How One Becomes a Christian
A Sermon on How to Become a Christian from Philippians 3:12
Originally preached May 13, 1962
Scripture
12Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.
Sermon Description
In this sermon on Philippians 3:12 titled “How One Becomes a Christian,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones continues his series on core truths of Christianity. Perhaps one does not know Jesus Christ, but they are being convicted of their need to be forgiven of sin. Perhaps they are asking how to become a Christian. In this sermon, Dr. Lloyd-Jones preaches on this and addresses related topics to help understand what one must do to be saved. To start, Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains why all are in need of a savior. The answer is because everyone’s life is going the wrong direction. From the Apostle Paul’s example, he shows what else must happen to be saved. First, they must be arrested by Christ—that is, He must catch their attention and they must realize the eternal danger they are in without Him. Second, they must be convicted about personal sin and feel the weight of sins that have separated them from God. Third, they must be convicted of the truth that the charges Scriptures levels against them, and surrender to them—not fighting them or making excuses. In this way, they hand themselves over to Christ, and as Dr. Lloyd-Jones says, this is essentially what happens when people realize their need for Christ and come to Him.
Sermon Breakdown
- By nature, all humans are self-willed and rebellious against God. We follow our own desires instead of God's will.
- No one becomes a Christian through a process of searching or reasoning. Conversion is not something we bring about ourselves. It is something that happens to us.
- To become a Christian, a person must be "apprehended" or grasped by Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit. This is a sovereign act of God, not something we accomplish through our own effort.
- This apprehension by Christ interrupts a person's life and disturbs their complacency. It makes them face the reality of their sin and separation from God.
- The charge against us is always personal. It is about our own sin and rebellion, not the sin of others or the state of the world. We must face God as individuals.
- The essential charge against us is our wrong view of and relationship to Jesus Christ. We have rejected who he is and what he has done.
- To become a Christian, a person must be convicted of the truth of this charge and surrender to Jesus Christ. They must believe that he is the Son of God and savior, and yield themselves to him.
- The Christian life is about knowing Christ and being conformed to his death and resurrection. Our desire is to live for him and gain more of the knowledge of him.
Sermon Q&A
Understanding "Being Apprehended by Christ Jesus" According to Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
What does Paul mean when he says he was "apprehended by Christ Jesus" in Philippians 3:12?
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, when Paul says he was "apprehended by Christ Jesus," he means he was arrested, grasped, or laid hold of by Christ. This describes the moment of conversion when Christ unexpectedly intervened in Paul's life on the Damascus road. Lloyd-Jones explains: "I am trying to grasp that for which I have been grasped by Christ Jesus...I am trying to apprehend, to understand, to lay hold on that for which I was arrested by Christ Jesus." This imagery of being arrested vividly portrays how conversion is not something we initiate but something that happens to us.
How does a person become a Christian according to Dr. Lloyd-Jones' sermon?
According to Lloyd-Jones, becoming a Christian involves being "arrested" or "apprehended" by Christ - something that happens to us rather than something we achieve ourselves. The essential steps include:
- Being unexpectedly interrupted and disturbed in our current path
- Being personally confronted with our wrong relationship to Christ
- Being convicted of the truth about who Jesus is
- Surrendering completely to Christ
Lloyd-Jones emphasizes: "No man becomes a Christian as the end of a search. You don't become a Christian by finding or discovering truth. No man has ever become a Christian at the end of a process of reasoning... No man ever becomes a Christian unless he's laid hold of by the Spirit of God."
What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones identify as the fundamental problem with humanity?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones identifies self-will as the fundamental problem with humanity. He uses Paul's own words: "I verily thought with myself" to illustrate this point. Lloyd-Jones explains: "That was the whole cause of all his troubles. He thought with himself, talked to himself. Instead of listening to God, he listened to himself. This is the basic trouble, according to the Bible, with the whole of mankind."
He elaborates: "That's why the world is as it is tonight and in its awful predicament. That's why everyone who isn't a Christian is in this desperately dangerous position. It's all because of self-will. All we, like sheep, have gone astray. We followed our own wills. We followed our own devices."
What is the "charge" that is brought against us when we are apprehended by Christ?
The charge brought against us, according to Lloyd-Jones, concerns our wrong relationship to Jesus Christ. Using Paul's example, he says the charge is twofold:
- Being wrong about who Jesus is - denying His divinity
- Being wrong about what Jesus came to do - rejecting His atoning work on the cross
Lloyd-Jones explains the charge in these terms: "The Lord looked at him and said, 'You don't believe that I am the Lord of glory, and you don't believe in what I've done. You don't believe in my whole object in going to earth. You don't believe in my atoning death. You don't believe in my literal, physical resurrection. You don't believe in my ascension.'"
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones describe the personal nature of Christian conversion?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones emphasizes that Christian conversion is intensely personal. He states: "The charge, you know, is always a personal one. The hand comes upon you and the voice says, 'Saul, Saul, why art thou persecuting me?' It comes right home and directly and immediately to the man himself."
He further explains: "We are all individuals, and God holds us individually responsible for what we think, for what we are, for what we do. Every man is going to be judged for himself and by himself. We are not facing God as families, nor as nations, nor as denominations, nor anything. We face God as individuals." This personal confrontation is the starting point of genuine conversion.
Other Sermons
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.