Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones on Spiritual Warfare: Understanding Physical, Psychological, and Spiritual Challenges

What are the "wiles of the devil" that Dr. Lloyd-Jones is addressing in this sermon?

According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, the "wiles of the devil" refers to the devil's subtle strategies to create confusion in believers' lives. In this sermon, he specifically addresses the confusion the devil creates between the physical, psychological, and spiritual realms. The devil's fundamental method is to drive Christians from one extreme to another, creating a state of confusion where they don't know where they stand. As Lloyd-Jones explains: "If only he can get us into this state of confusion that we don't quite know where we are. Well, then, of course, he has succeeded completely with us, and the way in which he most customarily tries to do that is just this. He drives us from one extreme right over to the other."

How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones describe the relationship between the physical, psychological, and spiritual aspects of our being?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones describes humans as "strange creatures" made up of "body, mind and spirit," all of which are "interrelated and react upon one another." He explains that many of our troubles come from failing to understand "the place and the function and the sphere of each one of these realms." The difficulty arises particularly in "borderline cases" where it's not easy to classify whether a problem is physical, psychological, or spiritual in nature. This complexity gives the devil opportunity to create confusion, as believers may mistake a physical issue for a spiritual one, or vice versa.

What mistake do Christians make when they regard physical or psychological issues as spiritual problems?

According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, many Christians mistakenly interpret physical or psychological conditions as spiritual problems. He gives several examples: - A person with a physical illness like pernicious anemia may experience lethargy and lack of interest in spiritual activities, then wrongly conclude they're in spiritual decline - Someone who is physically exhausted from overwork may struggle to pray or read Scripture, then be attacked by the devil with suggestions that they're spiritually failing - Elderly Christians whose faculties naturally decline with age may wrongly attribute these changes to spiritual backsliding - People with naturally melancholic temperaments may misinterpret their depression as a sign of spiritual failure

Dr. Lloyd-Jones states: "All I'm suggesting under this heading is that sometimes it is purely physical. And we must be very careful, therefore, lest we condemn one another unfairly, unless we do great harm to one another in our ignorance."

What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones say about how conversion affects a person's temperament?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones makes it clear that conversion does not change a person's basic temperament or personality type. He states: "We must realize that we all have different types of personality, that that is as God has made us. And secondly, we have to realize that when we are converted, when we are born again, our temperament remains exactly what it was before. A man's temperament is not changed when he is converted."

The difference is that while non-Christians are victims of their temperament, Christians should learn to control their temperament: "The natural man is the victim of his temperament. His temperament controls him. The Christian's temperament is not changed, but he can control his temperament and should control his temperament and must control his temperament."

How do some Christians mistakenly treat spiritual problems as psychological issues?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones identifies a concerning trend where Christians evade spiritual problems by explaining them away in psychological terms. Examples he gives include: - People who have never truly been converted seeking psychological help instead of understanding their need for justification - Christians with incomplete biblical understanding who need doctrinal teaching rather than psychological analysis - Believers who lack self-discipline (with issues like anger) seeking psychological explanations instead of practicing biblical self-control - Those who try to explain away sin as merely psychological conditions requiring treatment rather than repentance

He observes: "People come and say, I'd like to see a psychologist. Can you recommend someone? Whereas the whole time the problem is purely spiritual." He warns against the modern tendency "to explain away sin altogether in terms of psychology."

What historical resources does Dr. Lloyd-Jones recommend for understanding these spiritual issues?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones notes that this important subject has been "very largely neglected" in modern Christian literature. He recommends two main historical sources that address these matters well:

1. Roman Catholic devotional literature, including "manuals of the devout life" and writings of Catholic saints who explored the experimental/mystical aspects of faith.

2. Puritan literature, which he considers superior because it's "more biblical and more scriptural." He specifically mentions John Bunyan's works like "Pilgrim's Progress" and John Owen's writings, saying the Puritans "were masters" at unraveling the problems of Christian living.

He laments that from "about the end of the 17th century, roughly, this matter has been sadly neglected" and that modern evangelicalism has adopted "a lighter and a superficial view" that doesn't recognize these complex spiritual problems.

What final advice does Dr. Lloyd-Jones give for Christians facing fears and anxieties?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones advises Christians not to think psychologically about their fears but to think spiritually. Using the example of a woman with fear of thunderstorms, he explains she needed to "realize that she was a child of God" and think "not about thunder and lightning, but about God as her father, about God's care for his children."

His final counsel is to remember one's identity in Christ when facing any trouble: "Should such a man as I give in to this or that or the other. In other words, realize the truth about yourself. Take unto you the whole armor of God this glorious doctrine." He quotes Nehemiah's bold declaration—"Should such a man as I flee?"—as a model for Christians facing their fears.

Rather than seeking psychological escape, he urges believers to "Fight as a Christian. Stand as a man, having done all things to stand." He concludes that when Christians understand and apply biblical truth to every area of life, "the wiles of the devil will not be able to confound you."