The Infirmity of the Flesh
A Sermon on Romans 6:19
Originally preached Feb. 20, 1959
Scripture
19I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness.
Sermon Description
Just as children grow up to become adults, so too new believers will grow up in Christ. As Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones describes in the sermon from Romans 6:19 titled “The Infirmity of the Flesh,” Paul uses an illustration. It is rare for Paul to tell a story or use an analogy, but he chose to do so by relating that Christians are now slaves to righteousness instead of slaves to sin. In Romans 6:19, he clarifies by saying, “I speak after the manner of men.” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones points out that this specific verse is Paul explaining why he uses an illustration to make his subject matter simple and clear. Dr. Lloyd-Jones remarks that this should be the only use of illustrations for any teacher or preacher of the Bible. Paul also notes that he only used the illustration so that others would not misunderstand what he was saying. He wants to emphasize that righteousness combines both slavery and freedom: slavery to righteousness but a freedom from the reign of sin. Paul chose to use an illustration because some of his listeners are still children in a sense of Christianity. Dr. Lloyd-Jones goes on to warn that believers should never stay children of the word of God only drinking milk, but instead should constantly be growing and maturing to take in the meat of the gospel.
Sermon Breakdown
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The apostle Paul is explaining why he used the illustration of slavery to explain the Christian life. He wants to make his teaching clear and avoid misunderstanding.
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Illustrations should only be used to clarify meaning, not just to tell stories or entertain. Preachers must avoid being childish or overly academic.
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Paul used the slavery illustration to show that Christians are not free from righteousness and holiness, even though they are free from the law. They are slaves to righteousness.
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The slavery illustration is limited. The Christian's slavery to righteousness is a willing slavery of love, not like slavery to sin. The love of Christ constrains us.
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Paul speaks in human terms because of the weakness of human nature corrupted by sin, not because of weak intellect. Spiritual truths can only be understood through the Holy Spirit.
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The fall robbed humanity of spiritual understanding, not just intellect. Natural minds see the gospel as foolishness. Spiritual truths are spiritually discerned.
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Becoming a Christian is about spiritual understanding, not intellect. Simple and intellectual people alike need the Holy Spirit. No one has an advantage.
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Though Christians have spiritual understanding through the Spirit, they are still imperfect and need to grow in understanding. Understanding can develop through effort.
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Christians should not remain as babies but should grow into deeper knowledge of doctrine. Shallow, simplistic teaching will not satisfy a mature Christian.
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To those who have spiritual understanding, more will be given. Christians should progress from milk to meat.
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Dr. Lloyd-Jones is depressed when Christians seem content with simplistic teaching. All Christians should grapple with deep truths, though they are hard to understand. The Spirit will help.
Sermon Q&A
What Is Martyn Lloyd-Jones Teaching About Spiritual Understanding in Romans 6:19?
What does Martyn Lloyd-Jones say about the purpose of using illustrations in preaching?
According to Lloyd-Jones, the only legitimate reason for using illustrations in preaching is to make the subject matter clear. He states, "there is only one way of justifying the use of an illustration and a story, and that is to make the meaning plain and clear." He warns against using illustrations merely to tell good stories or to display cleverness, as this "makes an appeal to the flesh." Lloyd-Jones emphasizes that illustrations should never be used merely to entertain congregations but should serve the purpose of clarifying biblical truth.
How does Lloyd-Jones explain the phrase "I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh"?
Lloyd-Jones explains that when Paul says "I speak after the manner of men," he isn't apologizing for using human language, but rather explaining his use of the slavery illustration. The phrase indicates Paul is using a familiar analogy from ordinary life to make spiritual truth understandable. The reference to "the infirmity of your flesh" points to our fallen human nature which makes it difficult to grasp spiritual truths without illustrations. Lloyd-Jones emphasizes that Paul isn't referring to intellectual limitations but to spiritual limitations resulting from our sinful nature.
What distinction does Lloyd-Jones make between intellect and spiritual understanding?
Lloyd-Jones makes a crucial distinction between intellectual capacity and spiritual understanding. He emphasizes that "man's trouble is not in his mind" but "in the capacity and the ability to understand and to believe and to follow spiritual truth." He explains that the most devastating result of the Fall is that humanity lost the capacity for spiritual apprehension. Even people with great intellectual ability may see Christianity as foolishness, while those with limited education can grasp spiritual truths deeply when illuminated by the Holy Spirit. Spiritual understanding, unlike intellectual knowledge, requires divine illumination.
Why does Lloyd-Jones say illustrations have limitations?
Lloyd-Jones explains that illustrations have inherent limitations because "no illustration is perfect, and no illustration must be pressed too exactly." In this specific case, Paul's slavery analogy helps explain our relationship to righteousness, but it breaks down because Christian "slavery" to righteousness combines elements of both slavery and freedom. Unlike the compulsive tyranny of sin, our service to righteousness is motivated by love. Lloyd-Jones quotes Paul's statement "the love of Christ constraineth me" to show how this spiritual bondage is actually a willing, loving service fundamentally different from literal slavery.
How does Lloyd-Jones explain spiritual growth in believers?
Lloyd-Jones teaches that while all Christians receive spiritual illumination at conversion, they can develop this faculty to varying degrees. He points to Paul's words to the Corinthians about only being able to give them "milk" rather than "meat" because they were still "babes in Christ." Lloyd-Jones admonishes Christians not to remain spiritual infants but to "exercise their senses" through study, meditation, and wrestling with difficult doctrines. He states that the more we understand, the more capacity we have to understand ("unto him that hath shall be given"). True spiritual growth involves moving beyond illustrations and simple teachings to grapple with "the deep things of God."
What does Lloyd-Jones identify as a major problem in the church regarding spiritual understanding?
Lloyd-Jones identifies a serious problem where Christians remain spiritually immature, never growing beyond basic teachings. He laments that when he preaches what he considers elementary truths, some Christians complain he's being too deep. He contrasts this with the opposite extreme from the Victorian era when congregations passively listened to academic sermons they didn't understand. Lloyd-Jones believes both extremes are harmful - either being childishly spoon-fed with simple stories or being intimidated by incomprehensible theological discourse. The solution is progressive spiritual growth where believers actively develop their spiritual understanding through dedicated study and meditation.
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.