The Obedience of Christ
A Sermon on Romans 5:18-19
Originally preached April 18, 1958
Scripture
18Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. 19For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one …
Sermon Description
In this sermon on Romans 5:18–19 titled “The Obedience of Christ,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones continues speaking on the topic of humanity’s relationship with Adam and its relationship with Christ. He focuses again on the striking contrast between these two relationships and the different ways humanity has been affected by each one. He begins by pointing out the whole reason for looking into this topic: to show the completeness of justification by faith. Christians are not saved by their own doing because from the moment they are born, they are sinners. He then dives in deeper to how the one sin of Adam has affected all of humanity. It was through Adam’s disobedience that all were made sinners. On the other hand, it was through Christ’s one act of obedience that all can have salvation. Dr. Lloyd-Jones takes the time to point out in this exposition of Romans 5:18-19 that Christ was obedient in both an active and passive manner. It was because of His full obedience that sinners have been justified and God has pronounced the Christian righteous. However, this gift is nothing that was earned. It has been given freely because of the obedience of Christ. Praise the Lord for His goodness.
Sermon Breakdown
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The sermon resumes a study of Romans 5:18-19 after a break. These verses summarize what Paul has said previously and restate his main point.
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Verse 18: Because of Adam's sin, all people are condemned as sinners. This is a judicial act of God.
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Verse 19: Because of Adam's disobedience, all people were made sinners. The word "made" means appointed or designated. All people were legally constituted as sinners.
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Infants die even though they have not personally sinned. This shows that they are still sinners in Adam. They are sinners by nature, not by choice.
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What happened in Adam is a fact. What happens in Christ is equally a fact. Our position in Christ is the basis for assurance of salvation.
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Verse 18: In Christ, the free gift of justification and life comes to all people. This means forgiveness, being declared righteous, and belonging to the realm of life.
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Verse 19: In Christ, many are made righteous. This means legally constituted as righteous, just as we were legally constituted as sinners in Adam.
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Christ's active and passive obedience - obeying the law and dying on the cross - is the basis for our being made righteous.
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We must see our salvation as being in Christ, not as individual acts of God toward each person. We were crucified, died, and raised with Christ. All the benefits of salvation are found in Christ.
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Though Christians may sin, they do not go back under the law or back to being sinners in Adam. They remain righteous persons in Christ. Sin is now against love, not law.
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The sermon aims to give assurance of salvation. This comes from seeing ourselves as righteous in Christ, not looking to ourselves or our works.
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The gospel may sound dangerous but works the opposite way in those who are truly in Christ. They become more desirous of living righteously.
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Christians should no longer view themselves as sinners but as righteous children of God who fail and fall at times. But their position in Christ does not change.
Sermon Q&A
What Does Martyn Lloyd-Jones Teach About Our Position in Adam and Christ?
How does Lloyd-Jones explain the two representative heads of humanity?
According to Lloyd-Jones, God has always dealt with mankind in a "federal manner" through representative heads. In the sermon, he explains that Adam was the first federal head of humanity, and Christ is the second. He states: "What Adam did led to certain results to his people. What Christ has done leads to results to his people." This federal principle is key to understanding our salvation, as we are either "in Adam" or "in Christ," representing two different spiritual positions before God.
What does it mean to be "made sinners" in Adam according to the sermon?
Lloyd-Jones emphasizes that the phrase "made sinners" in Romans 5:19 is stronger than it appears. He explains it means "to set down in the rank of, or to place in the category of or to appoint to a particular class." We are not merely made sinful in Adam, but are "constituted sinners" - legally and judicially declared to be in the category of sinners. He states: "We are not sinners because we have a sinful nature and because we commit acts of sin. It's the other way around. It is because we are sinners that we have this sinful nature and commit acts of sin."
How does Lloyd-Jones explain being "made righteous" in Christ?
Lloyd-Jones teaches that just as we were constituted sinners through Adam's disobedience without any action on our part, we are constituted righteous entirely through Christ's obedience. He says: "We are constituted righteous entirely apart from anything that we do or anything that may be or has ever been true of us." This means God judicially regards believers as righteous persons, putting them "into the category, into the class of righteous people." This position is permanent and secure because it depends entirely on Christ's completed work.
What is the relationship between assurance of salvation and our position in Christ?
Lloyd-Jones emphasizes that understanding our position in Christ is the key to assurance of salvation. He states: "If you want to have assurance of salvation, the place to start is not with your feelings, but with your understanding." Since our salvation depends entirely on Christ's obedience and God's judicial declaration of our righteousness, not on our actions, it is absolutely secure. He says: "If God has made a judicial pronouncement with respect to me, that because I am in Christ that he regards me as a righteous person, well, I am a righteous person and I will go further. I shall always be a righteous person."
What changes when a believer sins according to Lloyd-Jones?
Lloyd-Jones teaches that when a believer sins, they do not lose their righteous standing or return to being "in Adam." He states: "Though I may sin in Christ, I do not go back under the law. I have finished with that forever." He explains that believers "can't pass in and out of the category" of righteousness. A Christian's sin is no longer "the action of a criminal, it's the action of a child" - they sin against love rather than law. As he puts it: "You're not a sinner any longer. You're a child of God. You're a child of God who fails and who falls."
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.