Man Under Sin
A Sermon on Romans 3:10-12
Originally preached Feb. 1, 1957
Scripture
10As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: 11There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. 12They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
Sermon Description
The word of God is a terrifying mirror to those who are not saved. No one is innocent as all have sinned, Jews and Gentiles alike. Paul quotes the Psalms to prove his point: “There is no one righteous, not even one” (Romans 3:10). The Jews had access to the Old Testament, yet they were tragically blind in regards to their own Scriptures and Paul reminds them of what God has stated multiple times. All are under the guilt of sin and all have been born into sin through Adam. In the sermon from Romans 3:10–12 titled “Man Under Sin,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones points out that it is essential to understand this before one can truly understand the gospel. A person must understand how truly sinful and deceitful human nature is. This will lead to evangelism, showing people their need for salvation by convicting them first of their sin. Paul continues in giving a greater description of sin and how it distorts their view of the world, humankind, and God. Even if the Jews attempted to argue that they were not under condemnation, Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that Paul was attempting to thwart all arguments by providing adequate evidence.
Sermon Breakdown
- The Jews were blind to the meaning of their own scriptures. They read the words but missed the message.
- This passage proves the universality of sin. There is no one righteous, not even one. Sin is universal without exception.
- We see the terrible character of sin and man's appalling position by nature.
- It is essential to understand this before we can understand the gospel. We must understand our need before we understand what Christ saves us from.
- By showing us the terrible character of sin, it shows us the glory of God's grace by contrast. The greater our understanding of sin, the greater our understanding of God's grace.
Sermon Q&A
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones on Sin and Salvation in Romans 3
What is the main division of Romans chapter 3 according to Dr. Lloyd-Jones?
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, Romans chapter 3 can be "divided very obviously and conveniently into three sections." These sections are: 1. Verses 1-8: Dealing with Jewish objections to the Gospel 2. Verses 9-20: Proving all humanity, both Jews and Gentiles, are under sin 3. Verses 21 to the end: The third section (which he doesn't elaborate on in this sermon)
What does it mean to be "under sin" according to Dr. Lloyd-Jones?
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, being "under sin" is a state or condition that describes the fundamental position of all humanity after the fall. He explains:
"According to the Bible, every human being is in one of two positions. We are either under sin or else we are under grace... It doesn't start with details... It's the kingdom to which you belong... Being 'under sin' includes: - Being under the guilt of sin - Being under the power of sin - Being under the pollution of sin - Being in the territory of sin - Being under the dominion of sin"
What is Dr. Lloyd-Jones' argument about universal sinfulness?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones argues that the universality of sin is absolutely proven in this passage (Romans 3:10-18). He emphasizes repeatedly that:
- "There is none righteous, no, not one"
- Every human being since the fall is born under sin
- This applies to "the very best, nicest people, as well as the worst and the vilest"
- There has never been a single exception to this rule since the fall of man
- This condition is not about degrees of goodness but about fundamental state
As he states: "Not one sin is universal without a single exception. There never has been one exception to this rule since the fall of men at the very dawn of history."
Why is understanding sin so important for evangelism according to the sermon?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones emphasizes that understanding sin is essential for proper evangelism for several reasons:
- "It is essential to understand this before we can truly understand the gospel"
- It shows why we need "the power of God" and "a righteousness from God" to be saved
- "This is the preparation for the gospel"
- "Evangelism means... not simply to make a positive statement as to what the gospel does, but to show people their need of it"
- "An evangelism which doesn't start by a call to repentance and conviction of sin is unscriptural"
- Understanding sin helps people recognize what Christ saves them from
- "By showing us the terrible character of sin and men's appalling position... it therefore shows us, by contrast, the glory of the grace of God"
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones define righteousness in this sermon?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones defines righteousness as:
- Being "upright in heart and in life"
- Being "blameless with respect of God and with respect to your fellow men"
- "Living a life in perfect conformity to the law of God"
- "Living as God desires men to live"
- Loving God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength (first commandment)
- Loving your neighbor as yourself (second commandment)
He emphasizes that righteousness is not merely being better than others or being respectable, but rather meeting God's perfect standard completely.
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.