Faith and Experience
A Sermon on Ephesians 6:10-13
Originally preached April 16, 1961
Scripture
10Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 11Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against …
Sermon Description
What is the role of experience in the Christian life? In this sermon on Ephesians 6:10–13 titled “Faith and Experience,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones addresses this very practical question by looking at the apostle Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. He warns of the great danger of reducing all of the Christian life to mere emotions. This is dangerous because it makes the Christian put their hope not in Jesus Christ and His work, but in their own subjective feelings. Christians can become enslaved to passing emotions and desires. The other danger is to reject all emotions as fundamentally deceptive and misguided. Some say that all that is needed is to affirm the truth of Christianity. But the biblical position avoids both these imbalances because it grounds all hope and emotions in what God has done in Jesus Christ. God has declared His people free from sin as His children. This should produce a true and lasting joy that casts out all fear and doubts. Christians can love God and neighbor because God has made them new creatures in Christ Jesus through the Holy Spirit. Emotions are the appropriate reaction to the objective work of God. This sermon calls all to ask the question: “do I have this hope in what God has done for me?” There is no more important question any can ask.
Sermon Breakdown
- The devil's most potent instrument is ignorance. If people don't believe in the devil, they are already defeated. If they are ignorant of his devices, they will inevitably be defeated.
- The place of experience in the Christian life. Some put the entire emphasis on experience. Nothing matters but experience to them. They are not interested in truth or definitions. They say the only thing that matters is that a man can say "Whereas I was once blind, now I see." They are always talking about experiences and telling others the same thing can happen to them.
- The opposite extreme is those not interested in experience at all. To them, emphasis on experience is almost despised. They say, "What do they know about the truth? Nothing matters but the truth." But though they talk much about the truth, they have never felt its power. They have a form of godliness but deny its power. The truth has never changed their lives or made a vital difference to them.
- The truth is to be experienced. The object of religion is to bring us to a knowledge of God. God is a person to be known, not an abstraction or philosophical postulate.
- The place of feelings. Some live entirely on their feelings. Nothing matters but feeling to them. If they haven't felt or wept, nothing has happened. This can take the form of excitement, almost hysteria. They feel they have nothing unless carried away.
- The opposite extreme despises feelings. They say feelings don't matter, only believing the truth. But the whole man - mind, heart, and will - is to be involved in the Christian faith. If the heart is not engaged, something is wrong. The truth is to be felt, not just intellectually appreciated.
- The difference between emotionalism, sentimentalism, and true emotion. Emotionalism is worked up, artificially produced, lacks understanding, is characterized by excitement and excess, leaves one exhausted, and does not affect life. Sentimentalism is polite emotionalism, tickles the emotions, depends on presentation not truth, is superficial, and does not really affect life. True emotion is not artificial, results from understanding truth, is deep, noble, energizing, and leads to action.
Sermon Q&A
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones on Spiritual Warfare and the Wiles of the Devil
What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones mean by "the wiles of the devil" in Christian experience?
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, "the wiles of the devil" are the subtle strategies Satan uses to cause confusion in believers' experiences. The devil works to keep Christians in ignorance of his tactics, because "if people don't even believe in the devil, well, obviously they're already defeated." The devil's primary characteristic in attacking our experience is "to create confusion" and to drive believers "from one extreme right over to the other," causing a state of muddle that mars our testimony and robs us of joy.
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones categorize the different areas where the devil attacks believers?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones categorizes the devil's attacks in three main areas: 1. Attacks upon the mind of believers (intellectual attacks, heresies) 2. Attacks in the realm of experience (feelings, emotions, subjective aspects) 3. Attacks on the practice, conduct, and behavior of Christians
He notes that these areas are interrelated, as "evil communications corrupt good manners" and "as a man thinks, so he is."
Why is it more difficult to recognize the devil's attacks in the realm of experience than in doctrine?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that detecting the devil's attacks in experience is more challenging because: 1. Experience is subjective rather than objective 2. We're dealing with our own feelings, emotions, states, and moods 3. We tend to be defensive about ourselves 4. Self-interest blinds us to recognizing what's happening 5. We're "interested parties" in our own experience
He compares it to the difference between dealing with "some purely theoretical academic problem" versus dealing with "the problem of our own health."
