The Fear of the Lord
A Sermon on Romans 3:18-20
Originally preached Feb. 8, 1957
Scripture
18There is no fear of God before their eyes.
19Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. 20Therefore by the deeds …
Sermon Description
Why does one sin? What drives them to chase after everything that dishonors God? The underlying answer is quoted from Psalm 36 in this Romans passage: “There is no fear of God before their eyes” (Romans 3:18). In this sermon from Romans 3:18–20 titled “The Fear of the Lord,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explains fear as reverential awe, a desire to worship God, an understanding that God is the judge of all the earth, and a fear of punishment. The unsaved do not fear the eternal punishment of the holy God. In this passage, Paul also points out that the very law in which the Jews boast has also condemned them. All guilty under sin. Paul has stressed this repeatedly in recent passages and Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that it is because every mouth needs to be stopped. Scripture shows the standard that all must live up to and that standard shows how humans are truly vile. That alone should silence all arguing and excuses. Dr. Lloyd-Jones asks the listener to examine the heart and mouth and ask if they are still doubting or arguing against the almighty God or has their mouth been stopped by His righteousness and grace? Thanks be to God who by His Son saves from sin.
Sermon Breakdown
- The apostle Paul is continuing his analysis of Romans chapter 3.
- Specifically, he is focusing on verses 18-20 in this sermon.
- Verse 18 belongs with the section from verses 10-17, where Paul quotes the Old Testament to prove all are under sin.
- The quotation in verse 18, "There is no fear of God before their eyes," is from Psalm 36:1. It means the wicked do not have reverence for God.
- Paul aims to prove Jews and Gentiles alike are under God's wrath through these scriptural quotations.
- Verses 19-20 summarize Paul's arguments from the whole section starting in Romans 1:18. They make two main points:
- First, "that every mouth may be stopped." This means Paul's arguments should silence all excuses and self-justification. They show us God's high standard, our own sin, and our guilt before God.
- Second, "that the whole world may become guilty before God." This means Paul shows how all people, without exception, are liable to punishment from God for their sin. We are "guilty" in a legal, forensic sense.
- Our greatest need is to be justified before God, not just improved or helped. We need to escape God's wrath, not just become better people.
- Paul emphasizes our guilt to show why we need the justification by faith he will describe starting in verse 21.
Sermon Q&A
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones Romans 3:18-20 Questions and Answers
What does "no fear of God before their eyes" mean in Romans 3:18?
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, Romans 3:18 reveals the root cause of man's sinful state and actions. This phrase doesn't mean unbelievers are entirely devoid of any fear of God, but rather they lack "reverential awe" and "godly fear." True fear of God includes several elements: a sense of God's greatness, glory, and majesty; a desire to worship God; a consciousness that God is judge of all the earth; and an awareness of potential judgment. The lack of this proper fear of God is "the ultimate explanation" for humanity's sinful condition and the world's problems - "It's the cause of war...the cause of lust and passion...the cause of lawlessness."
Why is Romans 3:19-20 so crucial to understanding justification by faith?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones emphasizes that these verses are "absolutely vital and essential to an understanding of the great doctrine which the apostle is going to begin unfolding in verse 21, the great and central doctrine of justification by faith only." These verses sum up the entire argument that began at Romans 1:18, establishing universal human guilt before God. They demonstrate that both Jews and Gentiles are under God's wrath. Without understanding our legal guilt before God (not just our internal pollution), we cannot properly grasp justification. Lloyd-Jones states, "if we don't understand the argument of these two verses, we'll never understand that [justification by faith]."
What does it mean that "every mouth may be stopped" in Romans 3:19?
Lloyd-Jones explains that this striking phrase means Paul's arguments and scriptural quotations aim "to put an end to all talking and arguing and debating and disputation once and forever." The purpose is to "render the whole world speechless" and "to silence that kind of Pharisee" who self-righteously defends himself before God. Using examples of the Pharisee in the temple (Luke 18) and the rich young ruler, Lloyd-Jones shows how God's truth takes "away every desire to assert ourselves" or self-justify. When we truly see God's holiness, His demands, and our sinful heart, we are silenced - "In the presence of God, you're silenced. And in the presence of the blackness of your own heart, you are silenced."
What does "guilty before God" mean in Romans 3:19?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones emphasizes that "guilty" is a legal or forensic term, used only once in the New Testament. It means "being answerable to God," "being liable before God," and "being liable to and exposed to the punishment of God on account of sin." This is essential to understanding justification because it focuses on our legal standing before God rather than just our internal moral condition. The apostle is proving that "we are liable, that we are answerable, that we are under the condemnation and under the wrath of God." He emphasizes that "the whole world is guilty before God" - there are no exceptions.
Why does Dr. Lloyd-Jones say man's first need isn't to be better but to be right with God?
Lloyd-Jones addresses a common misconception in evangelism. He argues that while the gospel does offer to make us better, provide help through Christ, and show us how to get rid of self, man's first and most pressing need is to address his guilty status before God. He explains: "Man's first trouble, man's first problem is his relationship to God, is the fact that he is a sinner, a guilty sinner in the presence of God. It's his guilt that comes first." The reason this takes priority is death's immediacy - "What if you died in another minute? There'd be no time for you to get better." Like the thief on the cross, our first need is to resolve our legal standing before God before we can experience the other benefits of the gospel.
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.