Their Foolish Heart was Darkened
A Sermon on Romans 1:18-20
Originally preached May 18, 1956
Scripture
18For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; 19Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. 20For the invisible things of him …
Sermon Description
God will punish sin. Sin never escapes His notice and He will pour out His wrath on it. In this sermon titled “Their Foolish Heart was Darkened,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd- Jones furthers the study of God’s wrath in this sermon on Romans 1:18–20 and shows the inexcusability of sin. Dr. Lloyd-Jones warns that humanity cannot plead ignorance since God put in the heart a universal knowledge of right and wrong, His existence, and His holy standard. In what ways has this knowledge been revealed? It is in both general and special revelation. In great detail, Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains what these two types of revelation look like and how unbelievers suppress the truth and fight against it. The fundamental cause of rebellion is pride and overall wickedness. Atheists claim there is no God, but are only denying what He put both in their hearts and in all of creation. The next step after pride is for the Lord to lead hearts out of darkness. The Bible says that without Christ, there is darkness, but because of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, there is now light with the Lord.
Sermon Breakdown
- The wrath of God is revealed against sin for two main reasons:
- The character of sin: ungodliness and unrighteousness
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The utter inexcusability of sin: mankind cannot plead ignorance
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Mankind cannot plead ignorance because:
- The truth was known to them but they deliberately suppressed it
- The knowledge of God is available to them through creation, providence, and history
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There is a universal sense of God and conscience in all of mankind
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The knowledge of God available through creation, providence, and history is enough to render men inexcusable but not enough to save them. It reveals:
- God's eternal power and divinity (excellence, attributes, abilities)
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Not the whole truth about God or the way of salvation
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Men suppress the truth in unrighteousness:
- They restrain, hold down, and fight against the truth
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They do so deliberately through their unrighteousness and sin
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The reasons men suppress the truth:
- Pride and pride of intellect: they think themselves wise but became fools
- Wickedness: instead of accepting revelation, they relied on their own foolish and wicked reasonings
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Their foolish heart was darkened: they lost spiritual understanding and insight
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The only hope for those in darkness is the gospel - the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
Sermon Q&A
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones on Romans 1:18-20: Questions and Answers
What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones say is the meaning of "the wrath of God is revealed from heaven"?
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, God has revealed His wrath against sin for two main reasons. First, because of the character of sin itself - it is both ungodliness and unrighteousness. Second, because of "the utter inexcusability of sin" - sin is entirely without any excuse whatsoever. He emphasizes that God's wrath is revealed universally against all mankind, both Gentiles and Jews.
Why does Dr. Lloyd-Jones say mankind cannot claim ignorance about God?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that mankind cannot plead ignorance because God has given knowledge of Himself to all people in two primary ways: internally and externally. Internally, there is "a sense of God universally in mankind" and conscience. Externally, God has revealed Himself through creation, providence, and history. He stresses that "the most primitive tribes" still have some sense of a supreme being, and even atheists must argue against this innate knowledge.
What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones mean by "general revelation" versus "special revelation"?
According to Lloyd-Jones, general revelation is the partial knowledge of God available to all mankind through creation, providence, and history. This reveals "God's eternal power and divinity" (not "godhead" as mistranslated). Special revelation, by contrast, is the full revelation of God in salvation, particularly through Scripture and Christ, which can only be understood through the Holy Spirit. He states: "general revelation that God has given and which remains is not enough to save men, but it is enough to render men inexcusable for his godlessness."
What does it mean that men "hold the truth in unrighteousness"?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that this phrase means men "suppress the truth" or "hold down" the truth through their unrighteousness. He clarifies that people are actively fighting against and trying to dismiss the truth about God that they inherently know. "They're trying to throttle it and to drown it," he says. This deliberate suppression of truth makes mankind entirely without excuse before God.
According to the sermon, what are the root causes that lead people to suppress the truth about God?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones identifies three main causes: 1. Pride, especially pride of intellect - "Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools" 2. Wickedness - People don't want to submit to God's holiness or commandments 3. False reasoning - They "became vain in their imaginations" (which Lloyd-Jones translates as "foolish and wicked in their reasonings")
The result is that "their foolish heart was darkened," making them "destitute of spiritual understanding" and unable to recognize divine truth.
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones apply this passage to modern evangelism?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones emphasizes that this passage provides important groundwork for evangelism by establishing universal guilt. He argues that if pagans without special revelation are "without excuse," how much more accountable are those who have heard the gospel and have access to the Bible? He states: "If these pagans in the time of the apostle were without excuse, how much more are men and women today without excuse?" This understanding should inform how we approach evangelism, starting with people's accountability to God rather than immediately jumping to their personal problems.
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.