The True and the False
A Sermon on Romans 8:16
Originally preached Feb. 17, 1961
Scripture
16The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
Sermon Description
What does one do with excesses related to the Holy Spirit? Many Christians are wary of any emphasis on the experience of the Spirit. In this sermon on Romans 8:16 titled “The True and the False,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones has been working out the doctrine of Spirit baptism and recognizes many will be fearful of such talk. He warns his listeners, however, that they must not fall prey to quenching the Spirit simply because there are potential excesses. Doubling down, Dr. Lloyd-Jones says that those who minimize the experience of the Spirit’s work are perhaps guilty of quenching both revival and evangelism. What is his alternative? He acknowledges that any time there is an outpouring of the Spirit, counterfeits will follow. Satan will take advantage of this opportunity and convince Christians to focus on the experience rather than God. Dr. Lloyd-Jones’s solution is not to deny the Spirit’s work, but to discern the true from the false. Christians should watch for holiness to follow those who claim a special work of the Spirit. He encourages being wary if awe and glory of God do not follow the particular experience of the Spirit. Listen to this sermon on Romans 8:16 as Dr. Lloyd-Jones seeks a balanced approach to the witness of the Spirit in the experience of believers.
Sermon Breakdown
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The witness of the Spirit is an experience taught throughout Protestant history by men of different schools of theology and temperaments. There is a strange unanimity regarding the character of this experience.
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One further piece of evidence is the teaching of early Plymouth Brethren leaders like J.N. Darby, C.H. Mackintosh, and William Kelly who agree with other authorities that there is a distinction between becoming a Christian and receiving the Spirit.
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We must be able to differentiate between this experience and counterfeit experiences. We are exhorted in Scripture to test the spirits.
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We can examine the antecedents (what went before the experience) and accompaniments (what goes with the experience) to determine if an experience is true or false.
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True antecedents include a sense of sin, failure, and need. There is a longing for assurance and power. There is diligent seeking and holy living.
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False experiences claim to come independently of the Word of God. There is an emphasis on visions, ecstasies, and signs. There is excitement over the phenomena. The experience is overdone and exaggerated.
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True experiences come with or through the Word of God. There is a sense of awe, unworthiness, and thankfulness. Jesus Christ is glorified. There is a sense of God's love and the glory that awaits us.
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The consequences of a false experience are pride, glibness, hardness, and self-satisfaction. The consequences of a true experience are humility, carefulness in life, love of God, hatred of sin, and desire to serve. There is freedom in prayer, spiritual power, boldness, and an increasing desire to know Christ.
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The supreme desire of one who has known the witness of the Spirit is to know Christ more intimately.
Sermon Q&A
How Did Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones Distinguish Between True and False Spiritual Experiences?
Based on Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones' sermon on Romans 8:16, here are questions and answers about distinguishing genuine spiritual experiences from counterfeits:
What does Romans 8:16 teach about the witness of the Holy Spirit?
Romans 8:16 states "The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit that we are the children of God." According to Lloyd-Jones, this describes a distinct, experiential witness that gives believers assurance of their salvation. This is not merely an intellectual understanding but a powerful, personal experience where the Holy Spirit confirms to believers that they truly belong to God.
Why did Lloyd-Jones believe this experience is separate from conversion?
Lloyd-Jones presents extensive evidence that the sealing or witness of the Spirit is distinct from initial conversion. He cites examples from Scripture like Acts 2, Acts 8, Acts 10-11, and Acts 19, where people believed first and received the Spirit's special witness afterward. He notes that even the Apostle Paul believed on the Damascus Road but received the filling of the Spirit three days later through Ananias (Acts 9:9, 17-18).
Which Christian leaders throughout history taught this distinct witness of the Spirit?
Lloyd-Jones demonstrates that this teaching crosses denominational lines, citing: - The Puritans like John Preston and John Flavel - Methodists including John Wesley - Baptists like Charles Spurgeon - Presbyterian and Congregationalist leaders like Jonathan Edwards - Plymouth Brethren teachers including J.N. Darby, C.H. Macintosh, and William Kelly - Evangelists like D.L. Moody
How can Christians distinguish between true and counterfeit spiritual experiences?
Lloyd-Jones offers three categories for testing spiritual experiences:
- The antecedents (what precedes the experience):
- True experiences are typically preceded by a sense of sin, failure, emptiness, and longing for assurance
- Those with genuine experiences have generally been seeking God earnestly and striving for holiness
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False experiences often lack these antecedents
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The accompaniments (what happens during the experience):
- True experiences are usually connected with Scripture
- Genuine experiences produce a sense of awe and unworthiness
- True experiences glorify Christ rather than self
- Authentic experiences give a sense of God's love and future glory
- False experiences often emphasize physical phenomena, visions, or sensations
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Counterfeit experiences occur independently of God's Word
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The consequences (what follows the experience):
- False experiences lead to pride, boasting, glibness, and negligence
- True experiences produce humility, a sacred reticence, deeper hatred of sin, greater carefulness in living
- Genuine experiences result in freedom in prayer, spiritual power, boldness, and increased desire to know Christ more
Why is it dangerous to quench the Spirit by rejecting all spiritual experiences?
Lloyd-Jones warns that those who reject all spiritual experiences for fear of extremes are "guilty of the terrible sin of quenching the Spirit." He argues that this attitude: - Robs believers of "the most glorious aspect of the Christian faith" - Deliberately turns away from biblical teaching - Stands between the church and revival - Prevents the world from seeing the power of salvation
What is the ultimate outcome of a genuine witness of the Spirit?
The ultimate outcome is a deeper, more intimate relationship with Christ. Lloyd-Jones quotes Hudson Taylor's prayer: "Lord Jesus, make thyself to me a living, bright reality, more present to faith's vision keen than any outward object seen, more dear, more intimately nigh than the sweetest earthly tie." The person who has experienced this genuine witness can say with Paul, "For me to live is Christ, to die is gain," and their supreme desire becomes to "know Him and the power of His resurrection."
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.