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Sermon #4143

Distinct Roles of Church and State

A Sermon on Ephesians 5:3-5

Originally preached Oct. 19, 1958

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Scripture

Ephesians 5:3-5 ESV KJV
But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. For you may be sure of this, that …

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Sermon Description

The great message of Christianity is that Christians are not only saved from their sin and made right before a holy God, but they are made new creatures as the first fruits of the new creation in Christ. In this sermon on Ephesians 5:3–5 titled “Distinct Roles of Church and State,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones demonstrates how Scripture undercuts all doctrines of antinomianism, because by the power of the Holy Spirit all who are true believers are renewed and transformed daily through God’s grace. For it is the gospel that truly transforms fallen men and women; it alone can overcome the depravity of fallen human nature and make them new in Christ. This is why all attempts to make people moral without the gospel fail to address the deepest need of humanity. When the church becomes more concerned with moralism than the gospel, it loses the focus of its mission. This has often happened throughout the history of the church, and today many are repeating this error. The remedy to this is to see the distinction between the church and the state. It is the church that has been given the gospel and it is the state that is to rule and bring justice. As Dr. Lloyd-Jones powerfully proclaims, the church must never stray away from its main goal in proclaiming the gospel of God’s grace.

Sermon Breakdown

  1. The apostle Paul contrasts the positive message of walking in love as children of God with the negative message of avoiding sinful behaviors.
  2. There is always a temptation to focus only on the positive, enjoyable aspects of Christianity, but the negative message about sin is also essential.
  3. The negative message is essential for several reasons:
    1. We constantly need to be reminded that the goal of Christianity is to make us holy.
    2. There is a danger of not applying Christian truth to ourselves and only enjoying it theoretically.
    3. There is always a danger of antinomianism, the belief that we can live however we want because we are saved by grace.
    4. We need to be reminded that Christianity impacts every area of our lives.
    5. The Christian life is a fight of faith against sin and temptation.
  4. Paul's method for addressing moral issues is to frame them in terms of Christian doctrine and theology. He appeals to the Ephesians as saints who will inherit the kingdom of God.
  5. Paul does not appeal to morality for its own sake or discuss the consequences of sin. His concern is with sin's incompatibility with the Christian life.
  6. Paul goes into detail about specific sins to show that Christianity impacts all of life.
  7. There is a temptation to stay focused on the enjoyable, theoretical aspects of Christianity, but we must follow where Scripture leads us. Christianity is practical.
  8. Paul contrasts the positive message of walking in love with the negative message about sin to show that both are essential. The negative message is not meant to be the primary focus but is necessary to emphasize the positive.
  9. The church today needs to have a clear understanding of the relationship between Christianity and moral reform movements. There is confusion on this point.
  10. Moral reform movements have limited effectiveness. Despite many efforts, moral conditions continue to decline.
  11. The church's role is not primarily as a moral agency but as an agency of conversion and regeneration. The church aims to produce new men and women in Christ, not just moral or good people.
  12. Accepting a moral agency role can lead the church to misrepresent the gospel. The gospel is about new life in Christ, not just moral reform.
  13. The church should not be concerned primarily with restraining sin but with preaching the gospel, which alone can truly change people.
  14. If the church focuses only on morality, it leaves out our relationship with God and the power of the gospel, which are the most vital parts of the Christian message.
  15. Spending time preaching about moral causes is a waste of the church's calling to preach the gospel. While the church preaches morality, it cannot preach the gospel.

Sermon Q&A

Martin Lloyd-Jones' Approach to Morality and the Church's Role in Society

What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones identify as the key difference between the apostle Paul's approach to morality and modern moral campaigns?

According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, the apostle Paul's approach to morality differs fundamentally from modern moral campaigns in that Paul addresses moral issues entirely in terms of Christian doctrine rather than social consequences. Paul doesn't use statistics, doesn't analyze the negative effects of sins on society, and doesn't appeal to people to be moral for the sake of family or country. Instead, he bases his moral teaching on believers' identity as "saints" and citizens of "the kingdom of Christ and of God." Paul approaches morality from the perspective of what is "becoming" or fitting for Christians as regenerated people, not from utilitarian or humanistic perspectives.

What does Lloyd-Jones believe is the primary purpose of Christianity and salvation?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones emphasizes that "the one grand end and object of Christianity and of salvation and of the Christian life is to make us holy." He quotes Ephesians 1:3-4 which states that God chose believers "that we should be holy and without blame before him in love." He further explains that the primary objective isn't just to save people from hell or give them forgiveness, but to separate unto Christ "a peculiar people, zealous of good works." The goal is not merely moral improvement but spiritual transformation - not to produce "good men" but "new men" who are regenerated and made holy before God.

How does Lloyd-Jones distinguish between the role of the church and the role of the state?

Lloyd-Jones makes a clear distinction between the church and state, arguing that both are ordained by God but for different purposes:

  1. The church is not a moral agency but a converting and regenerating agency. Its role is supernatural and spiritual, aimed at producing "saints" (regenerated people), not just "good" people.

  2. The state is appointed by God to maintain order, punish crime, and create laws. It should "bear the sword" and enforce justice.

Lloyd-Jones believes confusion between these realms is causing both to fail in their divinely appointed tasks. He states: "The people who ought to be preaching the gospel are preaching politics and morality, and those whose business it is to handle politics and morality are trying to preach." He rejects the idea that the church should function as a "department of state" or merely as a moral influence on society.

What does Lloyd-Jones believe is the most effective way for the church to impact moral problems in society?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones argues that the church impacts moral problems most effectively by:

  1. Preaching the full gospel that converts and transforms individuals
  2. Producing Christians in large numbers who will then influence society
  3. Praying for revival - a supernatural authentication of the church's message

He points to historical examples where religious revivals led to moral transformation in society. Lloyd-Jones believes that when the church focuses on its primary mission of conversion and regeneration, it produces Christians who then influence the whole moral life of the nation. Individual Christians, not the church as an institution, should participate in state affairs, councils, and parliament to exert moral influence. He cites historical figures like Wilberforce and Shaftesbury as examples of Christians who effectively influenced society through political action.

Why does Lloyd-Jones reject participating in moral reform organizations or dedicating church services to moral causes?

Lloyd-Jones rejects participating in moral organizations and dedicating church services to moral causes for several reasons:

  1. Historical ineffectiveness - He questions what these organizations have actually achieved despite decades of effort, noting that moral problems and crime rates continue to increase.

  2. Misrepresentation of the church's message - It gives the impression that Christianity is primarily negative and prohibitive rather than life-giving and transformative.

  3. Waste of the church's time - When the church focuses on moral reform, it neglects its primary mission of preaching the gospel that can truly transform people.

  4. Inadequacy to address sin - Moral appeals cannot change hearts; only the gospel has power to transform lives at the deepest level.

  5. Confusion of roles - It blurs the distinction between the church's spiritual mission and the state's responsibility for moral legislation.

Lloyd-Jones argues that when the church tries to function as a moral agency rather than a converting agency, it loses its unique spiritual power and fails to produce the very transformation it seeks.

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.