What Are the Root Causes of Sin According to Martyn Lloyd-Jones?

Why does mankind fail to recognize their need for Christ according to Lloyd-Jones?

According to Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, mankind fails to recognize their need for Christ because they are terribly ignorant about themselves and their condition in sin. He states, "The trouble is that men doesn't realize his need of Christ. That's why people don't believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. They don't see any need of him." People don't see any relationship between themselves and Christ because they've never understood their need for deliverance, believing instead they can solve their own problems without divine help.

What are the three areas where humans are totally unable to help themselves according to the sermon?

Lloyd-Jones identifies three areas of total human inability: 1. The power of sin - "Man doesn't realize his helplessness face to face with the power of sin." 2. The pollution of sin - "There's a principle within me myself that causes all my troubles," referring to our inherent sinful nature. 3. The guilt of sin - "Man not only fails to realize his total inability with regard to the power of sin and the pollution of sin, he doesn't realize it either with respect to the guilt of sin."

How does Lloyd-Jones describe the problem of willpower in relation to sin?

Lloyd-Jones describes human willpower as paralyzed against sin. He explains that despite our sincere resolutions and promises not to transgress, we consistently fail because "the will of men is paralyzed." Using Romans 7, he notes, "The good that I would, I do not, and the evil that I would not, that I do." He observes that despite our determination and good intentions, when temptation comes, we are "as weak as water." This demonstrates that "Man's will is diseased, it's paralyzed" as a result of the Fall, where the whole human being fell, including the will.

What does Lloyd-Jones teach about the origin of sin and degeneration in humans?

Lloyd-Jones teaches that the problem isn't external conditions but an internal principle of corruption. He refutes the idea that sin comes from poor environment or lack of education, pointing out that humanity first sinned in the perfect conditions of Eden. The cause of our degeneration is "in the nature of the plant" - within us. He quotes David's confession: "Behold, I was shaped in iniquity and in sin did my mother conceive me." Lloyd-Jones explains that sin originates from the heart: "Out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries... The very center, the pool of life. The fountain of life is polluted. It's poisoned, it's diseased."

Why can't humans cleanse themselves of sin according to the sermon?

According to Lloyd-Jones, humans cannot cleanse themselves because: 1. They cannot reach their own hearts: "It's in the heart, and we can't get there." 2. Their own conscience condemns them: "Man can't even satisfy his own conscience" (illustrated through Lady Macbeth) 3. They cannot erase God's record: "It's in God's book... and all your razers can never get rid of the writing in God's book." 4. They don't meet God's perfect standard: "If thou, Lord, shouldst mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?"

Lloyd-Jones uses the metaphor from Jeremiah: "Though thou wash thee with niter and take thee much soap, yet thine iniquity is marked before me, saith the Lord God." Only Christ's blood can cleanse what human efforts cannot.