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Sermon #3372

Peace in the Holy Spirit

A Sermon on Romans 14:17

Originally preached March 1, 1968

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Scripture

Romans 14:17 ESV KJV
For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. (ESV)

Sermon Description

Evangelicals rightly value truth. Sometimes, however, their reputation for truth is understood as the desire to merely be right. The former leads to freedom, assurance, and grace. The latter leads to a morbid cynicism. Among the problems in the church of Rome was the concern about whether they were right about eating and drinking. In this sermon on the Holy Spirit from Roman 14:17 titled “Peace in the Holy Spirit,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones suggests they were constantly worried about being right on an issue, which led to fearful, anxious, and censorious conditions. The church was a place that contradicted what the kingdom of God is about: peace. The church today is likewise preoccupied with the matter of being right. The result is constantly looking for some defect in one another – being “spiritual detectives” towards each other instead of the family of God. But where is peace in all this? Have Christians forgotten that the purpose of salvation itself is to have peace with God? This gospel of peace spreads, says Dr. Lloyd-Jones, to having peace with ourselves and one another. The kingdom of God is about peace. Listen as Dr. Lloyd-Jones points to the Prince of Peace in order that Christians may have peace.

Sermon Breakdown

  1. The sermon begins by introducing the verse being discussed, Romans 14:17. Dr. Lloyd-Jones establishes that the verse is lifting up the discussion about indifferent things and putting them in the context of the whole Christian life.

  2. Dr. Lloyd-Jones argues that interpreting the verse as merely referring to ethical characteristics like uprightness, peaceableness and joyfulness is inadequate. The verse is ridiculing the behavior of the Roman church members who were exaggerating the importance of indifferent things.

  3. Dr. Lloyd-Jones says the Roman church members had forgotten the real nature of the kingdom of God and the life in the kingdom. They were slipping back into a carnal way of thinking.

  4. Dr. Lloyd-Jones says the Roman church members were self-centered, concerned about their own opinions and reputations. This leads to division, strife and sects.

  5. Dr. Lloyd-Jones says the Roman church members seemed to have forgotten they were children of God and members of his household. They had forgotten the purpose of the kingdom of God is to bring peace.

  6. Dr. Lloyd-Jones says sin resulted in a lack of peace between God and man, and between men. The purpose of salvation is to produce peace through reconciliation.

  7. Dr. Lloyd-Jones says the Roman church members were denying the purpose of the kingdom of God by producing unrest and division over indifferent matters. The kingdom of God brings down walls of partition and abolishes enmity.

  8. Dr. Lloyd-Jones says the effect of understanding the gospel is realizing we are all sinners saved by grace, with the same salvation and savior. We should not judge one another over trivial matters.

  9. Dr. Lloyd-Jones says we must let the peace of God rule in our hearts. We must realize we belong to one body and have one relationship to God. We must seek to glorify God, not our own opinions.

  10. Dr. Lloyd-Jones says we must be peacemakers, like our heavenly Father. We must put on love, forbearance, forgiveness and let the peace of God rule in our hearts. We must do all in the name of Jesus Christ.

  11. Dr. Lloyd-Jones concludes by saying we must realize Jesus Christ is the Prince of Peace. We must not give the impression to the world that Christians are divided over indifferent matters. The kingdom of God is righteousness and peace.

Sermon Q&A

What Did Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones Mean by "Peace" in Romans 14:17?

What does peace mean in the context of Romans 14:17?

In Romans 14:17, peace refers to the reconciliation and harmony that characterizes the kingdom of God, not merely an ethical quality of peaceableness. According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, "The kingdom of God is not meat and drink, but righteousness and peace." This peace represents a fundamental characteristic of God's kingdom that stands in stark contrast to the divisive arguing over non-essential matters that was happening in the Roman church. Peace in this context means reconciliation with God, inner peace within oneself, and peace with fellow believers—all of which were being undermined by quarrels over food and drink.

How were the Roman Christians violating the principle of peace according to Lloyd-Jones?

According to Lloyd-Jones, the Roman Christians were violating peace in multiple ways:

  1. They had become "morbidly scrupulous" about dietary matters and observation of days
  2. They were in a constant state of anxiety and fear about making mistakes
  3. They had become hypersensitive to others' opinions and criticisms
  4. They were constantly on the defensive, justifying themselves
  5. They had become "spiritual detectives," watching each other critically
  6. They had reverted to individualistic, self-centered thinking, saying "I say this" and "I say that"
  7. They had forgotten they were in God's kingdom and were behaving exactly as people in the world behave

As Lloyd-Jones puts it: "The atmosphere amongst them was one of contention, it was one of judging, of recrimination. It was one of strife. And the apostle is just setting out to show that this is the very negation of what should be true of citizens of the kingdom of God."

Why does Lloyd-Jones reject the purely ethical interpretation of "peace" in this verse?

Lloyd-Jones rejects the purely ethical interpretation of peace (as mere "peaceableness") because:

  1. It fails to capture Paul's rhetorical purpose - "He's ridiculing it. He's treating it almost with contempt."
  2. It misses the contrast Paul is drawing between the kingdom's true nature and their trivial disputes
  3. It doesn't adequately convey how these Christians were actually denying the fundamental purpose of God's kingdom
  4. It diminishes the theological weight of peace as reconciliation through Christ

In Lloyd-Jones' words: "If you say it merely means peaceableness, it doesn't come out at all. You're missing the very thing the apostle is saying."

What are the three dimensions of peace that Lloyd-Jones identifies?

Lloyd-Jones identifies three key dimensions of peace in the Christian life:

  1. Peace with God: "Being justified by faith. We have peace with God." This is reconciliation with God, no longer seeing Him as a fearful judge but as a loving Father.

  2. Peace within oneself: "The peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." This is an inner rest that delivers us from constant anxiety, fear and self-judgment.

  3. Peace with others: "Let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body." This is harmony in the body of Christ where walls of partition are broken down.

Lloyd-Jones explains: "The whole business is about peace. And by breaking peace you are doing dishonor to the great purpose of the God of peace through his son and through the spirit."

How should Christians practice peacemaking according to this sermon?

According to Lloyd-Jones, Christians should practice peacemaking by:

  1. Remembering we are all one body in Christ with different gifts and functions
  2. Recognizing we all have the same access to God through Christ by one Spirit
  3. Focusing on God's glory rather than our own opinions
  4. Putting on "bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, long suffering"
  5. Forbearing and forgiving one another as Christ forgave us
  6. Putting on love, "which is the bond of perfectness"
  7. Letting "the peace of God rule in your hearts" as umpire over all disputes

As Lloyd-Jones states: "Let the peace of God arbitrate. Let the peace of God decide. Let the peace of God act as umpire, not your opinion on my opinion."

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.