What are the two extreme positions regarding Christian experience that the devil pushes people toward?
The two extreme positions are: 1. Those who put the entire emphasis on experience: "Nothing matters to these people but the experimental, the experiential aspect." They're not interested in doctrine or definitions but only in testimony and experience. 2. Those who are not interested in experience at all: They have "a form of godliness but deny the power thereof." They understand truth intellectually but have "never felt its power" and have never been "mastered by it."
Dr. Lloyd-Jones emphasizes that the biblical position is that both truth and experience are essential.
What is the relationship between truth and experience in the Christian life according to Dr. Lloyd-Jones?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones teaches that truth and experience must go together: 1. "The whole object and end of religion is to bring us to a knowledge of God" 2. This is not merely intellectual knowledge but experiential knowledge 3. "Experience is essential. It's vital. The Christian is a new man." 4. However, experience must be of "the Father and of his Son in the fellowship of the Blessed Holy Spirit" 5. "Without experience, there is nothing, there is no value in having a head full of knowledge if he hasn't mastered you" 6. True Christianity involves "fellowship with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ"
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones distinguish between emotionalism, sentimentalism, and true emotion?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones provides these distinctions:
Emotionalism: - Is artificially produced or worked up - Bypasses understanding and truth - Contains elements of excitement, rowdiness and excess - Leaves people exhausted afterward - Doesn't affect life and living
Sentimentalism: - Is "polite emotionalism" or "emotionalism in evening dress" - Merely "tickles" the emotions rather than truly moving them - Depends on the presentation of truth rather than truth itself - Is superficial and genteel - Makes one pleased with oneself - Never has real effect on life
True Emotion: - Is never artificial or produced - Results from understanding truth itself - Is characterized by depth, nobility, wonder and amazement - Is energizing rather than exhausting - Always leads to action and makes a difference in life - Produces lasting fruit
What role should feelings play in the Christian life?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones teaches that feelings have a proper place in Christianity, but must be balanced: 1. Some people wrongly "live on their feelings" and make feelings their "one criterion" 2. Others wrongly dismiss feelings entirely (like Sandimanianism) 3. The biblical position is that "the whole man is to be involved in the Christian faith" - mind, heart, and will 4. The nature of gospel truth is such that "if a man really sees it and knows something about it, he's bound to feel it" 5. True spiritual feeling energizes rather than exhausts 6. Proper feelings lead to action and produce fruit
How does the Bible demonstrate the importance of emotion in spiritual life?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones points to several biblical examples showing proper spiritual emotion: 1. The Psalms expressing deep feeling toward God 2. Isaiah's eloquent, moving passages 3. Romans 8 with Paul's "moving periods" and "mighty eloquence" 4. Paul being "moved to the very depth of his being" by truth 5. Paul weeping as he spoke of spiritual things 6. The New Testament being "full of this grand immersion" in feeling 7. John writing "that your joy may be full" 8. Paul commanding "Rejoice in the Lord always"
What test does Dr. Lloyd-Jones suggest for determining if our emotions are genuine?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones suggests testing the genuineness of our emotions by their lasting impact: 1. "The time to test it is not while you're still in the building" 2. Look at the effect "tomorrow" and "the day after" 3. True emotion "will go on, it'll move you, it'll master you, it'll guide you" 4. It will have "energized you" and "will have been productive" 5. It produces what Paul calls "the fruit of the Spirit" 6. It is "an abiding fruit" rather than a temporary feeling
How can Christians overcome the devil's attacks in the realm of experience?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones concludes that believers can overcome the devil's attacks by: 1. Having "wisdom to see these things" and recognize the devil's wiles 2. Being "strong in the Lord and in the power of his might" 3. Taking "unto us the whole armor of God" 4. Understanding the proper relationship between truth and experience 5. Recognizing the difference between true emotion and false emotional states 6. Testing our experiences by their lasting fruit 7. Pursuing both sound doctrine and genuine experience of God
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.