The Principles of the Faith
A Sermon on Romans 14:17
Originally preached Sept. 21, 1958
Scripture
17For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.
Sermon Description
What does one consider central to their Christian life? In this sermon on Romans 14:17 titled “The Principles of the Faith,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones suggests this could be an indication of what they think Christianity is all about. The church at Rome had much to say about observance of days and whether a Christian can or should eat this food or drink this drink. Paul abhors such pettiness in the church at Rome, and through God’s inspired word, the reader can see He is not pleased with such smallness in the church today. Dr. Lloyd-Jones brings the gospel back to center of a church that is often divided over pettiness. He cautions on the subtle loss of proportion or a sense of balance on secondary matters. Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains in this message how zealous and well-intended Christians can over-concentrate on matters like eating and drinking and miss what the kingdom of God is all about. This does not mean those secondary issues are unimportant or should not be discussed with full conviction. Instead they ought to be discussed in accordance to the principle of Christian liberty. Listen as Dr. Lloyd-Jones shows how righteousness in Christ, peace with God, and joy in the Holy Spirit contribute to genuine Christian unity.
Sermon Breakdown
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The sermon opens by introducing the verse the sermon will focus on - Romans 14:17. Dr. Lloyd-Jones notes this verse is characteristic of Paul's writing style with its sudden, illuminating assertions.
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Dr. Lloyd-Jones highlights Paul's essential greatness and balanced, sane thinking as evidenced in this verse. Paul brings the Roman Christians back to foundational principles.
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The context for this verse is conditions in the Roman church where people were arguing over observance of days, eating and drinking. This was causing division and turmoil.
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Paul asserts the kingdom of God is not about these secondary matters. We must not make them central or the acid test of faith. We have liberty in these matters but not in foundational principles.
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Negatively, the kingdom of God is not about eating and drinking. Positively, it is about righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. These are essential and central.
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Righteousness refers to the righteousness of God through faith in Christ which is the only way into the kingdom. Our own righteousness is as filthy rags.
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Peace refers to peace of conscience and peace with God which comes through justification by faith in Christ. This contrasts with the turmoil from focusing on secondary matters.
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Joy refers to joy produced by the Holy Spirit through fellowship with God and the hope of future glory. It is not based on being right about opinions.
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We are to talk about and radiate righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. These are to be central, not secondary matters. They testify to knowing and rejoicing in God.
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We must deal with secondary matters but never elevate them to obscure righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit which are foundational to the kingdom.
Sermon Q&A
Understanding the Kingdom of God as Explained by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones say the Kingdom of God is NOT?
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones' sermon on Romans 14:17, the Kingdom of God is not about "meat and drink" or "eating and drinking." He explains that the apostle Paul was addressing a situation in the Roman church where believers were getting caught up in arguments about observing particular days, eating specific foods, and drinking certain drinks. Lloyd-Jones emphasizes that the Kingdom of God is not centered on these peripheral matters, nor is it about pacifism, temperance, modes of baptism, denominational distinctives, or forms of worship—all modern equivalents of the same problem Paul addressed.
What are the three positive elements that define the Kingdom of God according to the sermon?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones, following Paul's teaching in Romans 14:17, identifies three positive elements that define the Kingdom of God: 1. Righteousness - not our own righteousness but "the righteousness of God through Jesus Christ," the righteousness which is by faith 2. Peace - "peace of conscience" and "peace with God" that comes from being justified by faith 3. Joy in the Holy Ghost - not self-satisfaction in being right, but the joy produced by the Holy Spirit that comes from rejoicing in Christ and knowing our sins are forgiven
What spiritual problem was Paul addressing in the Roman church?
Paul was addressing a lack of balance and proportion in the Roman church. As Lloyd-Jones explains, believers were overemphasizing secondary matters to the point where they were "judging one another" and even "condemning one another" over non-essential issues like food, drink, and observance of special days. This represented one of Satan's "most subtle weapons"—getting Christians to lose their focus on the essentials by becoming obsessed with peripheral matters. Lloyd-Jones describes it as "missing the wood because of the trees," where they had "departed from the primary principles and are immersed and involved and in constant wranglings about the things that are secondary."
How should Christians handle secondary matters according to Dr. Lloyd-Jones?
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, Christians should: 1. Never make secondary matters central or of primary importance 2. Never use these matters as "the acid test" of a person's Christian profession 3. Never judge and condemn others who disagree on these matters 4. Recognize that each person must be true to their own conscience on secondary issues 5. Grant others the same liberty we expect for ourselves 6. Exercise charity and sympathy toward others, especially the "weaker brethren" 7. Never be a stumbling block to others over secondary matters
What does Lloyd-Jones identify as the tragedy of the church today?
The tragedy of the church today, according to Lloyd-Jones, is that "men are giving their time and their energy to talking about these other things as if the kingdom of God and the church of God were just particular attitudes towards particular questions." He laments that the essential message of justification by faith alone is "never mentioned" while Christians debate secondary matters. He states: "Whether you're a pacifist or whether you fight, it doesn't matter. It's the righteousness of Christ that alone takes you into the kingdom of God. This is the determinating thing, and nothing less and nothing shorter."
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones describe the Christian who truly understands the Kingdom of God?
A Christian who truly understands the Kingdom of God is described as someone who: - Is not agitated about secondary matters - Enjoys peace with God and peace of conscience - Is at rest in Christ's perfect work rather than seeking something to do - Radiates joy produced by the Holy Ghost - Rejoices in Christ rather than in their own opinions - Lives in communion and fellowship with God - Finds joy in the future inheritance awaiting believers - Talks primarily about Christ, His righteousness, and the peace and joy He gives
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.