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Sermon #4010

Higher than Adam

A Sermon on Ephesians 1:5-6

Originally preached Dec. 5, 1954

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Scripture

Ephesians 1:5-6 ESV KJV
he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. (ESV)

Sermon Description

God is the Creator of everyone, but not everyone is in His family. Nineteenth and twentieth century liberalism emphasized the universal fatherhood of God and the universal brotherhood of people. This false teaching disregards the gospel’s call to repentance and dismisses the wickedness of sin. In this sermon on Ephesians 1:5–6 titled “Higher than Adam,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones confronts this wrong theology and continues to expose others that have harmed the church. Another errant teaching confronted by Dr. Lloyd-Jones in this sermon is the teaching that differentiates between “sons of God” and “children of God” and the benefits given to them. The former, according to this teaching, enjoy a much greater fellowship with God than the latter. Dr. Lloyd-Jones reminds how important sound doctrine is for the Christian church. While providing a robust response to these errors, Dr. Lloyd-Jones encourages seeing the absolute privilege Christians have in Christ. He does so by contrasting Adam and the Christian. He notes that in Christ the Christian has been given more than what was lost in Adam. The privilege of redemption includes forgiveness of sin but also exaltation to sonship.

Sermon Breakdown

  1. The sermon begins by introducing Ephesians 1:5-6 which discusses believers being predestined to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ.
  2. The sermon then provides context that the passage is discussing the role of the Father in salvation and His choosing us to be adopted as sons.
  3. The sermon discusses how adoption means we are given the full rights and privileges as sons, including inheritance and the Father's authority over us.
  4. The sermon warns that we must understand the implications and principles in the passage to avoid false teachings and safeguard our wellbeing.
  5. The sermon addresses the false teaching of the universal fatherhood of God and universal brotherhood of man. It refutes this by showing the clear division in Scripture between those who belong to God and those outside of His covenant.
  6. The sermon shows how Scripture teaches God is the Father of all men in the sense of being Creator, but only adopts some as sons through faith in Christ. Quotes like "we are all his offspring" refer to God as Creator, not adoptive Father.
  7. The sermon emphasizes that we only become sons through Jesus Christ, not by nature. Christ had to come and die to make us adopted sons.
  8. The sermon distinguishes between Christ's sonship by eternal generation and our sonship by adoption. We do not become divine, only adopted into God's family.
  9. The sermon addresses the false teaching that only some Christians become sons. It shows Scripture uses "sons" and "children" interchangeably for all believers. All Christians are adopted as sons.
  10. The sermon shows how redemption does not just undo the Fall but elevates us to an even higher position than Adam had. In Christ, we gain more blessings than Adam lost.
  11. The sermon concludes by emphasizing all Christians are adopted as sons and will see Christ together, not just some special class of Christians.

Sermon Q&A

Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones on Adoption in Ephesians 1:5-6

What does the doctrine of adoption mean according to Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones?

According to Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, adoption is a forensic and legal concept that means God gives believers the status of sons in His family. He explains: "It's a forensic, it's a legal idea. It means that God gives unto us, who are his sons, his children, all the benefits of right to the inheritance, a share in everything that belongs to Him, and likewise it gives to him the right of fatherhood over us." This divine adoption gives Christians a specific rank, standing, and status in God's family with certain privileges and prerogatives attached.

How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones refute the doctrine of the universal fatherhood of God?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones forcefully refutes the idea of universal fatherhood of God by pointing to several key biblical passages that show clear distinctions between God's children and others:

  1. He notes that Scripture consistently divides humanity into two groups: "There are those who belong to God. There are those who don't belong to God."
  2. He quotes Jesus saying to the Pharisees: "Ye are of your father the devil" and "If God were your father, you would love me" (John 8).
  3. He cites John 1:12 which states "as many as received him to them gave he power or authority to become the sons of God" - implying they weren't children of God before.
  4. He references Ephesians 2:3 where Paul says we "were by nature the children of wrath."
  5. He emphasizes that adoption is only "predestinated" for believers ("us"), not for all humanity.

Lloyd-Jones concludes: "There is nothing that is so contradictory of the plain teaching of the Scripture from beginning to end than this notion that God is the universal father of all."

How is our sonship related to Christ's sonship according to the sermon?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones makes an important distinction between Christ's sonship and our sonship:

  1. Jesus is the Son of God by "eternal generation" - He is eternally and essentially God's Son
  2. We are sons of God by "adoption" - our sonship is derivative and comes through Christ
  3. Our Lord highlighted this distinction when He said "I ascend to my Father and your Father and to my God and your God" rather than "our Father"
  4. While we are "partakers of the divine nature," we do not become divine or gods
  5. Christ remains "very God of very God" while we remain human beings adopted into God's family

As Lloyd-Jones puts it: "Our sonship is derivative. We derive it from him. It is because we have been adopted in Him."

Does Dr. Lloyd-Jones believe that all Christians are sons of God or only some Christians?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones firmly rejects the teaching that only some Christians become "sons" while others remain merely "children" of God. He calls this "rank heresy" and refutes it with several arguments:

  1. In Ephesians 1:5, Paul says "having predestinated us to the adoption of sons" referring to all Christians, not a select few
  2. Scripture uses the terms "children" and "sons" interchangeably (Romans 8)
  3. Galatians 3:26 states: "For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God through faith"
  4. The Apostle John never uses the word "sons" at all but always "children" in his writings

Lloyd-Jones concludes: "All Christians are sons of God, and they share the same privileges on earth. They shall enjoy the same privileges in heaven and throughout eternity. There are none of these artificial gradations."

How does adoption give believers more than Adam had before the fall?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones teaches that redemption doesn't merely restore what was lost in the fall but elevates believers to a higher position than Adam originally held:

  1. Adam was created perfect and innocent, but remained merely a creature
  2. Believers are "in Christ" while Adam was not in this special relationship
  3. Adam was subject to fall and failure, while those in Christ cannot fall away permanently
  4. Believers become "partakers of the divine nature" in a way Adam never was
  5. Believers have greater security than Adam had

Lloyd-Jones quotes Isaac Watts: "In him, the tribes of Adam boast more blessings than their father lost," explaining that in Christ believers receive not only what Adam lost but something more - adoption as sons of God with all its privileges. As he states: "Where sin abounded, grace doth much more abound."

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.