Must the Son of Man be Lifted Up?
A Sermon on John 3:14-15
Originally preached Feb. 17, 1957
Scripture
14¶ And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: 15That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
Sermon Description
In this sermon on John 3:14–15 titled “Must the Son of Man be Lifted Up?” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones focuses on a key word from the passage: “must.” Jesus is having a conversation with a religious leader named Nicodemus, and Jesus retells an account from the Old Testament to show Nicodemus what he came to do— to be lifted up. According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, the word “must” tells that the Lord’s death upon the cross was no accident. He asserts that it is in the teaching throughout Scripture that what happened on Calvary’s hill was predetermined and foreordained before a single person breathed in this world, before there ever was a world. Dr. Lloyd-Jones argues further that “must” tells that the forgiveness of sin cannot occur apart from Christ’s death upon the cross. It must take place because God in His holiness hates sin and must punish it by way of His wrath. The perfect Son of Man, Jesus Christ took the punishment for sin upon Himself by being lifted up on the cross. There was no other way. God’s justice must be satisfied and His wrath appeased. That is why the Son of Man must be lifted up. He must.
Sermon Breakdown
- Christ's death on the cross was not an accident. It was predetermined before the foundation of the world.
- Christ's death on the cross was not something that God forgave. Rather, forgiveness was impossible without it.
- Christ died on the cross because it was absolutely essential and unavoidable. It had to happen.
- Christ died on the cross to render a perfect satisfaction to God's holy law and nature. God's justice and wrath had to be appeased.
- There was no other way for God to forgive sins except through Christ's death on the cross.
- We are all perishing in our sinful nature and estranged from God. We will perish eternally unless we believe in Christ.
- All we have to do is look to Christ in faith, like the Israelites looked at the bronze serpent. We will then have eternal life.
Sermon Q&A
What Does "Must the Son of Man Be Lifted Up" Mean According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones?
What is the significance of the word "must" in John 3:14-15 according to Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones?
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, the word "must" in "Even so must the Son of man be lifted up" signifies absolute necessity and divine compulsion. He explains that Christ's death wasn't optional or accidental, but rather an absolute requirement in God's plan of salvation. This "must" indicates that without Christ being lifted up on the cross, there would be no forgiveness of sins and no salvation for humanity. Lloyd-Jones emphasizes that this necessity stems from God's holy nature, which cannot simply overlook sin but requires perfect justice.
Why does Dr. Lloyd-Jones reject the view that Christ's death was merely an accident?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones rejects the view that Christ's death was an accident because Scripture clearly shows it was predetermined by God. He provides several biblical evidences including: 1) Peter's statement in Acts 2 about Christ being "delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God," 2) Revelation's reference to "the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world," 3) Peter's statement that Christ was "foreordained before the foundation of the world," 4) Old Testament prophecies and types that pointed to Christ's sacrificial death, and 5) Christ's own words that He came into the world for "this hour." Lloyd-Jones insists that men who crucified Jesus were merely instruments in God's predetermined plan.
What alternative theory about Christ's death does Lloyd-Jones refute and why?
Lloyd-Jones refutes the theory that Christ's death simply demonstrates God's willingness to forgive even the worst sin (killing His Son). This view suggests that God was already forgiving before the cross, and Christ's death merely demonstrates how far His forgiveness extends. Lloyd-Jones rejects this because it doesn't explain the "must" in the text. If God was already forgiving and Christ's death was merely demonstrative, there would be no necessity (must) involved. The fact that Christ said it "must" happen indicates that forgiveness was impossible without it.
According to Lloyd-Jones, why was Christ's death necessary for salvation?
According to Lloyd-Jones, Christ's death was necessary because of God's holy nature. He explains that:
- God is absolutely just, righteous and holy
- God hates sin with "all the intensity of his eternal nature"
- Sin must be punished according to God's law ("the wages of sin is death")
- God cannot compromise His justice even in showing mercy
- Christ, as the sinless Son of God in human flesh, could provide "perfect satisfaction" to God's law
- On the cross, Christ bore the punishment for sin in our place
- Without this substitution, forgiveness would be impossible
As Lloyd-Jones puts it: "If he hadn't done that, there would be no hope for any men."
What significance does Dr. Lloyd-Jones see in Christ's agony in Gethsemane?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones sees Christ's agony in Gethsemane as evidence of the necessity of the cross. He points out that Jesus was not merely afraid of physical death (which would make Him less courageous than many martyrs). Rather, Christ was agonizing over bearing the full wrath of God against sin. When Jesus prayed "if it be possible, let this cup pass," He was asking if there was any other way to save humanity without experiencing separation from the Father and bearing divine wrath. The answer was no - there was no other way. Lloyd-Jones says this proves the absolute necessity of the cross, as God would never have allowed His beloved Son to experience such agony if any alternative existed.
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.