Born of Incorruptible Seed
A Sermon on 1 Peter 1:23
Originally preached Jan. 25, 1959
Scripture
23Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.
Sermon Description
What makes the Christian different from every other person? Is it a choice to become moral? Is it making good decisions? In this sermon from 1 Peter 1:23, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones says that what makes the Christian different from everyone else is nothing that they have done, but it is what God has done. This is the new birth. Christians are naturally like every other human, born with a sinful nature. But God by His grace causes Christians to be born again. This new birth comes from above and is not something anyone brings about by themselves. It is wholly of grace. How is a person changed by this new birth? The new birth grants a new nature that seeks what is good, true, and godly. As Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains, it allows them to fight against sin but most importantly of all, it makes him right before God. This is the only way a sinner can be saved. Furthermore, Christians can know and have assurance that they are born again. They can live and die knowing that they are inheritors of eternal life.
Sermon Breakdown
- The gospel announces and gives a new birth. Being born again is one of the central doctrines and teachings of the Christian faith.
- The world does not seem to understand this truth and thinks Christianity is just a set of teachings or philosophies. Christianity starts by telling you that you must be born again.
- Why must we be born again? Why do we need this new life? We need it because our first birth was of a corruptible seed.
- Every one of us is born corrupted and polluted. We inherit a corrupt nature from Adam. This is the biblical doctrine of original sin.
- Because the seed is corrupt, everything that comes out of it is equally corrupt. If the seed is poisoned, the fruit will be poisoned.
- Our natural birth was of a polluted and corrupted seed. We start with a bias toward evil within us. We are born sinners, rebels, and unclean.
- The consequence is that all that comes out of this corrupt seed shows this corruption. The apostle describes humanity and civilization as “all flesh is as grass and all the glory of man as the flower of grass.” This is a superficial, temporary, and passing description.
- The glory of man is vain, empty, and useless. It is unutterably superficial. It is like a bubble that can burst at any moment.
- Not only is the glory of man vain, but it also leads to lust, following our inordinate desires. The corrupt seed leads to corrupt practice.
- We are also born blind and ignorant. The faculty of vision is not there. We are unaware of spiritual realities. The world is dying of ignorance because of this.
- Though we may try to live a good life from our first birth, our righteousnesses are as filthy rags. They are dung, refuse, and utter loss.
- This first birth and all that comes from it will be destroyed. “The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away.” God will blow upon it, and it will vanish.
- We cannot give ourselves a new birth or a new nature. We cannot get a pure and holy seed by ourselves. We have all tried and failed. A man cannot give birth to himself.
- The Holy Spirit must operate upon us. The Spirit of God must enter our soul and remake, remodel, and refashion it by putting in a new spirit of life. This is what the new birth means.
- An entirely new principle of life is put in us. We get a new, incorruptible seed—the purity of the Godhead, the seed of Christ. We become children of God, born of God. This is Christianity.
- This new life has a principle of growth. It is not temporary like grass but solid, real, lasting, and developing. We can grow in grace and knowledge.
- This new life is eternal and everlasting. Nothing can destroy it. It is imperishable and indestructible. When the world perishes, this life will remain, flourishing in God’s presence.
- The two seeds—the natural and spiritual—are altogether different. We must ask ourselves whether we have been born again. If we have, we will desire the sincere milk of the Word and grow thereby.
Sermon Q&A
Understanding the New Birth in the Preaching of Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
What does it mean to be "born again" according to Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones?
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, being born again means receiving a completely new nature through the work of God. He explains it as "the Holy Spirit that brooded over the chaos at the beginning and brought order into the chaos...should enter into your soul with all its darkness and chaos and all its corruptibility and begin to operate." It means that "an entirely new principle of life is put in" - not something we do ourselves, but something God does in us, making us "partakers of the divine nature."
Why does Dr. Lloyd-Jones believe people misunderstand Christianity?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones points out that many people mistakenly think Christianity is primarily a life to be lived according to biblical principles. He states, "Mankind will persist in thinking that Christianity primarily is a life to be lived," where people believe "a Christian is a man who tries to put these principles into practice." He calls this "a complete misunderstanding of Christianity" because it ignores our need for the new birth. Christianity begins with regeneration, not moral effort.
What is the difference between the "corruptible seed" and the "incorruptible seed" in Lloyd-Jones' sermon?
The corruptible seed refers to our natural birth inheritance from Adam - we are "born corrupted, born polluted" with "a bias toward evil within us." This corrupt seed produces corruption, emptiness, and eventual destruction. The incorruptible seed, by contrast, comes from God Himself. Lloyd-Jones explains: "It's from God. I tell you again that in his second epistle, chapter one, verse four, Peter says, we are made partakers of the divine nature, the life of God in the souls of men." This seed produces eternal life and growth.
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones explain why we need to be born again?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that we need to be born again because our natural birth leaves us with a corrupted nature. He offers several reasons: 1) We are born of a corruptible seed, with a natural inclination toward sin; 2) Our natural life is vain and superficial - "a bubble reputation"; 3) Our natural life is characterized by "lusts" and "ignorance"; and 4) Our natural life, like grass, is temporary and will be destroyed. Only the new birth can solve these fundamental problems.
What evidence does Lloyd-Jones provide for someone knowing if they've been born again?
Lloyd-Jones offers a simple test for whether someone has been born again: "As newborn babes desire the sincere milk of the word, that he may grow thereby. Do you like reading your Bible? Do you enjoy it? Do you find food for your soul? If you don't, I doubt whether you've ever been born again. The babe likes the milk." The evidence is a spiritual appetite for God's Word and the things of God - a new desire that wasn't there before.
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones contrast the world's view of Christianity with the biblical view?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones contrasts the world's ethical view of Christianity (trying to live by Christian principles) with the biblical view of Christianity as a new birth. He says the men "applauded by the newspapers and regarded by the world as being outstanding Christians are the greatest enemies of the Christian truth." The world sees Christianity as moral improvement, while the Bible teaches that Christianity begins with repentance, forgiveness, and supernatural regeneration that gives us a new nature capable of living the Christian life.
What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones say about man's ability to live the Sermon on the Mount?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones says it's "rubbish to talk about practicing the sermon on the mount" without first being born again. He points out that commands like "Blessed are the poor in spirit" and "Blessed are the meek" are impossible for natural man to fulfill. "What rubbish to talk about practicing the sermon on the mount... Can you do it? Of course we can't do it. No natural men can do it." Only after receiving new life through the new birth can we begin to fulfill these commands.
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones describe the results of the new birth in a believer's life?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones describes the results of the new birth as including: 1) The ability to live a godly life; 2) A principle of growth that continues developing ("Grow in grace"); 3) Eternal life that cannot be destroyed; 4) Fruit-bearing even in old age; and 5) An "inheritance incorruptible, undefined, and that fadeth not away." Unlike the world's fading glory, the new life is permanent and continues to flourish even when everything else is destroyed.
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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.