Concerning His Son
A Sermon on Romans 1:3-4
Originally preached Nov. 25, 1955
Scripture
3Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; 4And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:
Sermon Description
The New Testament claims that Jesus is the incarnate Son of God but the unbelieving world continues to challenge this fact. What’s more recent, however, is the false religion that rejects this doctrine yet believes one can still be considered a “Christian.” Is the person of Christ necessary for Christianity? Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones argues that without a Biblical view of Christ, there is no Christianity and no salvation. Islam can exist without Muhammad and Buddhism can exist without Buddha, but Christianity cannot exist without Christ. That faith is built upon the identity, person and work of Jesus Christ. The God who made and sustains the world fulfilled the Old Testament prophecy. Listen to the sermon titled “Concerning His Son: from Romans 1:3–4 where Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains the necessity of the incarnation and belief in this central doctrine. Christless Christianity is not Christianity at all; it is damning hypocrisy. Rejecting Jesus as Messiah places one outside of the Christian faith. Rejecting the divinity of Jesus disregards the whole of His work. Rejecting the full humanity of Jesus imagines a savior who cannot save. Christianity is more than a list of rules, a way of life, or a set of principles. Christianity is about Christ.
Sermon Breakdown
- The gospel is concerning God's son. Christianity is Christ himself.
- The gospel doesn't start with us or our problems. It's about what God has done through his son.
- His son, Jesus Christ, is the eternal Son of God. He is God's son in a way no one else is.
- Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of God. He was not created. He is begotten and in a category of his own.
- The Son of God took on human nature and became the Son of Man. He had a true human body and soul.
- Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. He is the seed of David, the great Messiah and eternal king.
- Jesus Christ is the seed of David through His mother Mary. The records prove He is the Messiah.
- The incarnation is a marvel and wonder. The eternal Son of God was made flesh and dwelt among us.
- We must fight for and stand on the truth that Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God made flesh. If we lose this, we lose the Gospel.
- We cannot have fellowship with those who deny Jesus Christ is the Son of God made flesh. This is essential to Christianity.
- We receive this truth by faith through the Holy Spirit. It is a mystery we believe though we do not fully understand.
Sermon Q&A
Frequently Asked Questions about Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones on Jesus Christ as the Son of God
What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones say is the heart and center of the gospel?
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, the heart and center of the gospel is Jesus Christ, God's Son. He emphasizes that "the gospel is concerning God's son. That is the nerve and the heart and the very center of the gospel. There is no such thing as the Christian gospel. There is no such thing as Christianity apart from him. Christianity, by definition, is Christ himself." Lloyd-Jones stresses that Christianity is not merely a set of teachings or principles, but is fundamentally about the person of Jesus Christ.
How does Christianity differ from other religions according to the sermon?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones highlights that Christianity is uniquely centered on the person of Christ, whereas other religions focus primarily on teachings. He states: "Take any religion that you like, you will generally find a man's name associated with it. But in none of those can it be said that the particular men is absolutely essential. You can have Buddhism without Buddha, Confucianism without Confucius... But here when you come to the realm of the Christian faith, the whole position is absolutely different. Take away the person, there is no message at all."
What does the sermon explain about Jesus being "made of the seed of David according to the flesh"?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that this phrase refers to the incarnation - when the eternal Son of God took on human nature. The word "made" indicates that Christ began to exist in a new form - as a human being. He emphasizes that Jesus took on complete humanity, not just a human body, but "a true body and a reasonable soul." Lloyd-Jones explains that "seed of David" is significant because it fulfills specific Old Testament prophecies that the Messiah would come from David's lineage, proving Jesus' credentials as the promised Messiah.
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones defend the necessity of the virgin birth?
In the sermon, Lloyd-Jones shows how the New Testament carefully distinguishes Jesus' birth from normal human generation. He points to Matthew's genealogy which says "Jacob begot Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus" rather than saying Joseph begot Jesus. He notes how Scripture places the words "as was supposed" in reference to Jesus being Joseph's son. Lloyd-Jones explains that this doctrine is essential because it enables Jesus to be both fully human (through Mary) and the Son of God, fulfilling the prophecies about the Messiah coming from David's line.
Why does Dr. Lloyd-Jones believe doctrinal precision about Christ's nature is so important?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones argues that doctrinal precision about Christ's nature is essential because without it, we have no gospel at all. He reminds listeners that "the first three or four centuries of the Christian church were spent very largely in the infant Christian church fighting for this very thing." He warns against modern tendencies to downplay doctrinal distinctions, citing a troubling example from his own time where a theological professor suggested someone could be a Christian without actually believing in Christ's divinity. Lloyd-Jones concludes: "If we do not fight on this matter and stand on this truth...we will find that we shall have betrayed the Christian message and the whole of the glorious Christian salvation."
What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones say about Jesus having both a divine and human nature?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God who took on a complete human nature. He emphasizes that Jesus had "a true body and a reasonable soul," meaning He possessed not just physical humanity but also a human mind, human emotions, and human experiences. Lloyd-Jones points out that Jesus "experienced hunger, he experienced thirst, he experienced grief. He said he was ignorant of certain things." Yet simultaneously, He remained the eternal Son of God. Lloyd-Jones uses Philippians 2 to show that Christ, "being in the form of God," took "upon him the form of a servant" - not exchanging one nature for another, but adding humanity to His divinity.
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.