The Holy Spirit in Salvation
A Sermon on 1 Corinthians 6:9-11
Originally preached Dec. 13, 1953
Scripture
9Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, 10Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. 11And …
Sermon Description
Who is Jesus? Many say that Jesus was merely a good teacher. He was a teacher; the greatest teacher who has ever lived, but He is more. Christ did not merely come to teach, for teaching cannot conquer sin. Law cannot change a person. Jesus came to change lives. In this sermon on 1 Corinthians 6:9–11 titled “The Holy Spirit in Salvation,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explains that Christians once were something else, but they have been transformed. The Christian is a new being, no longer under the power and sway of the devil. The wicked one cannot touch them. Listen as Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that this is not achieved through Jesus’s gift of teaching, but it is achieved through Jesus’s gift of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit emancipates the new believer by giving them knowledge of and a taste for Christ. The believer has new affections and desires. Jesus, therefore, is seen in human weakness, failure, hopelessness, and despair. All must go to Him, just as they are, and find new life. Humanity needs more than His teaching; people need Him. Indeed, Jesus is more than a teacher. He is more than a law-giver. Jesus is the Savior who will never leave nor forsake His people.
Sermon Breakdown
- The gospel is not a collection of moral maxims or teachings. It is the power of God unto salvation.
- The gospel is about what God has done in Christ through the Spirit. It is a message of deliverance and emancipation.
- The gospel confronts us with the truth about ourselves - that we are moral paralytics unable to please God in our own strength. We need power, not just knowledge.
- The Holy Spirit brings conviction of sin and shows us the love of God in Christ.
- The Holy Spirit regenerates us, giving us new life and a new nature. We become new creations in Christ.
- The Holy Spirit sensitizes our conscience, making us aware of sin and righteousness.
- The Holy Spirit operates on our will, changing our desires and giving us the desire to please God.
- The Holy Spirit leads and guides us, putting thoughts and ideas into our minds and showing us what to do.
- The Holy Spirit enables us to understand the Scriptures and apply them to our lives. The Bible comes alive to us.
- The Holy Spirit gives us strength to resist temptation and overcome sin. We can resist the devil in the power of the Spirit.
- The Holy Spirit makes Christ real to us and mediates His presence. We know that Christ is with us.
- The Holy Spirit introduces us to the joys of the Christian life and gives us a foretaste of heaven. This expels our desire for sin.
- The Holy Spirit gives us an eternal perspective, enabling us to live lightly in this world as we journey to our heavenly home.
Sermon Q&A
What Does the Gospel of Jesus Christ Really Accomplish According to Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones?
How does Lloyd-Jones distinguish the gospel from mere moral teaching?
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, the fundamental distinction is that the gospel is not merely moral instruction but power. He states, "My dear friends, what you and I need, what anybody needs, is not knowledge. It's power." He illustrates this with a story about a Chinese scholar who told a missionary: "We had plenty of teachers. Confucius was a great and wonderful teacher, but people have no power to follow his instructions. We want not only precepts, we want power to enable us to obey the precepts." Lloyd-Jones emphasizes that the world is full of teaching and moral philosophy, but what humans truly need is the power to practice these precepts.
What is the condition of humanity that requires salvation according to the sermon?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones describes humanity as suffering from a kind of moral paralysis. He references Romans 7 where Paul describes the human condition: "The good that I would, that do I not... I find another law in my members dragging me down, crippling me, causing me to fail." Lloyd-Jones states that we are all "afflicted by this foul and paralyzing disease" of sin, describing humans as "moral paralytics" who know what they ought to do but lack the power to do it. He emphasizes that this condition is universal: "There are no distinctions. There are no divisions. We are all afflicted by this disease."
How does the Holy Spirit transform believers according to Lloyd-Jones?
According to Lloyd-Jones, the Holy Spirit transforms believers in several specific ways: 1. He "brings us to see the truth about ourselves" - making us aware of our sinful condition 2. He "sensitizes our conscience" - making it more alert and responsive 3. He "operates upon our wills" - changing our desires and what we want to do 4. He gives us "strength and power to resist temptations" 5. He "makes real to us the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ" 6. He "introduces us to the joys of Christian living" 7. He gives us "a knowledge of heaven and something of a foretaste of heaven"
Lloyd-Jones explains that this is an internal work: "He works right there in the depths of our being and of our personality."
What does Lloyd-Jones say happened to the Corinthian believers?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones references 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, noting how the passage lists various sinful lifestyles before declaring "such were some of you." He emphasizes the transformation that occurred in the Corinthian believers by saying: "What a list. What a terrible list. What an awful list of sins. What a description of men and women... And what a gospel that can deal with such people and so change them that you wouldn't even recognize them." He explains that the Holy Spirit did this "amazing work" in the Corinthians, making "them new men and women in Christ Jesus" who no longer desired their former sinful lifestyles.
How does Christ help believers overcome temptation according to the sermon?
Lloyd-Jones explains that Christ helps believers overcome temptation through His sympathetic presence and power. He quotes Hebrews, stating that Christ "hath suffered, being tempted, he is able to succor them that are tempted" and is "touched with a feeling of our infirmities." Lloyd-Jones emphasizes that Christ understands our struggles because "He's been in this world... He was a man as well as God. He's been tried, he's been tempted in all points, like as we are, yet without sin."
The preacher urges believers to recognize they're not "alone in the fight" but should "speak to him. Ask him to strengthen you and to hold you." Lloyd-Jones says this personal relationship with Christ is "the only way to conquer sin," as the Holy Spirit makes Christ's presence real to believers, providing them strength against temptation.
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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.