is preaching this sermon as a result of the healing of a lame man. The miracle gathered a crowd and Peter took the opportunity to preach the gospel.
- Peter tells the crowd not to focus on the miracle or on himself and John. The focus should be on God - the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
- Peter says they crucified Jesus in ignorance. Both the common people and the rulers were ignorant.
- The ignorance Peter refers to is not a lack of intellect or brain power. Many intelligent people remain ignorant of the gospel.
- The real cause of ignorance is the state of the heart, not the head. There is an element of perversion and pride in the human heart that leads to ignorance.
- Sin also contributes to ignorance. Sin dulls our faculties and blinds us. The more we sin, the less clearly we can think.
- There is also a spiritual blindness from Satan that prevents people from understanding and believing the gospel.
- The ignorance Peter refers to is ignorance of God, ourselves, judgement, the need for a savior, the Scriptures and Jesus Christ.
- The world is ignorant of the blessings of salvation like forgiveness of sins, new birth and new life.
- Peter pleads with the crowd to repent and turn to Christ.
Sermon Q&A
What Did Peter Mean When He Said "Through Ignorance Ye Did It"?
What did Peter mean when he said "through ignorance ye did it" in Acts 3:17?
When Peter said "through ignorance ye did it" in Acts 3:17, he was acknowledging that the people of Jerusalem and their rulers crucified Jesus without fully understanding who He was or the divine plan they were fulfilling. Peter wasn't excusing their actions but explaining that they acted without comprehending the true identity of Christ as the Messiah or God's redemptive purpose through His death. This ignorance was not merely intellectual but spiritual blindness that prevented them from recognizing Jesus as the Son of God.
What was the context of Peter's sermon in Acts 3?
Peter's sermon in Acts 3 was delivered in Solomon's portico after he and John had healed a lame man at the Beautiful Gate of the temple. The miraculous healing drew a large crowd, and Peter seized this opportunity to preach. Rather than focusing on the miracle itself, Peter directed attention to Jesus Christ, explaining how the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had glorified His Son Jesus, whom they had delivered up to be crucified. Peter used this context to call the people to repentance, explaining that they had acted in ignorance when they rejected Christ.
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, what are the causes of spiritual ignorance?
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, spiritual ignorance is not primarily an intellectual problem but has several deeper causes:
- The state of the heart, particularly pride - People reject Christ not because of intellectual barriers but because of spiritual pride and prejudice
- Sin and iniquity - Sins blunt and affect every faculty that humans possess, preventing clear thinking
- Spiritual blindness - As Paul notes in 2 Corinthians 4:4, "the god of this world has blinded the minds of unbelievers"
Lloyd-Jones emphasizes that this ignorance affects both the educated and uneducated alike, both "the people and their rulers," showing it's not about intelligence but spiritual condition.
What are people ignorant of, according to the sermon?
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, people are ignorant of several crucial truths:
- The true nature of God - His holiness, righteousness, and love
- Their own sinful condition and need for salvation
- The reality of final judgment
- Their need for a Savior
- The true meaning of Scripture
- The person and work of Jesus Christ
- The blessing of salvation - forgiveness of sins and new birth
Lloyd-Jones emphasizes that this ignorance prevents people from seeing their need for Christ and experiencing the transformative power of the gospel.
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones address the argument that Christianity is only for the uneducated?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones addresses this argument by pointing out that Peter specifically mentioned both the common people and their rulers rejected Christ. He notes that if rejection of Christianity were merely an intellectual matter, then only the educated would reject it and the uneducated would embrace it. However, the reality is that both groups reject Christ, showing the problem is not intellectual capacity.
He states: "If it were a matter of intellect, all the people who haven't got great brains would believe the gospel, but they don't." Lloyd-Jones argues that Christianity is increasingly becoming "something that only applies to the middle classes" while both the highly educated and those without formal education remain outside the faith for the same spiritual reasons.
What is the solution to spiritual ignorance according to the sermon?
The solution to spiritual ignorance, according to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, is repentance and turning to Christ. He concludes his sermon by quoting Peter's exhortation to "repent" and "turn to him." This repentance involves:
- Recognizing our spiritual blindness
- Acknowledging our sinful condition
- Turning from self-sufficiency to dependence on Christ
- Embracing the forgiveness of sins offered through Christ's death
- Receiving the new birth and new nature that only Christ can give
Lloyd-Jones emphasizes that this solution is available to everyone regardless of education or social status, and it results in a transformative experience that brings one into right relationship with God.
The Book of Acts
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.