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Sermon #1050

Flesh and Spirit

A Sermon on John 1:16

Originally preached March 8, 1964

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Scripture

John 1:16 ESV KJV
For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. (ESV)

Sermon Description

Every Christian must deal with old, evil desires that resurface, and every Christian must deal with indwelling sin. In this sermon on John 1:16 titled “Flesh and Spirit,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones discusses the way that God deals with remaining sin in the life of the Christian. This namely occurs through progressively sanctifying them through the work of the Holy Spirit. Sanctification is the work of the Holy Spirit whereby Christians are enabled more and more to die to sin and live in righteousness. Dr. Lloyd-Jones elaborates that the Christian must also mortify, or kill, the sin in their life. A Christian who falls into sin is like the Israelite who forgets what it actually was like in slavery in Egypt and longs for the land of his slavery. Instead they must stand fast on Christ who has set them free. Moreover, Dr. Lloyd-Jones points out that legalism is not the same as obedience, because legalism assures people of salvation based on their own merit, rather than pointing them to a Savior who has set them free from the Law of Moses. If someone is trapped by their conscience and feels the weight of legalism pressing in, this sermon encourages that the gospel offers freedom from slavery to the law and sin.

Sermon Breakdown

  1. The Christian life is receiving the life of God - "of his fullness have all we received, and grace for grace."
  2. We receive the fullness of Christ through his incarnation, death, resurrection and work in sanctifying us.
  3. We must apply the work of redemption to our lives. We are "in Christ Jesus."
  4. Sanctification is the renewal of the whole person to the image of God, enabling us to die to sin and live righteously.
  5. We have a new life in the Spirit, though our body is not yet redeemed. The "old man" is dead, but the old nature remains in our body.
  6. We are not promised freedom from the old nature in this life. We must mortify the deeds of the body.
  7. Two errors to avoid are legalism (rules and rigorism) and passivity (doing nothing).
  8. We must act through the Spirit, not through legalism or passivity. We work out our salvation as God works in us.
  9. We are a unity of spirit, soul and body. Though our spirit is redeemed, we must not let sin reign in our mortal body.
  10. We find we can understand Scripture, pray, and mortify sin as we make the effort, through the power of the Spirit.
  11. We must realize who we are in Christ and act on that, finding the Spirit's power enabling us.

Sermon Q&A

Understanding Martyn Lloyd-Jones on Sanctification: Q&A

What is the main difference between regeneration and sanctification according to Martyn Lloyd-Jones?

According to Martyn Lloyd-Jones, regeneration is instantaneous and complete when a person becomes a Christian - we are spiritually born again, made new creatures in Christ, and our old man is crucified with Christ. Sanctification, however, is the ongoing process whereby we "work out" this salvation in daily life. As he explains, "You don't go in for an extra experience in sanctification. You've got it all in its essence, in your rebirth. There's new life in you... But you must work that out." While our spirits are renewed at regeneration, our bodies remain unredeemed and are a source of ongoing struggle.

What are the two wrong approaches to sanctification that Lloyd-Jones identifies?

Lloyd-Jones identifies two erroneous approaches to sanctification:

  1. Legalism/Rigorism: Reverting back to a system of rules, regulations, and human effort. He describes this as "putting yourself back under the law again" and cites monasticism and seasonal religious observances like Lent as examples. This approach tries to achieve sanctification through mechanical obedience to regulations.

  2. Passivity: The opposite extreme that teaches Christians should "do nothing at all" and simply "hand it all over to the Lord." This view suggests we should stop striving altogether and let Christ live His life through us without our active participation. Lloyd-Jones calls this equally wrong because it contradicts clear biblical commands to "mortify the deeds of the body."

What scriptural evidence does Lloyd-Jones provide for the Christian's need to actively pursue sanctification?

Lloyd-Jones cites numerous passages showing our active role in sanctification:

  • Romans 6:11-13: "Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body... neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness"
  • Romans 8:13: "If you through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live"
  • 2 Corinthians 7:1: "Let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit"
  • Colossians 3:5: "Mortify, therefore, your members which are upon the earth"
  • 2 Timothy 2:21: "If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honor"
  • 1 Corinthians 9:27: "I keep under my body, and bring it unto subjection"

These passages demonstrate that Christians have an active, not passive, role in sanctification.

What is the biblical approach to sanctification according to Lloyd-Jones?

Lloyd-Jones teaches that the biblical approach is neither legalism nor passivity, but rather "acting through the Spirit." He explains: "It isn't I doing it alone. I'm a new man, and the Spirit is in me. I do it through the Spirit." This paradoxical truth is captured in Philippians 2:12-13: "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God that worketh in you."

The Christian must actively strive against sin while simultaneously relying on the Holy Spirit's power within. Lloyd-Jones uses the illustration of the man with the withered arm whom Jesus commanded to "stretch forth thine hand." The man had to make the effort, yet found supernatural ability when he tried. "You do it by realizing who and what you are, this great, glorious, central truth about yourself. And because of that, you say, this is what I must do. And you find that you are enabled to do it."

Why does Lloyd-Jones believe sanctification has been misunderstood in the modern church?

Lloyd-Jones believes sanctification has been neglected and misunderstood in the modern church because of the popularity of teachings that leave no room for the biblical concept of "mortifying the flesh." He notes: "How often do you read today about the mortification of sin? How often have you heard sermons on the subject of mortifying the flesh? It's dropped right out."

He believes this neglect accounts for "so much of the present state and condition of the Christian church - the low level of spirituality, the antinomianism, the difficulty often of differentiating between the church and the world." People are drawn to shortcuts and easy solutions rather than the biblical teaching that requires ongoing struggle against sin, empowered by the Holy Spirit.

The Book of John

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.