Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones on Being Born Again: Key Questions and Answers

What does it mean to be born again according to Dr. Lloyd-Jones?

According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, being born again is not something we do but "something that is done to us." He describes it as "God's action" through the Holy Spirit where God "puts a new principle of life into the man's soul" and gives him "a new governing disposition." It's not about receiving new faculties or abilities, but rather having the governing principle that directs how we use our existing faculties completely changed. Lloyd-Jones explains that "what really matters about all of us is not the gifts that we have, our faculties and propensities. The really important thing about a man is his bent, is this governing principle that determines how he uses everything else."

Why does Dr. Lloyd-Jones say we must be born again to enter the kingdom of God?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that the rebirth is absolutely essential because of the profound difference between the realm of the flesh and the realm of the spirit. He states, "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the spirit is spirit." The natural human state (flesh) cannot enter God's kingdom because it's fundamentally incompatible with spiritual things. He says, "As we are by nature, we really can do nothing at all. We cannot be improved. We are too bad for that. We must be born again. We must be created anew." This is why Jesus told Nicodemus, "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."

How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones explain the supernatural nature of the new birth?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones emphasizes that the new birth is "a supernatural action. It is a miraculous action." He uses Christ's illustration of the wind to explain its mysterious nature: "The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh nor whither it goeth. So is everyone that is born of the spirit." Lloyd-Jones says this supernatural operation happens "down in the very vitals of our personality," in the soul, which he calls "a mystery to the natural man." He insists we should not apologize for this supernatural element but rather celebrate it: "Far from apologizing for that, I'm asserting it, and I thank God for it. If these miracles were not possible, there would be no hope for me."

What are the signs that someone has been born again according to Lloyd-Jones?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones offers several signs that someone has experienced the new birth: 1. They are "conscious of the fact that he's got this new nature within him" 2. They are often "surprised at yourself" and aware of "a new man inside you" 3. They have "a new outlook" where "old things are passed away; behold, all things have become new" 4. They develop "a new interest in spiritual things" where "the Bible becomes a new book" and "prayer is a new interest" 5. Their desires change: "He no longer loves the things he used to love. He begins to hate them." 6. They "loves the law of God" and "wants to be pure...clean...like Christ" 7. They find "a new power within himself, enabling him to do these things"

Why do people often resist or resent the doctrine of being born again?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that people resist this teaching for several reasons. First, "we don't like something that we can't understand" due to our "pride of intellect." Second and more importantly, "men feels that this doctrine of the rebirth or of regeneration is an insult to him" because it implies that "as you are, you are absolutely hopeless and helpless." People prefer religious systems where they can do something themselves to improve or earn salvation, rather than accepting they need a complete supernatural transformation. As Lloyd-Jones says, "If he [Jesus] had come and said, all right, you've done very well...Just give up certain things in your life and do others. And of course, at once, Nicodemus would have liked it."