How Can You Believe?
A Sermon on John 5:44
Originally preached June 22, 1958
Scripture
44How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that cometh from God only?
Sermon Description
Continuing his exposition of John 5 with this sermon on John 5:44 titled “How Can You Believe?” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones now considers verse 44 and this question. This question was posed by Jesus as He again confronts the Jews and their rejection of Him. Belief in Him is the means of salvation and the path to truly knowing the Father. However, Jesus now presents a great theological difficulty. His question implies that belief in Him is impossible. In fact, belief exercised by the unbeliever is completely out of his or her control. As one famous preacher said, “You had nothing to do with your natural birth and you had nothing to do with your spiritual birth.” Belief in Jesus to receive salvation is impossible without the work of God in the life of the unbeliever. In John 5:44, Jesus confronts the Jews with this reality. Furthermore, His question points to the prior verses referring to their desire for honor among people. How does this desire relate to the inability to believe? In this sermon, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explains how believing in Jesus is impossible by virtue of the sinful human desire to be supreme above all things.
Sermon Breakdown
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What makes us Christians is believing in the Lord Jesus Christ. This means believing He is the Son of God, receiving Him, and coming to Him for salvation.
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What makes belief in Christ impossible is seeking honor from other people instead of God. This desire for human praise and glory blinds people to the truth.
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This desire to receive honor from others manifests itself in many ways: seeking popularity, craving praise, fear of criticism, and intellectual pride. All of these make belief in Christ impossible.
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Seeking honor from others puts self at the center instead of God. It elevates human opinion as the supreme standard of truth instead of God's Word. It leads to a superficial, dishonest, and external view of life that ignores the heart. And it is something God hates.
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The governing principle of a person's life shows whether they are seeking honor from God or men. If ruled by human opinion, they will never know Christ. But turning to Christ in repentance and faith leads to knowing God's honor.
Sermon Q&A
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones Sermon Questions and Answers
What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones identify as the main reason people don't believe in Christ?
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, interpreting Jesus' words in John 5:44, the main reason people don't believe in Christ is that they "receive honor one of another" and "seek not the honor that cometh from God only." This means they live to receive praise, glory, and reputation from other people rather than seeking God's approval. Lloyd-Jones explains this is "the one big thing that stands between men and women and the believing of the gospel," not intellectual barriers or scientific knowledge as many claim.
How does seeking honor from others make belief in Christ impossible?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that seeking honor from others makes belief in Christ impossible for several reasons: 1. It puts self at the center rather than God 2. It elevates human opinion to the supreme position and final standard of judgment 3. It focuses on external appearances rather than the inner heart 4. It creates a lifestyle that God hates and cannot abide in His presence 5. It directly contradicts the beatitudes, which form the foundation of Christian life
What is the difference between the world's standard and God's standard according to the sermon?
The sermon highlights a stark contrast between these standards: - The world values reputation, self-promotion, and external appearances - God values truth in the inward parts, humility, and meekness - What humans highly esteem is "abomination in the sight of God" - The world's standard is constantly changing (each generation dismisses previous opinions) - God's standard is eternal and unchanging - The world praises the "great men" of history while God may see them very differently (Lloyd-Jones references Daniel describing Alexander the Great as a "he goat")
What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones say about intellect as a barrier to faith?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones emphatically rejects the notion that intellectual capacity prevents people from believing in Christ. He calls this idea "childish" and "nonsense," offering these refutations: 1. If intellect were the barrier, no intelligent person would ever be a Christian 2. History shows many of "the greatest minds and thinkers" have been Christians 3. The same person with the same intellect can reject Christ at one point and later believe 4. No scientific knowledge "makes the slightest difference to these matters" 5. The real barrier is not intellectual but spiritual - the condition of one's heart
What solution does Dr. Lloyd-Jones offer to those who have been seeking honor from others?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones concludes his sermon with a compassionate invitation to those who recognize their error in seeking human approval: 1. Turn to Christ whom you have previously rejected 2. Acknowledge your folly in living a "superficial, dishonest external life of praise amongst men" 3. Come to Christ just as you are 4. Christ will not refuse you "however long from mercy you may have turned away" 5. In turning to Christ, you'll "begin to know something of the honor that comes from the only God"
He emphasizes it's not about whether we will receive Christ, but whether He will receive us - and assures the listeners that Christ will indeed receive them if they turn to Him.
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.