You Must Be Born Again
A Sermon on John 3:1-8
Originally preached Jan. 16, 1966
Scripture
1There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: 2The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God …
Sermon Description
What is so dangerous about the religious life? Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones takes up this question in this sermon titled “You Must Be Born Again” from John 3:1-8. He says that often times people who claim to be religious are trying to live as Christians without actually being saved. They try to be sanctified without being justified. This is a hopeless way to live because it treats Christianity as a graceless religion that is attained by works alone. This is similar to the error of intellectualism, which says that Christianity is about simply knowing and assenting to certain truths. Both of those views lose sight of what it means to be justified freely in the grace of God as the foundation of the Christian life. Both views replace the grace of God with works of humanity. Instead, you must be born again. The Christian must ask themselves if they believe the Christian life is merely intellectual and works based or if they trust the justifying grace of God that alone has the power to save and make fallen sinners new. This message of justification is the only hope that this world has and is central to the gospel of Jesus Christ for all who believe.
Sermon Breakdown
- Beware of the danger of trying to go on before we've started.
- It is the danger of assuming the vital thing instead of making quite certain sure that we have it.
- It is the danger of seeking sanctification before we know anything at all about regeneration.
- It is the mistake of trying to grow before you've been born.
- It is the danger of having a concern about the application of christian truth before there is any christian life.
- It is putting the application of the truth before there is definite evidence of life itself.
- It is the whole danger of thinking of Christianity in terms of ideas. Ideas which we are to apply rather than in terms of life.
- There are far too many of us, I think, who are prone to think of this whole matter in terms of ideas.
- It is the fallacy of assuming that we've got to do this. It's our grasping ideas and then masticating them, as it were. They become a part of us, and then we proceed to put them into practice.
- The danger for the religious person is to go in for a study and a knowledge of the Bible. And it's possible, my friends, to have a knowledge of the Bible which is really expert. And yet you've never known its meaning, you've never seen its teaching.
- It is the danger of this purely intellectual approach which forgets the heart, the whole men, the emotional feeling element.
- It is the danger of putting a. Decision in the place of regeneration.
- It all really can be summed up in this way by saying that it. Is the failure to realize that this is a gift of a new and. A divine kind of life.
Sermon Q&A
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones on Being Born Again: Questions and Answers
What is the main message of Dr. Lloyd-Jones' sermon on Nicodemus?
The main message is that many religious people try to "go on before they've started" - meaning they seek spiritual growth and sanctification before they've experienced regeneration or new birth. Dr. Lloyd-Jones emphasizes that people cannot grow spiritually until they are first born again, just as Jesus told Nicodemus, "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."
What was Nicodemus' fundamental error according to Lloyd-Jones?
According to Lloyd-Jones, Nicodemus' fundamental error was that he "approached our Lord as a teacher, not as a savior." He assumed he already had spiritual life and just needed some additional teaching or knowledge to improve himself. He was still "in charge of himself" and failed to recognize his need for complete spiritual regeneration.
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones explain the difference between intellectual decisions and true regeneration?
Lloyd-Jones explains that true regeneration is not merely an intellectual decision to "go in for religion" or Christianity. Many people make decisions and join churches without experiencing the new birth. He states: "You can decide to go in for religion... but it doesn't of necessity prove that you really are truly Christian." True regeneration is a supernatural work of God's Spirit that gives new life, not merely a human decision.
What historical figures does Lloyd-Jones use to illustrate the error of seeking sanctification before justification?
Lloyd-Jones cites Martin Luther, George Whitefield, and the Wesley brothers as examples of religious people who initially made this error. They were all trying to develop holiness through religious practices (fasting, self-mortification, good works) before they understood justification by faith. Only when they realized they needed to be justified first could they properly grow spiritually.
What does Lloyd-Jones say about the mysterious nature of spiritual rebirth?
Lloyd-Jones emphasizes that spiritual rebirth is a mysterious, supernatural work of God beyond human understanding or control. He references Jesus' words: "The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is everyone that is born of the Spirit." He calls it "supra-rational" - not irrational but beyond rational understanding.
How does Lloyd-Jones describe the danger of religious people assuming they are Christians?
Lloyd-Jones warns that many people raised in religious environments assume they are Christians when they are not. They think they just need "some addition or some modification" to their existing spirituality, when in reality they need to be born again. He notes that many church members discover they were never actually Christians when confronted with this teaching.
What does Lloyd-Jones identify as the "heresy of Pelagianism"?
Lloyd-Jones defines Pelagianism as "to expect Christian conduct from people who are not Christians." He explains this is a common error today when people try to apply Christian principles without being regenerated. He states, "before you can live the Christian life, you must be a Christian," and it's impossible to "live the Sermon on the Mount" in one's natural state.
What makes Christianity accessible to all people according to the sermon?
According to Lloyd-Jones, because salvation depends on God's supernatural work rather than human intellectual capacity, Christianity is accessible to everyone regardless of intellect or background. As he states: "There is as much hope here for the unintelligent as for the intelligent. There is an equal hope for all. That's the glory of the Christian faith."
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.