Questions and Answers from Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones' Sermon on the Breastplate of Righteousness

What does "putting on the breastplate of righteousness" mean according to Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones?

According to Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, putting on the breastplate of righteousness means understanding and living in the reality of our new position in Christ. It involves realizing that we are no longer slaves to sin but have become servants of righteousness. It means recognizing that we "are not our own" but have been "bought with a price" and should therefore "glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's." It's about understanding our new relationship with God through Christ and living accordingly, realizing we are "alive unto God" and under the reign of grace rather than under the law.

How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones explain the contrast between being "under law" and "under grace"?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that being "under law" represents the old way of fighting against sin—trying through our own effort to keep the commandments and rules, which he calls "the oldness of the letter." This approach always leads to defeat and death because we can never meet God's perfect standard through our own efforts. In contrast, being "under grace" means living in "the newness of the spirit"—being empowered by God's Spirit with a new nature and new motives. He explains: "We are not trying to make ourselves Christians. We are living this life because he's made us Christians." Under grace, "there is liberty" and divine power working in us.

What does it mean that we are "alive unto God" according to the sermon?

Being "alive unto God" means that as Christians, we now have a living relationship with God where previously we were "dead in trespasses and sins." This new relationship means we're "open to all the gracious influences of God" and "under the reign of grace." As Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains, "God is working in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure." He illustrates this by comparing it to someone who had been confined in a dark cavern being brought into the sunlight—just as the sun's rays naturally heal and stimulate the person, God's influence naturally works on us to produce righteousness because we are now "alive unto God."

How does Christ's role as High Priest help Christians in their spiritual battle?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones emphasizes that Christ serves as our "merciful and faithful high priest" who understands our struggles because "he himself hath suffered, being tempted." Christ "was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin," which means He truly understands our experiences. Because of this, we can "come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need." This means that in our spiritual battles, we have direct access to God through Christ, who sympathizes with our weaknesses and provides the help we need when facing temptation and trials.

What is the difference between the negative and positive aspects of putting on the breastplate of righteousness?

The negative aspects involve realizing what we have been freed from: understanding that "the old man is dead indeed unto sin," that we are no longer under Satan's dominion, that we are "dead indeed unto sin," and that we are "dead to the law." These are realizations about what we are no longer under.

The positive aspects involve recognizing what we now have in Christ: looking to Jesus as our example, understanding why He died for us ("He died to make us good"), realizing we are under a new Master (we are "servants of righteousness"), understanding we are "alive unto God," fighting in a new way ("newness of spirit, not in the oldness of the letter"), and recognizing the help available to us through Christ our High Priest who provides "grace to help in time of need."

Why does Dr. Lloyd-Jones say that Christians are never truly "free" in the autonomous sense?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones teaches that humans are never truly autonomous or independent—we are always servants of something. Before conversion, we are "slaves of sin and of the devil," unable to free ourselves from our sinful nature. When we become Christians, we don't become independent; rather, we become "the slave of Christ and the slave of righteousness." He emphasizes: "We don't live unto ourselves. We never do. As we used to serve sin, we must now serve Christ and serve righteousness." This is because we have been "bought with a price"—Christ's blood—and therefore "you are not your own." The Christian life is not about freedom to do whatever we want but about joyful service to our new Master who purchased us with His blood.