The Only Gospel
A Sermon on Colossians 1:3-7
Scripture
3We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, 4since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the love which you have for all the saints; 5because of the hope reserved for you in heaven, of which you previously heard in the word of truth, the gospel 6which has come to you, just as in all the world also it is bearing fruit and increasing, even as it has been doing in you also since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth; 7just as you learned it from Epaphras, our beloved fellow bond-servant, who is a faithful servant of Christ on our behalf,
3We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, 4Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have to all the saints, 5For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel; 6Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth: 7As ye also learned of Epaphras our dear fellowservant, who is for you a faithful minister of Christ;
Description
In his sermon on Colossians 1:3–7 titled “The Only Gospel,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones begins by asking a fundamental question: What is Christianity? In Paul’s introduction to his letter, he writes of the great news of the gospel the church received from one of the apostle’s friends. Paul affirms that this gospel is the true gospel. This central belief, Dr. Lloyd-Jones says, is precisely opposite of why so many are outside of the church. Today, there is confusion regarding Christianity’s core, a confusion that often persists within churches themselves. False teachers abound, and the truth is not preached. The truth of Christianity rests in the gospel, the good news given from Christ to His disciples. This is the truth that changes a person, causing them to see life differently. No longer is he or she living for the world, but living for God. And unlike worldly authority, he says, this gospel rests on the authority of the Lord. Salvation did not come through humanity; it came through God’s Son Jesus Christ. In closing, Dr. Lloyd-Jones reminds Christians to worship God for His loving grace and mercy.
Topics
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.