Science; Morality and God
A Sermon on Romans 7:22-25
Originally preached April 16, 1961
Scripture
22For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: 23But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. 24O wretched man that I …
Sermon Description
In 1961 an incredible feat of man took place when man orbited earth for the first time. This momentous occasion held the world in awe. In this sermon on Romans 7:22-25 titled “Science; Morality and God,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones urges the listener to pause and reflect on this historical moment. What does it mean and what is its real significance? How does this moment affect us? Many view this extraordinary achievement as proof of the human capability to liberate itself. If man can succeed in this staggering technological advancement, there must be no limit to his power and capacity to make the world perfect. It causes man to be optimistic of its progress. As Dr. Lloyd-Jones points out, however, an examination of the history of civilization shows marvelous discoveries by man while also confronting us with a staggering fact — whatever man may do in his brilliance to achieve physical greatness, his achievements give a false optimism for his capacity for moral accomplishment. Man cannot escape the worst compulsions of his own nature. He can defeat gravity but cannot defeat his own moral problems. This false optimism, teaches Dr. Lloyd-Jones, is based on a complete failure of man to understand the Biblical message; it is indicative of the failure to recognize our problem of sin. The Bible tells us physical problems like the problem of gravity is outside of man and can be solved. The moral problem, however, is inside man. This force of sin, the power of the devil is in the world and is beyond the power of man. There is also the inner condition of man, which is sinful and affects the whole of man. Man’s twisted and biased heart is bent against solving moral problems. What then can be done? Listen as Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones expounds on the power of God unto salvation as the only avenue of deliverance.
Sermon Breakdown
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The sermon begins by acknowledging the extraordinary achievement of the first human spaceflight and orbit of the Earth. Dr. Lloyd-Jones notes that this is an astounding demonstration of human ability and power.
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However, Dr. Lloyd-Jones argues that this achievement does not provide hope or optimism that humanity can solve its moral problems or achieve peace and happiness. Dr. Lloyd-Jones outlines several reasons for this:
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Humanity has always had great ability and ingenuity, as evidenced by past civilizations and inventions. However, this has not led to solutions for humanity's moral problems.
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The problems of morality and human nature are internal to humanity, unlike the external problem of gravity that was overcome. The moral problems originate from humanity's sinful nature and bondage to sin.
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The power of sin and the devil is far greater than the power of gravity. This power affects all of humanity's faculties including the mind, heart, and will. No human ability or power can overcome it.
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Even God's law was unable to overcome the power of sin in humanity. It only aggravated humanity's sinful desires and bondage to sin. No human knowledge or ability can solve the moral problem.
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The only solution and power greater than the power of sin is the power of God through Jesus Christ. Christ took on human nature, lived a sinless life, died for sin, and was resurrected - conquering sin, death, and the devil. Through faith in Christ, His power frees us from sin and lifts us up. This is the only hope for humanity's moral problems.
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In conclusion, Dr. Lloyd-Jones argues that there is no reason for optimism that humanity can solve its moral problems through its own ability and power, despite its great achievements. The only solution is the power of God through faith in Jesus Christ.
Sermon Q&A
Understanding Romans 7: Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones on Man's Moral Struggle
What is the key argument of Romans 7 according to Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones?
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, Romans 7 presents a profound argument about the moral struggle within humans. The apostle Paul describes a paradox where he delights in God's law but finds "another law" in his members "warring against the law of my mind and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin." Lloyd-Jones explains that this chapter reveals the fundamental inability of human beings to solve their moral problems through their own power, despite their intellectual and technological achievements.
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones relate the achievement of space travel to man's moral condition?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones uses the historic achievement of space travel (referring to early space missions) to illustrate a crucial spiritual point. While humans have demonstrated remarkable ability to overcome physical challenges like gravity through technological advancement, they remain utterly unable to overcome their own moral failings. He argues that conquering gravity is fundamentally different from conquering sin because the problem of gravity is external to man, while the problem of sin is internal and affects every faculty including the mind, heart, and will.
What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones identify as the false optimism in secular responses to technological achievement?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones identifies as false optimism the belief that humanity's technological achievements prove we can solve our moral problems with the same ingenuity. He quotes a newspaper article suggesting that since humans conquered gravity, they should be able to "take a moral step to keep pace with this marvelous physical step." Lloyd-Jones calls this "nothing but an utterly false optimism" because it fails to understand the true nature and power of sin in human life, and mistakenly assumes that moral problems can be solved through the same means as scientific ones.
According to the sermon, why can't humans solve their moral problems through education or willpower?
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, humans cannot solve their moral problems through education or willpower because:
- The evil within affects all our faculties, including the mind and will
- "The natural mind is enmity against God" and biased against moral truth
- The heart is unclean and corrupted
- The will is not free but "in bondage to sin"
- Even God's law, intended for good, actually stimulates sin in the unregenerate person
- The power of sin within is stronger than human willpower or knowledge
He states: "No knowledge that can be given to men will ever solve his moral problem. Whatever ability man has, he cannot harness it to solve the moral problem."
What is the only solution to man's moral problem according to Dr. Lloyd-Jones?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones declares that the only solution to man's moral problem is Jesus Christ. As Paul exclaims in Romans 7:25, "I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord!" Lloyd-Jones explains that only God's power is greater than the power of sin and the devil. Christ took on human nature, lived a perfect life, conquered the devil, bore the punishment for sin, and rose from the grave. Through faith in Him, believers are given a new nature and connected to God's power that breaks "the power of canceled sin." He concludes that while human technological achievement is impressive, "it has no relevance whatsoever to your greatest need and mine," which can only be met through Christ.
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones contrast the power of gravity with the power of sin?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones contrasts the power of gravity with the power of sin by showing that while gravity is a tremendous force that pulls everything down to earth, the power of sin is "almost infinitely greater." The key differences he highlights are:
- Gravity is external to man; sin is internal ("in my members")
- Gravity can be overcome through objective scientific study; sin affects the very faculties we would use to study it
- Gravity follows predictable laws; sin is tied to spiritual powers ("the power of the devil")
- Gravity is a physical force; sin is a moral and spiritual force
- Man has conquered gravity through technological advancement; man has never conquered sin through his own efforts
He concludes: "It is one thing to conquer the force and the power of gravity. It's an essentially different thing to conquer the force and the power of sin."
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.