The Church and Doctrine
A Sermon on Acts 2:41-42
Originally preached March 7, 1965
Scripture
41¶ Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. 42And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.
Sermon Description
Many people go to church but have no idea what church actually is. In this sermon from Acts 2:41–42, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones brings forward “the great, most important question we must face at this time — What is the church?” To answer this, he explores what it means to be a Christian, fellowship with believers, and delves into refuting theological liberalism which seeks to redefine the Christian faith and the Christian church. His chief concern is that the church itself is undermining Christian doctrine, yet rails against increasing societal immorality. In his estimation, within the church there are those who decry moral decay but do not recognize that their rejection of apostolic doctrine is the key contributing factor to the mounting immorality of society. He shares that the Christian church has been the institution which has most contributed to declining moral standards in recent generations through theological and academic exploits in so-called “higher criticism.” He draws examples from the Old Testament and secular history to underscore his point that Biblical, apostolic doctrine is necessary for practical morality. He affirms that the church must reject the modern suggestion that it doesn’t need the apostles’ doctrine, but instead only needs ethical teaching. Such a premise, in his understanding, is built on a false and unrealistic concept of human nature.
Sermon Breakdown
- The sermon begins by establishing the importance of understanding the message of the early church by examining the book of Acts.
- On the day of Pentecost, the apostles were filled with the Holy Spirit and Peter preached the first Christian sermon.
- Peter's sermon convicted the listeners of their sin in rejecting Jesus, leading them to ask what they must do. Peter told them to repent, be baptized, and receive the Holy Spirit.
- About 3,000 people were added to the church that day. They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching, fellowship, breaking bread, and prayer.
- The apostles' teaching is the most important element, contrary to modern objections to doctrine and creeds. We must go back to the Bible to understand true Christianity.
- Many today say the church should teach ethics and morality but not doctrine. But doctrine gives us the standard of right and wrong, the motive to do right, and the power to live rightly.
- Without doctrine, we have no standard of right, no reason to do right, and no power to do right. Ethics alone cannot overcome the power of sin and the devil.
- The doctrine of man's sinfulness shows the depth of the problem. Man cannot save himself by his own will or effort.
- The doctrine of Christ shows He bore our punishment so we could be forgiven and given new hearts and natures that love God. The Holy Spirit gives us power to live rightly.
- The gospel is the power of God for salvation. The law shows us our sin but cannot save us. Only faith in Christ can save us.
- We must be born again, given new hearts and natures, to love God and righteousness. Mere ethical teaching cannot accomplish this.
- The sermon concludes with an appeal to believe in Christ as the Son of God and Savior. Only He can break the power of sin and set us free.
Sermon Q&A
What is the Core Message of the Early Church According to Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones?
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones emphasizes that to understand what the church truly is, we must return to its origins in the book of Acts. The early church was characterized by steadfast devotion to apostolic doctrine before anything else.
What did the early Christians prioritize according to Acts 2?
According to Acts 2:42, the early Christians "continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers." Dr. Lloyd-Jones emphasizes that they prioritized the apostles' teaching first, not activities like "whist drives, dances, raffles, bingo, or drama." This doctrinal foundation was essential to their identity as Christians.
Why does Dr. Lloyd-Jones believe doctrine must come before ethics?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones gives several reasons why doctrine must precede ethics:
- Without doctrine, there is no absolute standard of right and wrong - only shifting human opinions
- Without doctrine, there is no compelling reason why people should live ethically
- Without doctrine, there is no power given to live the ethical life
- Ethical teaching alone ignores the depth of sin in fallen human nature
- Doctrine provides the motivation of gratitude to Christ for His sacrifice
He states: "Once you begin to go astray in your doctrine, you'll very soon be going astray in your behavior. You can't divorce doctrine from behavior."
What modern attitude toward doctrine does Dr. Lloyd-Jones criticize?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones criticizes the modern tendency to dismiss Christian doctrine as outdated while trying to preserve Christian ethics. He quotes from various sources promoting "not so much a creed, more a way of life" approaches. He argues this position is self-defeating because:
- It undermines the very foundation that produced the morality it wants to preserve
- It gives no authoritative reason why anyone should follow Christian ethics
- It offers mere advice without the power to transform lives
Why does Dr. Lloyd-Jones believe the moral decline of society is connected to the church's rejection of doctrine?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones contends that the moral decline in society is directly linked to the church abandoning biblical authority and apostolic doctrine in favor of a mere "social gospel." He states: "The more they've preached social gospel, ethical teaching... the more the immorality and the vice and the ethical problem have increased."
He points to history, noting that "the most moral, the most productive, the most uplifting epochs in the history of this country have always been those that have followed religious revivals and reawakenings."
What is the only hope for humanity according to Dr. Lloyd-Jones?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones concludes that the only hope for humanity is the gospel - the apostolic teaching that Christ, the Son of God, was crucified for our sins, buried, risen, and ascended to heaven. This gospel:
- Deals with our sin problem through Christ's atonement
- Gives us a new heart and nature that loves light rather than darkness
- Provides the power of the Holy Spirit within us
- Transforms even the most immoral people (as Paul wrote to the Corinthians)
He concludes: "Have you believed on the Lord Jesus Christ as the son of God and the savior of your soul? And have you handed yourself, just as you are to him, to be led to be saved by him?"
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.