Believe God
A Sermon on Romans 4:18-25
Originally preached Jan. 29, 1961
Scripture
18Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations; according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be. 19And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, …
Sermon Description
What does it mean to believe in God? This question is at the heart of the Bible’s teaching on salvation and redemption; it is vital that everyone come to a clear understanding if what it means. In this sermon on Romans 4:18–25 titled “Believe God,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones looks at the apostle Paul’s example of Abraham. Abraham trusted in the promise of God that He would bring a savior from his seed who would redeem the whole world and break the power of sin and the devil. Though Abraham and Sarah were old and had no child, this did not stop them from trusting in God that He was able to bring about what was promised. This salvation comes when Jesus Christ is born of a virgin under the law and dies a death of propitiation for all who believe. Now all who are saved are those that believe in the promises of God made complete in Christ Jesus, and these are the same promises that Abraham believed in those thousands of years ago that have now been fulfilled in Christ. Trusting in God is the opposite of relying on one’s own works and good deeds. Only by looking to the finished work of Christ can anyone be freed from sin and made a child of God.
Sermon Breakdown
- The world is uncertain and life has become terribly uncertain. We must be realistic and ask important questions about life and eternity.
- Meeting in church is not escapism but facing reality. The questions that matter are: What is the meaning of life? What happens after death? How can we be saved?
- Nothing we do can save us or put us right with God. Our best and worst works are useless. Religion and morality are useless. We deserve hell.
- If we could save ourselves, why did Jesus have to die? His death shows there was no other way. We have completely failed.
- We must stop relying on ourselves in any way for salvation. We will be judged by God's standard, not our own.
- The story of Abraham shows how to be justified before God. It was not by works but by believing God. Abraham is the pattern for all the faithful.
- God called Abraham and promised to bless him and make him the father of many nations. Abraham believed though it seemed impossible.
- Abraham believed simply because God promised, even though he did not understand how it could happen. He knew God could not lie.
- We must believe what God says about Jesus, though it seems too good to be true. God says Jesus is His Son who died for our sins and was raised to life.
- God says He has laid our sins on Jesus and punished them in Him. He offers forgiveness, new life, adoption, and eternal glory. We must believe.
- Abraham believed in spite of circumstances. We must believe in spite of our age, past sin, present feelings, or anything else. We don't need to understand, just believe.
- Do not think you must start living a good life or doing good works to be saved. You must believe now, just as you are.
- Believing means trusting in what God has done in Jesus, not in yourself. It means turning from sin, committing your life to God, and following Christ no matter what.
- Come to God just as you are, confess your sin, thank Him for Jesus, and believe you are forgiven and righteous through faith in Christ. Find safety in Him.
Sermon Q&A
Understanding Justification by Faith in Romans 4: Insights from Dr. Lloyd-Jones
What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones teach about how a person can be justified before God?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones teaches that justification comes solely through faith in what God has done through Jesus Christ. He emphasizes that "nothing that you and I can ever do can ever put us right with God. Your best works are as useless as your worst works." The central teaching is that we are justified not by our works, efforts, or religious activities, but simply by believing God's promises as Abraham did. As he states, "If you are relying upon yourself in any shape or form, negatively or positively, you are outside God and you are still in your sins."
How does Abraham serve as the pattern for justification according to Romans 4?
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, Abraham is "the pattern, the sample of all samples of how a man can be just with God." Abraham's justification came simply because "Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness." Though God's promise to Abraham (that he would have a son in his old age and become father of many nations) seemed impossible, Abraham "staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief." Abraham believed God despite his age (nearly 100) and Sarah's "dead womb," trusting God's word simply because it was God who spoke it. This pattern of faith in God's promises, despite seeming impossibilities, is the pattern for all who would be justified.
What personal obstacles do people face in believing God for salvation?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones identifies several obstacles people struggle with: 1. Age - whether feeling too old ("I've lived 70 years of sin") or too young to make such a commitment 2. Past sinfulness - believing one's sins are too terrible to be forgiven 3. Intellectual doubts - not understanding how Jesus' death can pay for another's sins 4. Self-reliance - thinking we must prepare ourselves or "do something" to merit salvation 5. Lack of feelings - waiting for an emotional experience before believing
He emphasizes that we must "believe in spite of everything to the contrary" just as Abraham did, who "believed in spite of the impossibility" of God's promise.
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones describe what God promises to those who believe?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones outlines the comprehensive promises God makes to those who believe: 1. Complete forgiveness of sins - "all is blotted out" 2. Justification - "I will pronounce you to be just in my sight" 3. New birth - "I will give you a new life...a new nature" 4. Adoption - "I will adopt you into my family...make you my child" 5. The indwelling Holy Spirit - "I will put my Holy Spirit into you" 6. Divine guidance - "I will lead you and guide you" 7. Providence - "All things work together for good" 8. Eternal glory - "I will bring you into the glory that I myself have prepared for you" 9. Resurrection - "I'll raise your body and I'll glorify it"
What was Martin Luther's experience with justification by faith and why does Lloyd-Jones mention it?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones references Martin Luther as a powerful historical example of someone who discovered this truth of justification by faith. He describes how Luther was "a good man" who had "become a monk" and was "anxious to know that he would go to heaven," trying everything the church taught to earn salvation: "fasting, sweating, praying, counting his beads." Yet Luther remained "miserable, unhappy, conscious increasingly of his unworthiness and of the holiness of God."
The transformation came when Luther discovered the doctrine of "justification by faith only." Lloyd-Jones states, "This is the very thing that changed him," and it led to "the Protestant Reformation...which changed the whole situation and accounts so much for the history of the world ever since." Lloyd-Jones uses Luther's experience to illustrate how many today "believe vaguely, somehow in the Lord Jesus Christ" yet "don't know that their sins are forgiven" because they haven't understood how to be related to Christ through faith alone.
The Book of Romans
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.