Mind; Heart and Will
A Sermon on Romans 6:17
Scripture
17But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.
Sermon Description
Christians can become spiritually depressed, perhaps not experiencing the joy of their salvation. Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explains that they often do not realize the greatness of the gospel. In this sermon on Romans 6:17 titled “Mind, Heart, and Will,” Dr. Lloyd-Jones shows that the Christian message involves the whole person, and the whole person is to be affected by it. Christians cannot rejoice in the gospel if their doctrine is unbalanced or lopsided. Some Christians emphasize merely the morality of the Christian message. Others believe Christianity is only about forgiveness of sins. This is due to the fact that many preachers embrace doctrine that lacks balance. Converts often look like the people God used in their conversion, picking up their characteristics. Thus, for many, their understanding of the Christian message is lacking. Listen as Dr. Lloyd-Jones argues that the gospel transforms the whole person, not simply part of them. A Christian is one who knows why they are what they are. A Christian must be ready to give a reason for the hope within. As a Christian battles spiritual depression, it is imperative that they know the whole gospel and have been affected by it. In this way, one may, once again, experience the joy of their salvation.
Sermon Breakdown
- Spiritual depression and unhappiness in Christians can often be traced to a failure to grasp the fullness and completeness of the Gospel.
- The Gospel is meant to govern and guide all of life, not just parts of it. Failing to apply the Gospel to all of life will inevitably lead to problems.
- The Gospel is meant to engage the whole person - the mind, the heart, and the will. An imbalance here, focusing on only one or two of these areas, will lead to difficulties.
- The mind is meant to be engaged first, through the truth and doctrine of the Gospel. Then the heart is moved, and the will acts in obedience. We must get this order right.
- We must never approach the heart or will directly. They must be influenced through the truth that comes to the mind.
- Many are unhappy in the Christian life because they have an inadequate view of the Gospel, seeing it only as forgiveness, or morality, or something merely aesthetic. The Gospel is far more all-encompassing than this.
- Some focus only on the intellectual aspects of the faith, and their hearts are left untouched. Others focus only on feelings and mysticism. Still others try to persuade themselves into obedience by willpower alone. All of these are incomplete.
- The Gospel is meant to produce balanced Christians, with truth in the mind, grace in the heart, and obedience in the will. Each of these areas influences the others. Imbalance in any area will lead to problems.
Spiritual Depression
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.