Faith: The Gift of Grace
A Sermon on 2 Peter 1:1
Originally preached Sept. 20, 1964
Scripture
1Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ:
Sermon Description
In this sermon on 2 Peter 1:1 titled “Faith: The Gift of Grace,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones encourages his people with what they already know—what they are in Christ, what they have, and what awaits them in the future. What is it that makes Christians separate from the world? It is their precious faith. If this concept seems foreign to the listener, perhaps they need to be reminded of the old, old story and realize how they obtained this precious faith: it wasn’t won or achieved, but given as a gift of grace by God through the righteousness and blood of Jesus Christ the Son. Listeners are encouraged to realize the rarity of this gift of faith and that they are among a specific people, a great company—including the apostles, the martyrs, the fathers of the faith, the confessors, the reformers. They have the same faith as these people. Lastly, realize what this precious faith does for the Christian—the wealth of the universe cannot get rid of sins, but faith does. With this precious faith, the Christian is free from the fear of death, able to pass from death to eternal life.
Sermon Breakdown
- The apostle Peter wrote this letter to Christians who were facing difficulties and trials. His purpose was to encourage them.
- Peter reminds them they have obtained a "precious faith" - a faith of immense value. This is the key to overcoming their difficulties.
- Precious faith is a gift from God obtained through Jesus Christ. It is not something we earn or deserve.
- The giver - God and Jesus Christ - determines the value of this gift. God gave us this faith to fulfill his righteous purpose and glorify himself.
- This faith is rare - not many people have it. Christians are privileged to have received it.
- We share this faith with great Christians of the past - apostles, prophets, martyrs. We belong to their company.
- This faith provides tremendous blessings: salvation, forgiveness of sins, justification, adoption as God's children, an eternal inheritance, strength to live the Christian life, and assurance of heaven.
- Lacking an understanding of these blessings leads to spiritual blindness, forgetting the forgiveness of sins, and falling away.
- Grasping the preciousness of our faith leads to spiritual growth, steadfastness, and abundant entrance into heaven.
Sermon Q&A
What Does Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones Mean by "Precious Faith"?
What does Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones identify as "precious faith" in his sermon?
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones defines "precious faith" as the special gift from God that makes us Christians and separates believers from non-believers. He explains that this faith is precious because it is a divine gift we have "obtained" rather than earned, and it connects us to God through Jesus Christ. As he states: "Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ. To them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our savior Jesus Christ."
Why does Lloyd-Jones say we need to be reminded of old truths rather than hearing new messages?
Lloyd-Jones emphasizes that Christians don't need new messages but rather need to be reminded of the eternal truths they already know. He says: "All they need is to grasp and to understand and to act upon the old message, the thing they already know." He believes that our troubles come from forgetting what we already possess in Christ, noting: "your whole trouble is due to the fact that you don't remember." He sees his role as a minister not to share new insights but to stir up remembrance of foundational truths.
According to the sermon, how do we obtain this precious faith?
According to Lloyd-Jones, precious faith is entirely a gift from God that we "obtain" rather than earn. He emphasizes: "We've obtained it. We haven't achieved it. We haven't won it. We haven't deserved it. We haven't earned it." He explains that the original Greek suggests we've obtained it "as the result of casting a lot," highlighting the sovereign grace of God in giving faith to believers. It comes "through the righteousness of God and our savior Jesus Christ," not through our own merit.
What makes faith precious according to Dr. Lloyd-Jones?
Lloyd-Jones identifies several factors that make faith precious: 1. Its source - it comes from God Himself 2. Its rarity - "few there be that find it" 3. The company it puts us in - "like precious faith with us" (with apostles, prophets, martyrs) 4. Its effects - justification, adoption, reconciliation with God 5. Its eternal value - it provides "an abundant entrance" into God's kingdom
He states: "Is there anything in the world so precious as this this morning? The wealth of the universe cannot get rid of your sins. It can't cleanse your conscience, it can't reconcile you to God. But faith does."
How does Lloyd-Jones describe the rarity of faith in his sermon?
Lloyd-Jones emphasizes that genuine faith is rare, making it precious by definition. He quotes Jesus saying "straight is the gate and narrow is the way that leadeth unto life. And few there be that find it." He notes that in Samuel's time "the word of the Lord was precious" because it was rare, and applies this to modern times: "The masses are outside the church in England this morning. They're not reading the Bible." He explains that faith is rare because "The God of this world hath blinded the minds of them that believe not," making believers a select minority who have received an exceptional gift.
What company does faith put believers in, according to the sermon?
Lloyd-Jones teaches that faith puts believers in the company of the greatest people who ever lived. He explains: "You've got the same faith as I have. You have the same faith as the other apostles have." He elaborates that believers join "Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David... all the martyrs and the confessors, the reformers, the great covenanters, the Puritans, the early Methodists." He quotes a hymn: "Saints, apostles, prophets, martyrs, answer. Yes." This company should encourage believers: "What are you crying about? What are you grumbling about? What are you complaining about? Lift up your head like precious faith with us."
What does Lloyd-Jones teach about how faith enables us to understand the Bible?
Lloyd-Jones teaches that faith is essential for understanding Scripture, stating: "The natural man receiveth not the things of the spirit of God for their foolishness unto him. Neither can he understand them because they are spiritually discerned." He explains that unbelievers "see nothing in it, ridicules the Bible, laughs at it. It doesn't see the treasure, this precious thing that's here." By contrast, believers can understand because "the eyes of your understanding have been enlightened by the blessed spirit of God. You've been given the power of vision." Faith is what allows people to see and understand biblical truth.
How does Lloyd-Jones say faith helps believers face trials and difficulties?
Lloyd-Jones teaches that understanding the preciousness of faith helps believers overcome trials. He states that the gospel "never tells us that we are not going to have trials and troubles and problems. But what it does do is to tell us that we can rise above them all and triumph over them all." Faith enables believers to "walk in a triumphant manner" knowing that "neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers... shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." When we realize what we have in Christ through faith, external circumstances lose their power to discourage us.
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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.