Essential for Salvation
A Sermon on Romans 10:9-10
Originally preached Nov. 15, 1963
Scripture
9That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Sermon Description
What are the essential truths that must be made known for a person to be saved? Many say that the Bible teaches that one must only believe on the name of Jesus Christ to be saved. Others preach that one must believe in the person of Mary or that they must have extraordinary knowledge in order to be saved. In this sermon on Romans 10:9–10 titled “Essential for Salvation,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones shows the fallacy of both extremes. One temptation is to take away essential doctrines of the gospel in order to make it less offensive and more inclusive. The other temptation is to add more to the gospel than what is necessary, making it impossible for anyone to come to God and creating a works-based salvation. Dr. Lloyd-Jones shows through Scripture that the gospel message must include an explanation of who Jesus is, why He is needed, and why He is sufficient. This sermon will remind the listener of the biblical truth that a true evangelistic message must include repentance towards God and faith in Jesus Christ. In light of the truths presented in this sermon, the listener will be challenged to analyze their own beliefs and practices to see if they line up with the message of the apostles. Listeners will be encouraged to be bold in the proclamation of the gospel because it is the only true hope for the world.
Sermon Breakdown
- There are two main dangers in understanding saving faith: putting too little content or too much content.
- Putting too little content into saving faith leads to:
- Lack of understanding in what one is believing in.
- Inability to discern false teachings and counterfeit experiences.
- Lack of assurance in one's salvation.
- Inability to help others in their walk of faith.
- The way of salvation is coming to a knowledge of the truth (1 Tim 2:3-4).
- Apostolic preaching gave the facts of Jesus's life, death, and resurrection as well as their meaning and significance (1 Thess 1:9-10, 1 Cor 15:1-5).
- The book of Acts gives summaries of sermons, not full transcripts. We must consider the full content of apostolic preaching.
- We must have objective truth to test experiences and teachings.
- Putting too much content into saving faith leads to adding extra requirements for salvation not found in Scripture. Examples include Roman Catholic doctrines like the Immaculate Conception.
- It is not necessary to believe in election to be saved, though we should come to understand it. We are saved by faith in Christ, not by doctrinal perfection.
- There is a difference between preaching controlled by theology and preaching theology itself. Evangelistic preaching calls people to repent and believe the gospel.
- The great watershed is between relying on revelation vs. human reason and between justification by faith alone vs. reliance on works.
- We must keep the message of justification by faith alone plain and not add or subtract from it.
Sermon Q&A
Key Questions and Answers from Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones' Sermon on Romans 10:9-10
What is the content of saving faith according to Romans 10:9-10?
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, the content of saving faith has two main components: first, confessing "the Lord Jesus" (or "Jesus is Lord"), and second, believing "that God hath raised him from the dead." However, he emphasizes that these statements are not mere formulas or clichés to be repeated, but contain deep theological content with important implications that must be understood for true saving faith.
Why does Lloyd-Jones argue that there's a danger in putting too little content into saving faith?
Lloyd-Jones warns that simply telling people to "believe on the Lord Jesus Christ" without explaining what that means is dangerous. He provides several reasons for this concern: - Apostolic preaching didn't just give facts but explained their meaning and significance - People need to know what they're deciding about in evangelism - The Bible describes salvation as "coming to a knowledge of the truth" (1 Timothy 2:3-4) - Without understanding the content of faith, we have no standard to measure experiences by - Without proper content, believers can't test false teachings that arise - Full assurance of salvation requires understanding the content of what we believe - Helping others requires being able to give reasons for our hope
What does Lloyd-Jones say about the Philippian jailer example?
Many cite the Philippian jailer (Acts 16:31) as an example of minimal content in the gospel message when Paul told him, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved." However, Lloyd-Jones points out that the very next verse (Acts 16:32) says, "And they spake unto him the word of the Lord unto all that were in his house." This shows that Paul and Silas explained the gospel message fully, providing all the necessary content for saving faith.
What is the danger of putting too much content into saving faith?
Lloyd-Jones warns that we can also err by requiring beliefs beyond what Scripture requires for salvation. He gives several examples: - Roman Catholicism requiring belief in papal authority, the Immaculate Conception, etc. - Some evangelicals requiring belief in the doctrine of election for salvation - Adding philosophical or ascetic elements to faith (as in the Colossian heresy)
Lloyd-Jones argues that these additional requirements go beyond the essential gospel message and should not be made prerequisites for salvation.
What distinction does Lloyd-Jones make between evangelistic preaching and theological comment?
Lloyd-Jones points out that in the book of Acts, there's a difference between the evangelistic message preached (which calls people to repent and believe) and Luke's theological comments about God's sovereignty (like "as many as were ordained to eternal life believed" in Acts 13:48). The apostles didn't preach election in evangelistic messages but commanded all to repent. Lloyd-Jones calls this "the difference between having your preaching controlled by theology and preaching theology."
What would Lloyd-Jones consider the "great watershed" or essential divide in Christian belief?
Lloyd-Jones identifies two key distinctions that form the "great watershed" between true evangelical faith and other approaches: 1. Revelation vs. human understanding/reason - submitting entirely to Scripture vs. adding human conceptions 2. Justification by faith only vs. reliance upon works - faith in Christ alone vs. adding requirements
Can someone be saved without perfect theological understanding?
Yes, Lloyd-Jones affirms that someone can be saved despite theological confusion on non-essential matters. He specifically mentions that an Arminian can be a true Christian despite being "muddleheaded and confused intellectually." He states, "Thank God we are not saved by our understanding. We are saved by what God has done for us in and through the Lord Jesus Christ."
How should we approach the balance in presenting the gospel message?
Lloyd-Jones encourages a balanced approach that includes enough content for true understanding without adding extra requirements beyond Scripture. He says, "Don't be guilty, my friend, of oversimplifying and not putting enough in. Don't be guilty of putting too much in and adding your postulates which go beyond the teaching of the word of God itself."
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.