God's New Humanity
A Sermon on God's New Humanity from Romans 9:10-13
Scripture
10And not only this; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac; 11(For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him …
Sermon Description
What does the apostle Paul mean when he speaks of God electing people? There are few questions more controversial than this one. In this sermon on Romans 9:10–13 titled “God’s New Humanity,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones seeks to answer this particularly important question. He notes that throughout Scripture God chooses men and women to serve and follow Him. The great apostle Paul argues in this passage that salvation comes because God chooses to save sinners and to make them part of the body of Christ. This divine decision is not based on anything that they do nor is it based on any merit in them, but it is wholly a result of God’s great love. The decision does not mean that God simply renovates fallen sinners in Adam, but He elects them into the body of Christ as children and heirs. While there is no doubt that this is a controversial and debated passage, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones exhorts the listener to not flee from difficult passages in Scripture, but to use their God-gifted mind to seek to understand His Word. This doctrine ought to lead the Christian to look not to themselves, but to look to God who saves them because He is just and righteous and not because of anything in themselves.
Sermon Breakdown
- The promise and purpose of God have respect only to certain people. This is as true of Israel as of anyone else.
- These people become what they are not because of anything in themselves, but because God calls them into being.
- God's purpose is carried out by election, by choosing some and not choosing others.
- God chooses in this way to guarantee that His purpose will be accomplished. If it depended on us, it would fail.
- God's choice is absolutely free and sovereign, depending on His will alone.
- God's choice involves both choosing some and rejecting others. He hates sin and evil.
- We must view God's choice properly. It is not choosing some out of humanity, but producing a new humanity in Christ.
- God did not choose Isaac and Jacob out of many, but produced them for His purpose.
- God's way of salvation is producing a new humanity in Christ, not just choosing some out of the old humanity.
- Though all are in Adam naturally, God produces a new spiritual people. We are born for this purpose.
- Though the new birth is manifest in time, God's choice was made before time. We were separated for this from the womb.
- God uses the natural process of human birth, but intervenes supernaturally to produce His new people.
- God's promises apply only to those He has produced for Himself by spiritual birth.
- We should check any interpretation of this passage by whether it leads to the question of verse 14.
- God is producing an entirely new humanity in Christ, not just choosing some out of the old.
The Book of Romans
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.