The World (2)
A Sermon on Romans 12:1-2
Originally preached Nov. 19, 1965
Scripture
1I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove …
Sermon Description
Avoiding the world is not an option for Christians. Some still try it anyway by setting up rules and regulations because fear of conforming to the world drives their choices. A great distance is then placed between the Christian and the world. History has shown the various extremes which men and women will go and all of it is contrary to the gospel. In this sermon on Romans 12:1–2 titled “The World (2),” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones is concerned that Christians who seek to live a life of holiness may fall into this sort of trap of legalism or Pharisaism. All of it is governed by fear and this is not what the apostle Paul had in mind. Listen in as Dr. Lloyd-Jones addresses this grave misstep. The Christian is not to be so focused on the world that their pursuit of holiness becomes driven by it. What God has given the Christian is His word and they must not be concerned about the additional regulations that some say the Christian should follow. On the contrary, what one must be concerned about is simply the expression of their new character in Christ. This is what drives the believer: the person of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Sermon Breakdown
- The apostle Paul is making an appeal to Christians to put into practice what he has outlined.
- There are two great motives for Christian living: working out doctrine and gratitude.
- Paul exhorts Christians to present their bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God.
- Paul progresses from appealing to the body to appealing to the soul.
- "Be not conformed to this world" means not adopting the world's outlook apart from God. It means not living for one's own glory instead of God's.
- Unfortunately, the church's thinking today is often governed by the world's outlook, not the Bible's. Modern theology asks what people can believe, not what the Bible says.
- The church's evangelism and moral teaching are also too influenced by the world.
- We must define "world" as man's outlook apart from God.
- The church opposed Galileo wrongly because it relied on Aristotle's philosophy, not just the Bible. We must rely on the Bible alone.
- We must avoid obscurantism, an extreme rejection of new ideas. We must avoid traditionalism, rejecting new ideas just because they're new.
- We must test new ideas against the Bible, not just reject them. We must avoid extremes and hold tensions.
- We must avoid worldliness in evangelism but also avoid rejecting new methods just because they're new. We must examine our motives and put saving souls first.
- We must minimize methods and rely on the Word and Spirit. We must adapt to our audience as Paul did, without changing the message.
- We must avoid relying on methods or fearing new methods. We must make sure methods don't contradict the message.
- In practice, we must avoid worldliness but also legalism, phariseeism, and antinomianism.
Sermon Q&A
What Are the Dangers of Christian Legalism According to Martyn Lloyd-Jones?
According to Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones' sermon on Romans 12:1-2, Christian legalism represents a serious danger when believers react too strongly against worldliness. Here's his perspective on this important topic.
What does Lloyd-Jones identify as the danger of legalism when interpreting "be not conformed to this world"?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones warns that in our zeal to avoid worldliness, we can swing to the opposite extreme of legalism. He explains: "The danger that has often confronted Christian people... especially the more conscientious Christian people [is] to swing right over from the extreme of being governed by the mind and thought and outlook of the world to the exact opposite." This rigid legalism can be just as unbiblical as worldly conformity.
What example does Lloyd-Jones give of legalism in church history?
Lloyd-Jones cites how the Roman Catholic Church opposed Galileo's astronomical discoveries: "When the church opposed their teaching, she was doing something that was wrong. She was guilty of obscurantism." The church had gone beyond Scripture by incorporating Aristotelian philosophy and condemned the new astronomy because it didn't fit their traditional understanding, not because it contradicted Scripture itself.
What modern example of legalism does Lloyd-Jones provide?
Lloyd-Jones describes the Amish Mennonites as an example of well-meaning but misguided legalism: "They say, you must never put curtains up on your windows. That's to be worldly... They do not believe in the use of motor cars... If you do have a motor car, you must not have rubber tires on it... if you find you have a car which has got chromium plate plated parts to it, you must cover over the chromium either with black tape or with paint."
According to Lloyd-Jones, what is the biblical alternative to both worldliness and legalism?
The biblical position requires "a certain tension" rather than easy extremes. Lloyd-Jones explains: "The Christian is holding a balance here in the middle. He knows his truth. He knows his motives. He knows his own heart. And he only employs methods to get a point of contact, to give an opportunity for the gospel." This balanced approach avoids both rigid legalism and worldly compromise.
What principle does Lloyd-Jones offer for Christians to maintain this balance?
Lloyd-Jones suggests: "The great characteristic of the Christian always is moderation. He's never at any extreme." He adds that Christians should "only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ" (Philippians 1:27). The Christian should be "neither a worldling, but you're not a crank either... he's a man of moderation."
How does Lloyd-Jones say evangelistic methods should be approached?
Lloyd-Jones warns against two extremes in evangelism: "We must never trust the methods" on one hand, while avoiding rigid traditionalism on the other. He cites Paul's approach in 1 Corinthians 9: "I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some." While the message must never change, there "must be a certain degree of elasticity in our methods" to engage people where they are.
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.