Practical Christianity (2)
A Sermon on Romans 12:15-16
Originally preached Oct. 14, 1966
Scripture
15Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep. 16Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits.
Sermon Description
Is it harder to rejoice with those who rejoice or weep with those who weep? In this sermon on Romans 12:15–16 titled “Practical Christianity (2),” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones looks at how Christians are called to respond to one another. The problem of every human being, without exception, is the problem of pride and self. All struggle with envy and jealousy. The Christian is called to not settle for being able to hide this sin but learn to replace it by rejoicing with another over their success. No one can do this for themselves. The gospel of salvation in Christ is the only thing that can deliver one from the self and unify them with the body of believers. Christians cannot divide doctrine and practice and should look at the story of the Christian church, being called to have a common mind and think like one another. Christians are encouraged to know what it means to be knit together in love. They are to look at the example of Christ washing the feet of men and preach the gospel to the poorest. Nothing is more incongruent to the Christian faith as social disjunctions. Christians should associate with the humble, forsaking pride and ambition, and come humbly before the Lord.
Sermon Breakdown
- The apostle Paul addresses rejoicing with those who rejoice and weeping with those who weep in Romans 12:15-16.
- Rejoicing with others is more difficult than weeping with others because of pride, jealousy, and envy. It requires the Holy Spirit's work in us.
- We are to share in others' joy and sorrow because we are one body in Christ. What happens to others happens to us.
- We are to have the same mind toward one another, being united in our interests and objects. This means agreeing in the truth, not discord.
- We are not to be proud or haughty in mind but associate with humble things and people. We are not to patronize but genuinely care for others.
- Intellectual and social pride have done much harm to the church. The church should not reflect worldly divisions and distinctions.
- The church has often failed to reach the poor and working classes because it seems like a snobbish, upper-class institution. We must focus on people's spiritual state, not worldly status.
- We must test our faith by whether we can rejoice and weep with others, not by how orthodox we are in belief. True faith produces right practice.
- No one can do this in their own strength. Only the Holy Spirit's work in regeneration can enable us to die to self and care for others.
Sermon Q&A
Lloyd-Jones on Romans 12:15-16: Rejoicing and Weeping with Others
What does Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones say is harder - rejoicing with those who rejoice or weeping with those who weep?
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, rejoicing with those who rejoice is far more difficult than weeping with those who weep. He explains that weeping with others is "something that is more or less natural" as most people are naturally touched by seeing someone else in sorrow. However, rejoicing with others is more difficult because of our inherent problem of pride, jealousy, and envy. When someone is rejoicing, they're usually celebrating success, which can trigger competition in us. As Lloyd-Jones states: "The ultimate problem with all of us, without a single exception, the ultimate problem with every human being is the problem of self, the problem of pride."
How does Lloyd-Jones explain the natural human difficulty with rejoicing in others' success?
Lloyd-Jones explains that our natural self-centered nature makes it difficult to genuinely rejoice in others' success because:
- Self is "always looking at itself and concerned about itself and wants to be considered high and great and important"
- There's an "element of competition that comes in" when others succeed
- Our pride makes us envious when others are "up" while we may feel "down"
- This self-centeredness is "innate in human nature ever since the fall"
He argues that while the world might manage not to show envy, Christianity demands more - we must "take positive pleasure in the rejoicing of your fellow Christian."
What does "be of the same mind one toward another" mean according to the sermon?
According to Lloyd-Jones, "be of the same mind one toward another" means to:
- Have a common mind
- Agree with one another
- Be united in feeling, interests, and objects of interest
- Have no discord amongst believers
- Share unity and agreement regarding the truth
He clarifies this doesn't mean Christians must agree on everything, but refers to unity regarding essential Christian truth. Lloyd-Jones quotes 1 Corinthians 1:10 as a perfect commentary on this injunction: "that you all speak the same thing, that there be no divisions among you, but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment."
How does Lloyd-Jones interpret "mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate"?
Lloyd-Jones finds the translation "condescend" unfortunate as it carries negative overtones. He explains the original word means "to be carried away with" and suggests a better translation would be "allow yourself to be carried away by humble things and humble people." He argues this applies to both:
- Avoiding intellectual pride ("We must avoid becoming intellectuals")
- Not despising people who are less knowledgeable
- Associating with humble people and things without any patronizing attitude
He emphasizes: "There is a way of mixing with humble people, which is sheer patronage, patronizing, and it's despicable." True Christianity requires becoming one with humble people without any hint of condescension.
According to the sermon, why are social divisions within the church problematic?
Lloyd-Jones strongly condemns social divisions in the church as:
- "Incongruous with the Christian faith"
- A "travesty of the New Testament Church"
- A major reason why working-class people remain outside the church
- Creating an impression that churches are "snobbish societies" for middle and upper classes
- A denial of the gospel itself
He cites historical examples where the church embraced class distinctions, saying: "There is nothing more devastating that can enter into the life of the church than this element." Lloyd-Jones argues Christians should assess others only by spiritual criteria: "Are they children of God? Are they heirs of eternity? Are they spiritually minded?" rather than by social class, education, or speaking ability.
How does Lloyd-Jones explain the work of the Holy Spirit in helping Christians rejoice with others?
Lloyd-Jones teaches that only the Holy Spirit can enable Christians to genuinely rejoice with others because:
- "No man can ever do this for himself" - it's impossible for the natural man
- The Holy Spirit deals with "the problem of self" through regeneration
- Christianity doesn't teach "modification of the self" but complete regeneration - "a new birth, a new being, a new person"
- The Spirit identifies believers with each other as members of the same family and body of Christ
- Through the Spirit's work, "whatever happens to one part of the body, the whole is involved"
He quotes 1 Corinthians 12:26 to illustrate this spiritual reality: "Whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it, or one member be honored, all the members rejoice with it."
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.