The Truth Revealed in Scripture
A Sermon on Ephesians 6:14
Scripture
14Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
Sermon Description
In Ephesians 6:14, Paul calls believers to have “loins girded by truth.” What is this truth? In this sermon on Ephesians 6:14 titled “The Truth Revealed in Scripture,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explains it is not subjective feelings or opinions, but doctrine. Proclamation is a chief means by which Christians are to lay hold of doctrine. A sermon is meant to bring out the doctrine. There cannot be proclamation without exposition, but one can have expositional analysis without proclamation. The doctrine of salvation is the great message of truth about which the whole Bible is concerned. This message of salvation, the truth with which one is to gird themselves, is found most clearly in the Epistles. The main function of the Gospels and the book of Acts is to attest the person of Jesus Christ, not to expound doctrine, though it is implied. All the Reformers have spent most of their time in the Epistles. The truth Paul refers to begins, but doesn’t stop, with belief in God, worship and Christian living. It is the whole plan and scheme of salvation. How are Christians to be strong and withstand the wiles of the devil, as Paul says? By taking hold of the whole doctrine and the whole message of salvation, not just bits and pieces, and applying it to their lives.
Sermon Breakdown
- The apostle Paul instructs Christians to "stand, therefore, having your loins girt about with truth." This means Christians must know the truth in order to stand against the devil.
- The truth is found in the Bible, specifically the New Testament epistles. The gospels and Acts establish who Jesus is, but the epistles explain the meaning and implications of Jesus's life, death, and resurrection.
- The truth is not a vague message of goodness or morality. It is the specific doctrines of salvation explained in the epistles.
- The truth includes doctrines like God's eternal purpose, the person and work of Christ, the work of the Holy Spirit, justification by faith alone, the believer's present position, the possibility of assurance, the church, God's promises, future hope, the reality of the devil, and how to overcome him.
- The truth forms a coherent system of doctrine. It is not just collecting fragments of comforting verses or appealing to the will. Systematic study of doctrine is required.
- Knowing the truth is required to stand against the devil. When the devil tempts or accuses, the believer can respond with the truth.
- The truth leads to strength, joy, light, and victory. It is essential for the Christian life.
The Book of Ephesians
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.