How One Becomes a Christian
A Sermon on How to Become a Christian from Philippians 3:12
Scripture
12Not that I have already grasped it all or have already become perfect, but I press on if I may also take hold of that for which I was even taken hold of by Christ Jesus.
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.
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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.