What Did Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones Teach About Spiritual Manifestations?

How does Jesus manifest Himself to believers today according to Lloyd-Jones?

According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, Jesus manifests Himself primarily through spiritual manifestations rather than physical appearances. These manifestations are primarily to our "internal senses" - the eyes of our understanding, spiritual hearing, and spiritual feelings. He explains that while reading Scripture, believers may suddenly experience the text becoming "illuminated" where Christ's person "materializes in a spiritual sense." The believer realizes they're not merely reading about a historical person but encountering the living Christ. Lloyd-Jones says these manifestations are "more definite" than physical experiences and bring "absolute certainty."

What did Lloyd-Jones mean by the "hidden manna" in relation to spiritual experiences?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains the "hidden manna" (from Revelation 2) as representing the mysterious and sacred nature of spiritual manifestations. He says: "The very term, you see, explains to us exactly what this kind of experience is. It is manner as manner was given to the children of Israel... But this is a hidden manner, which means that there's an element of mystery about it." This hidden manna is something the world cannot understand - it's a secret spiritual nourishment that only believers can experience. Lloyd-Jones compares it to Jesus telling His disciples "I have meat to eat that ye know not of," suggesting these spiritual experiences are profound and beyond ordinary human comprehension.

According to Lloyd-Jones, how can we distinguish genuine spiritual experiences from psychological ones?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones provides several ways to distinguish genuine spiritual experiences from merely psychological or psychic experiences:

1. People with genuine spiritual experiences are often reluctant to speak about them, considering them too sacred: "Even Moody very rarely spoke of that great experience which he had in New York City... it is sacred."

2. Genuine spiritual experiences cannot be produced at will: "Any experience that you can produce at will, I would say, by definition, is not a spiritual experience."

3. True spiritual experiences show great variety and variation, while psychological or psychic phenomena tend to be stereotyped and mechanical: "This is where the influence of the cults come in... they always do the same thing in the same way... it's the kind of sausage machine mechanism."

4. Genuine spiritual experiences humble the person rather than making them boastful: "The thing is too sacred, it's too pure, it's too wonderful. So it follows that all who know something about this are careful and are hesitant. They don't parade it."

What example does Lloyd-Jones give of an extraordinary spiritual manifestation?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones shares the story of Colonel Gardiner as recounted by Philip Doddridge. Colonel Gardiner, a military man living a godless life, was waiting in his room for a midnight appointment with another man's wife when he picked up a religious book. While reading, "he thought he saw an unusual blaze of light fall on the book" and then "apprehended, to his extreme amazement that there was before him, as it were, suspended in the air, a visible representation of the Lord Jesus Christ upon the cross, surrounded on all sides with a glory." He also heard a voice saying, "O sinner, did I suffer this for thee? And are these the return?" Lloyd-Jones presents this as an exceptional case of Christ manifesting Himself to someone's external senses, though he clarifies that believers should primarily seek spiritual manifestations rather than such extraordinary experiences.

What is the ultimate purpose of spiritual manifestations according to Lloyd-Jones?

According to Lloyd-Jones, the ultimate purpose of spiritual manifestations is to restore believers to the knowledge of God that mankind lost in the Fall. He states: "He died to bring us to God. To restore to the fallen race of Adam that knowledge of God which he lost in the original form." Lloyd-Jones emphasizes that these manifestations aren't merely for emotional experiences but fulfill the central objective of salvation: "What's that? Well, it is ultimately to restore us to the knowledge of God. That is the chief end of salvation, to bring us back to the knowledge of God that men lost in his sin and rebellion and in the fall." These manifestations reveal God's glory, strengthen the believer's assurance, and transform them so that "once a man has known something about that, he'll never be the same again."