Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones on Worthy Christian Living: Questions and Answers

What does it mean to "walk worthy of your calling" according to Dr. Lloyd-Jones?

According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, walking worthy of your calling means maintaining an equal balance between doctrine and practice in your Christian life. He explains: "What the apostle is saying is this... you must always give equal weight in your life to doctrine and practice. Not all the weight on doctrine, and none on practice. Not all the weight on practice, and just a little, if any at all on doctrine. No, that's imbalanced. That's lopsided." He further explains that this "worthiness" contains the idea of something that is "becoming" or appropriate to your identity as one called by God.

How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones differentiate between the general call and the effectual call?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that there are two types of calls in scripture. He states: "There are two types of call. The first is a general call, and the general call is made to everybody. God commendeth all men everywhere to repent. There is a universal call going out from the church to the whole world today to repent and to believe the gospel." In contrast, "the effectual call" is more particular and is the one that actually brings people to faith. He says: "The believers, the Christians, are those to whom the call has come effectually." This effectual call is "that mighty action of the spirit of God in the soul and upon it whereby the Holy Spirit introduces a new principle of life and of action."

What illustration does Dr. Lloyd-Jones use to explain the effectual call?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones uses the raising of Lazarus from the dead as a powerful illustration of the effectual call. He explains: "There's a wonderful illustration of all this, it seems to me in the gospels. It is, of course, the case of Lazarus. Lazarus died and had been dead for four days. And his body was in the grave. And putrefaction had already started...take away the stone, he said, and then spoke, saying, Lazarus, come forth. And he came forth." Lloyd-Jones emphasizes that "the power was in the call. The power was in the word spoken." This illustrates how God's effectual call brings spiritually dead people to life.

Why does the apostle Paul describe himself as "the prisoner of the Lord" in this passage?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that Paul describes himself as "the prisoner of the Lord" to demonstrate the attitude Christians should have toward their calling. He says: "He says, you are to live as I am trying to live, and as I am living, and I am living the life of a prisoner... because I don't decide what I do. I am the servant of Jesus Christ. I am his bond slave." Lloyd-Jones concludes that "We have no right to live as we choose and as we please. We were the prisoners of Satan. We are now the prisoners of Jesus Christ. We should have no desire save his."

What is the relationship between doctrine and sanctification according to Dr. Lloyd-Jones?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones teaches that sanctification flows from a proper understanding of doctrine. He states: "Sanctification is not so much something that you receive as a gift subsequent to your salvation. It is the outworking of the salvation that you have received in terms of the understanding of the doctrine that you hold." He emphasizes: "There can be no true sanctification without an understanding of doctrine. It is the outworking of the doctrine that we have received." The way of sanctification is "first and foremost to take a firm hold of the doctrine" which then produces the motivation and desire to live a holy life.

How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones describe the purpose of our calling according to Ephesians?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones points out that God's calling has a clear purpose beyond mere forgiveness. He notes: "What has he called me to? Why has he done all this? Was it merely that I might not go to hell? Was it merely that I might know that my sins are forgiven and can then carry on? Not at all." Instead, referring to Ephesians 1:4, he states: "I have not been called only to be forgiven. He hath chosen me to be holy and to be blameless before him in love." Our calling is ultimately to display God's character and glory through a transformed life.

What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones teach about the Christian's identity that should motivate holy living?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones emphasizes several aspects of Christian identity that should motivate holy living: We are "blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ," we are "chosen...to be holy and without blame," we have received "adoption as children," we are "heirs of God," we are "members of the body of Christ," we are "seated with Christ in the heavenly places," and Christ "dwells in our hearts by faith." He argues that if we truly understood our identity in Christ, "there would be no problem about christian living. We would count it our supreme delight to hear his dictates and obey."