Revealed By God
A Sermon on 1 Corinthians 2:1-16
Originally preached April 30, 1961
Scripture
1And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. 2For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified. 3And I was with you in weakness, …
Sermon Description
How can one know God? In this sermon on 1 Corinthians 2:1–16 titled “Revealed by God,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explains how this seemingly simple question has immense significance for one’s life. If God could not be known, how could anyone understand the gospel and be saved? Thankfully, God has revealed Himself to humanity. No one has to discover God through science or philosophy, but God made Himself known in Scripture and in Jesus Christ. In this sermon, Dr. Lloyd-Jones shows the great need for forgiveness and reconciliation with God. Science cannot give this knowledge because it only tells about this world. Christians then have nothing to fear from modern humanity and its claims of intellectual superiority, because true knowledge of God is a gift through His Word, not simply another truth to be discovered. The story of Nicodemus illustrates this well. The Lord Jesus says that it is the Spirit that shows God. It is a supernatural act of God that allows fallen sinners to come to a knowledge of a holy God. There is no more important truth than the gospel of salvation from sins.
Sermon Breakdown
- The apostle Paul is addressing the church in Corinth, a group of Greeks. He wants to show them the difference between the gospel and Greek philosophy.
- The prevailing outlook today is the scientific outlook. This is symbolized by the recent achievement of the Russians sending a man into space.
- Many people today are not Christians because their approach to Christianity is wrong. They approach it like science or philosophy.
- Paul devotes 1 Corinthians 2 to showing the difference between Christianity and worldly wisdom.
- Paul did not come to Corinth with eloquence or wisdom but with the testimony of God. Christianity is not based on man's wisdom but God's power.
- The gospel's message does not change but must be presented differently in different times. Paul presented it differently to the Greeks than to others.
- The scientific method is based on man's ability and understanding. Christianity is based on God's revelation, not man's wisdom.
- The things of God cannot be understood through human wisdom or reason but only through the Spirit. The natural man cannot understand spiritual things.
- The deep things of God refer to God's nature, eternity, holiness, and the Trinity. They cannot be comprehended through science or philosophy.
- God's plan of salvation was ordained before the world began. It is a mystery that cannot be understood through human wisdom.
- The princes of this world did not understand the wisdom of God. If they had, they would not have crucified Jesus. They were blind to spiritual truth.
- No one can know God's mind or be His counselor. His ways are unsearchable. Only through revelation can we know the things God has freely given us.
- We should rejoice that salvation does not depend on human wisdom or ability. If it did, there would be no hope for most people. But God has revealed the way of salvation through His Spirit.
- We must admit we cannot understand spiritual things through human wisdom. We must become like children and receive God's revelation through faith.
Sermon Q&A
What is the Key Difference Between the Scientific Method and Christian Revelation According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones?
According to Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones' sermon, the fundamental difference between the scientific method and Christian revelation is in their approach to knowledge acquisition. The scientific method relies on human reasoning, experimentation, and discovery, while Christian revelation depends on God revealing truth to humans through His Spirit.
In his sermon, Lloyd-Jones explains that while the scientific method produces remarkable achievements through human ability, understanding, and experimentation, this approach is completely inadequate for spiritual truths. The gospel message requires an entirely different method of reception.
What Does Paul Mean by "the Deep Things of God" in 1 Corinthians 2?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that "the deep things of God" refers to profound spiritual realities that human reasoning cannot discover or comprehend. These include:
- The mystery of the Holy Trinity - God in three persons
- God's eternal nature and attributes (omniscience, omnipotence, holiness)
- God's plan of salvation established before the foundation of the world
- The incarnation - God becoming man in Jesus Christ
- The mystery of Christ's death and resurrection for human redemption
- The future glory prepared for believers
These deep things are inaccessible to human reasoning and scientific investigation. Lloyd-Jones states: "The deep things of God. And no human investigation or experimentation can ever find them out nor discover them. They're an entirely different type of knowledge and belong to a different realm."
Why Does Lloyd-Jones Say the Scientific Method Fails in Spiritual Matters?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones identifies two main reasons why the scientific method fails in spiritual matters:
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The type of knowledge is fundamentally different: Scientific knowledge deals with observable, measurable phenomena, while spiritual knowledge concerns "the deep things of God" - eternal, invisible realities that transcend human comprehension.
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Natural human inability and blindness: Lloyd-Jones says, "The natural man receiveth not the things of the spirit of God for they are foolishness unto him." Humans in their natural state are spiritually blind and actually hostile to spiritual truth.
He emphasizes that human intelligence, regardless of its magnitude, cannot understand spiritual realities: "You may have the greatest brain in the universe, but it won't help you at all to understand the things of God. Nothing but the spirit can do this."
How Does One Receive Spiritual Truth According to Lloyd-Jones?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones teaches that spiritual truth is received through:
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Divine revelation: "God hath revealed them unto us by his spirit" - spiritual truth comes through God's initiative, not human discovery.
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Spiritual rebirth: Just as Jesus told Nicodemus, "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God," Lloyd-Jones emphasizes the necessity of spiritual regeneration.
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Childlike humility: Quoting Jesus, "Except ye be converted and become as little children, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven," Lloyd-Jones stresses abandoning intellectual pride.
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Faith: Rather than scientific testing, one must simply believe: "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved."
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The Holy Spirit's work: "It takes the power of God to make anybody see these truths...the spirit takes the mist away. He removes the veil. He gives clarity."
Lloyd-Jones concludes by emphasizing that this approach makes salvation available to all people, regardless of intellectual capacity, unlike if salvation depended on scientific understanding.
Sermons on Knowledge
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.