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Sermon #5720

Full Salvation

A Sermon on 1 Corinthians 3:21-23

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Scripture

1 Corinthians 3:21-23 ESV KJV
So let no one boast in men. For all things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, and you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s. (ESV)

Sermon Description

Modern man people declare themselves free from the tyranny of religion, but what has been the effect? They are now enslaved to and governed by the popular opinion of humanity. In this sermon on 1 Corinthians 3:21–23 titled “Full Salvation,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones focuses on Paul’s concern over division in the Corinthian church, a division that was the result of their glorying in their apostolic leaders instead of Christ. There is only One who can set people free from enslavement to the things of this world. He is the Son of God, for whom and through whom all things exist. He came to set people free from the guilt of their sin, the reign of the devil, and the condemnation of the law of God. He is coming again to destroy every enemy and to set up His eternal reign of righteousness and peace. All who believe in Him become a part of Him. They are Christ’s and in Him all things are theirs. What does this mean? There is now no point in glorying in people. In Christ, Christians are no longer enslaved to human power, influence, or opinion. They are no longer enslaved even to their circumstances. They are truly free to experience His full salvation.

Sermon Breakdown

  1. The apostle Paul is astonished at the Corinthians for reverting to non-Christian thinking after becoming Christians.
  2. There were divisions in the church with some following Paul, Apollos, Cephas or Christ.
  3. Paul says the Corinthians are acting as fools by rejecting the gospel. To reject the gospel is to be a fool and deceive oneself.
  4. It is foolish to glory in men because:
  5. Men are creatures and have nothing to boast in
  6. The powers of men are limited and temporary
  7. Men themselves are failures and have "feet of clay"
  8. Glorying in men leads to slavery - slavery to men, the world, life, death, the present and the future.
  9. We should glory in Christ because:
  10. He is the eternal Son of God and co-equal with God
  11. He has authority to speak on ultimate questions as the only one who has seen God
  12. He came to deal with our every problem and set us free from sin, the devil, death and the law
  13. He is seated at the right hand of God with all power and authority
  14. He will return to destroy His enemies and establish His kingdom
  15. When we believe in Him, we become united to Him and share in His inheritance
  16. In Christ, all things become ours - men, the world, life, death, the present and the future. We become masters instead of slaves.
  17. We must choose between glorying in men and becoming slaves or glorying in Christ and becoming heirs of God.

Sermon Q&A

What Did Martin Lloyd-Jones Mean by "Let No Man Glory in Men"?

Lloyd-Jones explores Paul's warning in 1 Corinthians 3:21-23, explaining why believers should not place their ultimate trust in human leaders.

What does it mean to "glory in men"?

According to Lloyd-Jones, glorying in men means "you make your boast in him. That's the correct translation of the word in the Greek that was used by the apostle. You make your boast in him, you give him an allegiance, you fall at his feet, as it were. You become bound to him. He's your master, he's your teacher."

Why did Paul warn against glorying in men?

Lloyd-Jones explains Paul's warning had three main reasons:

  1. Men are only creatures with nothing to boast about: "Who then is Paul and who is Apollos but ministers by whom ye believed? Even as the Lord gave to every man... So then neither is he that planteth anything, neither he that watereth but God that giveth the increase."

  2. Men's powers are severely limited: "However great they are, they haven't solved the problem of life, they haven't solved the problem of death, they haven't solved what are your most pressing problems."

  3. Men themselves are failures: "Every men is sinful. The men who are lauded by the world, the men in whom the world glorious, what feet of clay they have."

What happens when we glory in men instead of Christ?

According to Lloyd-Jones, glorying in men "inevitably and always leads to slavery." He states: "Men must choose to be governed by God, or they condemn themselves to be ruled by tyrants." Using examples from Russia and Nazi Germany, he demonstrates how societies that reject God's authority invariably fall under human tyranny.

What should Christians glory in instead?

Lloyd-Jones explains that believers should glory in Christ because:

  1. Of who He is: "He is not merely a man. Here is the everlasting eternal son of God."
  2. Of what He has done: "He came into this world to deal with our every problem. He came to set us free."
  3. Of His present position: "He is seated at the right hand of God in the glory everlasting."
  4. Of what He will do in the future: "He will come back again... He will destroy his every enemy. He'll purge the cosmos of all sin and he'll set up his eternal, glorious kingdom."

What does Paul mean when he says "all things are yours"?

Lloyd-Jones explains that for Christians, "in a very wonderful way... all men will become your servants." He states: "Once you really glory in Christ and enter into this realization of what you are and what you have in him, you know, all men will become your servants."

This means the Christian gains true freedom over: - The world: "When a man becomes a Christian, his whole attitude to this world becomes entirely different." - Life: "When a man becomes a Christian and glories in Christ, he says 'to me, to live is Christ.'" - Death: "Death is no longer a tyrant to the Christian. 'To me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.'" - The present and future: "All things work together for good to them that love God, all things."

Itinerant Preaching

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.