The Resistance of Unbelief
A Sermon on 1 Timothy 1:12-16
Originally preached Oct. 24, 1954
Scripture
12And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry; 13Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. 14And the grace of …
Sermon Description
In this sermon on 1 Timothy 1:12–16 titled “The Resistance of Unbelief,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones shares about the danger of unbelief. The resistant unbelieving person is one who has made the decision not to believe, not merely one who has not heard the good news of Jesus Christ. Unbelief is not purely intellectual, Dr. Lloyd-Jones preaches. A popular assumption among non-Christians is that secularism is an intellectual pursuit and that Christianity is the opposite. This is not helped by Christians who are amazed that other Christians could be intellectuals. When looking to the Scriptures, one sees that many Christians throughout history have proved the intellectualism of Christianity. One must merely look at the letters of Paul to see the greatness and grandeur of Christian doctrine. This doctrine is meant to feed the mind and soul of the believer who humbles themselves and puts their faith in Jesus Christ. Dr. Lloyd-Jones also exhorts his listeners that the reason so many people have not committed to Jesus Christ is because they refuse to admit that they are wrong. It is difficult to humble oneself before God and admit that one is wrong, but this is what repentance and belief requires.
Sermon Breakdown
- Unbelief is not merely a matter of intellect or ability. It is a state or condition of the soul.
- Unbelief is not a matter of scholarship or knowledge. Scholars and knowledgeable people exist on both sides.
- Unbelief is not a question of mental balance or suffering from a complex. While psychological conditions exist, Paul's life shows unbelief was not due to a lack of mental balance.
- Unbelief produces prejudices that twist facts to fit preconceptions.
- Unbelief produces false dogmatism, making pronouncements without evidence. For example, saying miracles cannot happen so they did not happen.
- Unbelief produces an active resistance to the truth. People dislike admitting they are wrong and yielding control of their lives.
- Unbelief is ultimately an enmity against God and self-assertion against God.
- Unbelief means being in the grip of the devil, blinded from seeing the truth.
- People do not need more knowledge or intellect to believe, they need a heart that loves the light instead of darkness. The light of Christ has already come.
- Unbelief leads to being alienated from God and held by the devil. Only Christ can set someone free from unbelief.
Sermon Q&A
What Are the Causes of Unbelief According to Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones?
What was the main Bible text Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones used in this sermon?
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones based his sermon on 1 Timothy 1:12-16, with particular focus on verse 13: "Who was before a blasphemer and a persecutor and injurious. But I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief."
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones describe Paul's condition before his conversion?
According to Lloyd-Jones, Paul (then Saul) was "a blasphemer, a persecutor, and injurious." He was "breathing out his threatenings" against Christians, voting against believers who were condemned to death, and actively persecuting the church. Lloyd-Jones emphasizes that Paul was deliberately and enthusiastically opposing Christianity before his conversion.
What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones identify as the key reasons people remain in unbelief?
Lloyd-Jones identifies several key reasons: 1. Ignorance - not knowing one's own ignorance, not understanding God's law, not knowing God Himself 2. Unbelief - a state or condition of soul, not merely intellectual opposition 3. Prejudice - pre-judging issues without examining evidence 4. False dogmatism - making unfounded assertions like "miracles cannot happen" 5. Active resistance to truth - fighting against conviction 6. Pride - unwillingness to admit being wrong 7. Love of sin - unwillingness to give up sinful pleasures 8. Fear of consequences - concern about what others might think 9. Enmity against God - an underlying hostility toward God and His law
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones refute the idea that unbelief is about intellectual capacity?
Lloyd-Jones refutes this idea by pointing out that Paul had the same intellectual capacity before and after his conversion. He also notes that Paul's epistles demonstrate tremendous intellectual depth. Furthermore, Lloyd-Jones observes that throughout church history, great intellects like Augustine have been believers. He also points to cases where two people of equal intellectual ability end up on opposite sides of faith, proving that intellectual capacity isn't the determining factor in belief or unbelief.
What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones say about the role of Satan in unbelief?
Lloyd-Jones states that unbelief is a condition where "the mind and the judgment and the whole personality are so dominated by another power that the man is rendered incapable of thinking straightly." He quotes 2 Corinthians 4, stating that "the God of this world hath blinded the minds of them that believe not." Lloyd-Jones asserts that Satan holds unbelievers captive, blinds their understanding, and controls both the intellectual and moral world, preventing people from seeing spiritual truth.
How did Paul resist the truth before his conversion according to Dr. Lloyd-Jones?
According to Lloyd-Jones, Paul was "kicking against the pricks" or "goads" as Jesus described it. He had been troubled since witnessing Stephen's martyrdom, seeing Stephen's face shining and hearing his prayer, yet he fought against this conviction. Lloyd-Jones suggests Paul was never happy after witnessing Stephen's death but continued to resist the truth that was piercing his conscience because of his pride and unwillingness to admit he was wrong.
What solution does Dr. Lloyd-Jones offer for the problem of unbelief?
Lloyd-Jones states that what people need is not more knowledge or instruction but a heart change. Quoting John 3:19, he explains that "light has come into the world, but men loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil." The solution is Jesus Christ, who came to set people free from the bondage of Satan and sin. Lloyd-Jones urges unbelievers to ask Christ to set them free, promising that He will deliver them and "turn you from being a child of darkness to a child of light."
What was the connection Dr. Lloyd-Jones made between unbelief and one's moral condition?
Lloyd-Jones ties unbelief directly to moral condition, stating that the real issue isn't intellectual but moral. He cites John 3:19 that people "love darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil." People resist the light because it exposes their sinful condition. Lloyd-Jones argues that the underlying problem is a heart that loves darkness and hates light, not a lack of evidence or intellectual capacity. The issue is fundamentally one of moral resistance to God's truth.
How did Dr. Lloyd-Jones describe the ultimate consequence of remaining in unbelief?
Lloyd-Jones describes those in unbelief as being in a state of "alienation from God, held in the grip of the devil." He indicates that this condition makes one unable to free themselves, leaves them in bondage to Satan and sin, and keeps them in the "kingdom of darkness" rather than the "kingdom of light." The ultimate consequence implied is spiritual death and separation from God, contrasted with the salvation and deliverance Christ offers.
Face to Face with Christ
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.