Slaves of Christ
A Sermon on Ephesians 6:14
Originally preached May 6, 1962
Scripture
14Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
Sermon Description
The Bible has made it clear that the life of the Christian will not be one of ease, but a continuous battle against the evil one. In order to live in victory, one must put on the breastplate of righteousness. The question, then, is how does one do this? In this sermon on Ephesians 6:14 titled “Slaves of Christ,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explains what it means to put on the breastplate of righteousness. He begins by stating that putting on the breastplate of righteousness can be equated to putting on Jesus and walking in the Spirit. Walking in the Spirit shows that the Christian is a new creation in Christ and have made Him the master rather than themselves. Second, he explains that to understand the breastplate of righteousness, one must first understand that they were once dead in their sins, but have been made alive through Christ Jesus. They are no longer under the reign of the law and unrighteousness, but under the reign of grace.. Dr. Lloyd-Jones reminds that in putting on the breastplate of righteousness, the Christian needs to realize the help available to them through Jesus Christ, the High Priest. It is through these actions and realizations that they will stand in victory in the day of battle.
Sermon Breakdown
- The context of the sermon is Ephesians 6:14 - the armor of God. The apostle Paul is reminding Christians that though they have eternal life, they still face difficulties and spiritual battles in this life.
- The devil and his forces are powerful, subtle, and cunning. The only way to stand against them is by relying on God's strength and using the armor He provides.
- The armor of God includes:
- The belt of truth: The Christian life is based on truth, not feelings.
- The breastplate of righteousness: Protects our heart, feelings, conscience, desires, and will. We must protect ourselves from moods, feelings, disappointments, and the devil's temptations.
- Putting on the breastplate of righteousness means:
- Realizing the old self is dead to sin (Romans 6:6)
- Realizing we are no longer under Satan's dominion
- Realizing we are dead to sin's dominion
- Realizing we are dead to the law (even God's law) - we have died to the law through Christ's body (Romans 7:4)
- Positively, putting on the breastplate of righteousness means:
- Looking to Jesus - seeing how He endured and overcame temptation. We should follow His example.
- Realizing why Jesus died - not just to save us from hell, but to make us good and zealous for good works
- Realizing the consequences of Jesus' work - we are new creatures with a new position. We have a new master (righteousness) and are alive to God.
- Being alive to God means:
- We are open to God's gracious influences and under the reign of grace. God is working in us to will and act according to His good purpose (Philippians 2:12-13).
- We are no longer trying to earn salvation or make ourselves good - we are living to please the One who saved us by grace.
- We have God's power and Spirit working in us, so we have no excuse for failure or defeat.
- We no longer fight in the old way (trying to keep the law to earn salvation) but in the new way - by the Spirit's power and with the motive of pleasing Christ. The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. (2 Corinthians 3:6)
- We have help and sympathy available through our High Priest, Jesus Christ, who endured all we face yet without sin. We can come boldly before the throne of grace to find mercy and help in our time of need. (Hebrews 4:15-16)
Sermon Q&A
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.
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.