The Faith of the Gospel
A Sermon on Ephesians 6:14
Originally preached Feb. 18, 1962
Scripture
14Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
Sermon Description
The modern church believes that the Bible has value, but is not relevant to this scientific age. In this sermon on Ephesians 6:14 titled “The Faith of the Gospel,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explains that this is foolish. The moment one sits in judgment of it, they pridefully place their own reason above the word of God. Modern teachers say there is no such thing as propositional truth. They say that the Bible is just the record of men’s mystical experiences of God. This is existentialism: nothing matters except the moment of truth where I encounter and accept God. To modern teachers, there is no objective standard to use in forming beliefs. However, the Bible teaches that truth can be known and reduced to actual definitions and statements. Christians have something outside themselves to check their own feelings and opinions of others. When the Bible speaks of mystery, it means truth that is inaccessible to the minds of humanity until revealed by God. Apostolic Christianity is propositional — “this” is the gospel, “that” is not. There is a definite message to measure and test teaching and that message can be found in the Bible alone.
Sermon Breakdown
- The sermon text is Ephesians 6:14 - "Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth".
- The sermon examines what it means to have our "loins girt about with truth". What is "truth" and how do we put it on?
- We must first establish the authority and source of truth. The only ultimate authority is the Bible. We cannot rely on the church, reason, philosophy, or experience alone.
- We should rejoice that the Bible is our authority because it means truth is accessible to all, not just an intellectual elite. The early church was made up of common people.
- However, it is not enough to just say the Bible is our authority. We must be able to define truth and know what it is. This is a key issue today with many rejecting propositional truth.
- Many today say truth cannot be defined or known with certainty. They say Christianity is about experience, not doctrine. This view makes the Bible almost useless.
- Examples are given of preachers who say parts of the Bible do not fit with their view of Jesus so they reject them. This shows how this view leads to subjectivity.
- In contrast, the Bible itself claims that truth can be known and defined. Jesus spoke of "the truth" and said God's word is truth. Paul spoke of "the faith" and "sound doctrine".
- More examples are given of Paul speaking of truth that can be known, learned, and contended for. He warned against false gospels and false doctrine.
- Peter and Jude also spoke of "the faith" and "the truth" as something objective that was delivered to the saints.
- We should be thankful we have an objective standard of truth in the Bible and are not left to our own subjective experiences and feelings.
- Next week, the sermon will look at the essence of the truth, or the "deposit" of truth, found in the Bible.
Sermon Q&A
What is Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones Teaching About Truth in Ephesians 6:14?
What does "having your loins girt about with truth" mean in Ephesians 6:14?
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, this refers to equipping ourselves with objective, definable biblical truth. It's the first and most vital piece of the armor of God that Christians must put on to stand against spiritual enemies. The phrase indicates we must be grounded in and surrounded by truth that can be defined, understood, and applied - not merely subjective experiences or feelings.
Why does Dr. Lloyd-Jones emphasize the authority of the Bible?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones emphasizes the Bible's authority because it is the only reliable, ultimate authority for Christians. He explains that the church, human reason, philosophy, and experience can all fall into error, but Scripture stands as the infallible standard by which everything else must be judged. He states that we must "submit to this and submit utterly to it without any reservations," as this has been the position of the church during every period of reformation and revival.
What modern theological trend does Lloyd-Jones warn against regarding truth?
Lloyd-Jones warns against existentialism in theology - the idea that truth cannot be defined and Christianity is merely about personal experience rather than objective doctrine. He criticizes the modern notion that "Christianity is caught, not taught" and the view that the Bible is merely a record of men's spiritual experiences rather than propositional truth from God. This trend reduces faith to subjective feelings without any objective standard to test them.
How does Lloyd-Jones prove that biblical truth can be defined?
Lloyd-Jones proves biblical truth can be defined by citing numerous Scripture passages showing that: 1. Jesus spoke of "knowing the truth" (John 8:31-32) 2. Paul referred to the "dispensation of the grace of God" and "unsearchable riches of Christ" (Ephesians 3) 3. Paul spoke of "the unity of the faith" (Ephesians 4:13) 4. Paul commanded to "stand fast in the faith" (1 Corinthians 16:13) 5. Paul instructed Timothy to "hold fast the form of sound words" (2 Timothy 1:13-14) 6. Peter and Jude both urged believers to contend for specific truths
Why is it important that truth can be defined according to Lloyd-Jones?
Lloyd-Jones argues it's vital that truth can be defined because: 1. It provides an objective standard to test teachings and experiences 2. It makes Christianity accessible to everyone, not just intellectuals 3. It gives believers something solid to "stand fast" upon 4. It enables Christians to defend the gospel against error 5. It allows for the passing on of "the deposit" of truth to future generations 6. It protects believers from "subtle" attacks of the enemy 7. Without defined truth, Christians are left with only shifting subjective experiences
What is Lloyd-Jones' view on Christian unity?
Lloyd-Jones distinguishes between unity of the church as an institution (which he considers secondary) and "unity of the faith" (which is primary). He warns against sacrificing doctrinal truth for the sake of organizational unity, stating: "They're so afraid of communism and certain big problems that they say we must all get together. Doesn't matter what we believe." He maintains that true Christian unity must be based on shared commitment to objective biblical truth, not merely shared experiences or feelings.
How does Lloyd-Jones describe the "deposit" of truth?
Lloyd-Jones describes the "deposit" of truth as the repository of divine teaching entrusted to believers - the Scriptures and apostolic teaching that contain "things," "words," "particular teaching," "definitions," and "doctrines." This deposit is something concrete that can be identified, protected, and passed on to others. It's not vague feelings but specific content that Christians are called to defend and contend for.
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.