Understanding Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones' Sermon on Isaiah 1:16-18

What is the main theme of Lloyd-Jones' sermon on Isaiah 1:16-18?

Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones focuses on God's final appeal to sinners through reasoning together. The core of the sermon explores Isaiah 1:16-18, where God calls sinners to "Come now, let us reason together," showing how God demonstrates the rightness of His demands, the justice of His judgment, and the grace of His offer of forgiveness. Lloyd-Jones presents this as "God's final word to an unrepentant sinner," highlighting the extraordinary nature of God's willingness to reason with rebellious humanity.

How does Lloyd-Jones explain the phrase "Come now, let us reason together"?

Lloyd-Jones explains that this phrase shows God's extraordinary condescension to humanity. He emphasizes that God "stoops down to our level" and invites us to a debate or discussion where we have "complete freedom and liberty to say what we want to say." Lloyd-Jones sees this as demonstrating God's "indescribable fairness and reasonableness," noting that God doesn't "dragoon" people but persuades them. However, he also points out that this invitation contains a challenge - once we've stated our case, God will answer, and we'll be left with nothing more to say.

What are the three principles Lloyd-Jones presents in his sermon?

The three principles Lloyd-Jones presents are: 1. The rightness of God's demands on us - God's requirements are inherently good and just 2. The essential justice of God's punishment of our failure and sin - God's judgment is perfectly fair 3. The grace of God's offer of forgiveness - God's promise that "though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow"

These principles form the structure of his argument about God's reasonableness and the human inability to respond to God's case against us.

How does Lloyd-Jones describe a Christian in this sermon?

Lloyd-Jones describes a Christian as "a man who has come to see that he's got nothing to say... A Christian is a man who gives up. He gives in." He characterizes authentic Christianity as reaching the point where one "submits entirely and completely to God's word" after being "driven to the corner" where there is "no reply, no argument, no plea." According to Lloyd-Jones, this surrender happens when a person finally recognizes the rightness of God's demands, the justice of His judgment, and accepts the grace of His offer.

What does Lloyd-Jones say about the process of how God transforms sin?

Lloyd-Jones explains that God transforms our sins from "scarlet" to "white as snow" through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. He refers to this as "the alchemy of Gethsemane" and "the miracle divine that changes the scarlet into the whiteness of the snow." He emphasizes that this transformation happens through Christ's blood, suffering, and death on the cross. Lloyd-Jones describes how God takes Christ's righteousness and puts it on us (justification), while placing our sin on Christ who bore its punishment. He says God not only forgives but also renews us, making us "new men and women" and clothing us with "the righteousness of his son."

How does Lloyd-Jones describe the human condition before God?

Lloyd-Jones describes humans as rebels against God who demonstrate folly, madness, hypocrisy, and unreasonableness. He emphasizes our inability to cleanse ourselves or meet God's standards of purity, quoting Isaiah who said, "Woe is me, for I am undone." Lloyd-Jones states that no one can stand before God's holiness with their own righteousness, asking rhetorically, "Can you get rid of the guilt of your past sins? Can you wash yourself and make yourself clean?" His answer is that we cannot, and therefore we stand condemned unless we accept God's gracious offer in Christ.