The Gospel of God
A Sermon on Romans 1:1
Originally preached Nov. 4, 1955
Scripture
1Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God,
Sermon Description
What is the gospel? It is certainly good news. It moved the apostle Paul every time he spoke of it. It is not law and neither is the gospel merely a list of moral commands. It is not simply an announcement that God will forgive sins. The gospel is not an appeal to do something nor a teaching on how to live better. In this sermon titled “The Gospel of God” on Romans 1:1, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explains what the gospel is not and explores what the gospel is. The gospel is a proclamation of what God has done. Some emphasize the Father’s work alone in the gospel and ignore the work of the Son. Others focus on Christ, nearly posturing His work of redemption against the Father’s will. Still some focus solely on the work of the Holy Spirit. Paul calls the gospel “the gospel of God.” This is to say, the whole of the Trinity is at work. The good news is a proclamation of what the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit have done. Listen as Dr. Lloyd-Jones proclaims this good news and puts the gospel of God before the listener.
Sermon Breakdown
- The apostle Paul introduces himself as a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God.
- The gospel is good news. We must ask ourselves if it has come to us as good news. If not, we may not truly understand the gospel.
- The gospel is not the law. The law was not meant to be good news. The law was given to show our sin, not provide salvation.
- The gospel is not just the announcement that God will forgive sins. Forgiveness of sins is taught in the Old Testament. The gospel is more than this.
- The gospel is not primarily an appeal for good behavior and morality. That is not good news. The gospel is the announcement of what God has done.
- The gospel is the good news of what God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit have done for our salvation.
- We must have a proper view of sin and salvation to understand the gospel as good news. An inadequate view of sin or a belief that all will be saved in the end can diminish the good news.
- The gospel is the gospel of God. It is the good news of what God has done, not man. Salvation is God's work, not our own effort.
- The gospel involves the Trinity: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. To focus on only one person of the Trinity is error. All three are essential.
- The Bible teaches the Trinity indirectly, not through direct statements. We see the Trinity in passages like Jesus' baptism, John 14, and benedictions.
- The doctrine of the Trinity is essential to Christianity. It differentiates the Christian faith from other monotheistic religions.
- We must be Trinitarian in our thinking. Our faith rests on the Triune God, not just belief in God alone.
Sermon Q&A
Understanding the Gospel in Romans 1 According to Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
What does the term "gospel" actually mean, and why is it significant?
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, the term "gospel" means "good news." However, he emphasizes that we often become so familiar with this word that we fail to grasp its deep significance. The real question is not merely understanding the definition but experiencing it: "Is the gospel good news to us? Has it come to us as good news?" He suggests that if the gospel isn't the greatest good news we've ever heard, we should question whether we truly understand Christianity.
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones distinguish the gospel from other religious concepts?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones makes several important distinctions: - The gospel is not the law. Unlike the law, which was "never meant to be good news" but rather to "pinpoint sin," the gospel is genuinely good news. - The gospel is not merely an announcement that God will forgive sins, as this was already known under the Old Testament. - The gospel is "not primarily an appeal to us to do anything" - it's not just moral instruction or what he calls "public school religion." - Instead, the gospel is "an announcement and a proclamation to us of what God has already done."
What does Paul mean by describing it as "the gospel of God"?
When Paul calls it "the gospel of God," he's emphasizing that it originates with God the Father. It is "good news from God" - not human philosophy or personal ideas about how to live. The apostle stresses that salvation is "what God has done about men and about his salvation," not what humans must do to save themselves. This makes it "quite unique and quite new."
How does the doctrine of the Trinity relate to the gospel in Romans 1?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones points out that Paul immediately introduces the Trinity when discussing the gospel: "the gospel of God concerning his son, Jesus Christ our Lord... declared to be the son of God with power according to the Spirit." The gospel involves all three persons of the Trinity: - God the Father initiates salvation ("It's the Father's idea... plan... purpose") - God the Son accomplishes salvation (Christ "died for this reason: to bring us to God") - God the Holy Spirit applies salvation to believers
He notes that "the doctrine of the Trinity is the differentiating doctrine of the Christian faith" and "the heart of Christianity."
Why do some people fail to see the gospel as good news?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones identifies several reasons why people might not experience the gospel as truly good news: 1. "An inadequate sense of sin and an inadequate realization of your own sinfulness" - those who think they're good enough don't see their need for salvation 2. A failure to realize the consequences of sin - those who don't believe in eternal punishment diminish the seriousness of sin 3. A failure to comprehend "the greatness of the salvation itself" - reducing it merely to forgiveness rather than seeing its full glory
What is the proper focus of the gospel according to Dr. Lloyd-Jones?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones warns against three common errors: 1. Focusing only on God the Father while neglecting Christ 2. Focusing only on Christ while portraying the Father as "reluctant to forgive" 3. Focusing only on the Holy Spirit while bypassing the atonement
Instead, he emphasizes that "salvation is the work of the three persons in the blessed Holy Trinity" and we must maintain this trinitarian understanding. The ultimate goal of salvation is "to glorify God" - not merely to improve our behavior or make us happier, but to restore us to our original purpose of glorifying our Creator.
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.