The Testimony of Christ
A Sermon on 1 Corinthians 1:4-9
Originally preached Sept. 22, 1957
Scripture
4I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ; 5That in every thing ye are enriched by him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge; 6Even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you: 7 …
Sermon Description
Many people claim to be Christians but they are truly Christ-less. A Christian is one who has received and believed in Christ, one who has fellowship with Him, and one who is waiting for His return. Christ came to bear witness to the truth. In this sermon on 1 Corinthians 1:4–9 titled “The Testimony of Christ,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones preaches on the testimony of Christ and the importance of foundational principles. What did Christ have to testify about? The question of the person of Christ is crucial – two natures in one flesh, God’s own son. No one is their own, and they have no right to do what they want with themselves. They have been rescued by Christ. If anyone has the Son of God, then they have eternal life. This gospel is not simply a theory or personal opinion; it is the testimony of God Himself. It is a tragedy to deny these things. This sermon teaches what Christ says about God and humanity, and the only way of being right before God.
Sermon Breakdown
- The sermon begins by emphasizing the importance of understanding foundational principles in order to live a successful Christian life. The writer uses the example of geometry to illustrate this.
- The sermon then transitions to discussing the foundational principles of Christianity, specifically how God has provided salvation through Jesus Christ.
- The sermon outlines three definitions of a Christian in terms of their relationship to Jesus Christ:
- A Christian is someone who has believed and received the testimony of Christ. This includes Christ's testimony about God, the law, and himself.
- A Christian is someone who has been called into fellowship with Christ.
- A Christian is someone waiting for the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.
- The sermon explores the meaning of "the testimony of Christ." This could refer to either Christ's own testimony or the apostles' testimony about Christ. Either way, it refers to the revelation of who Christ is.
- The sermon emphasizes that Christianity is centered on the person and work of Jesus Christ. One cannot be a Christian without believing in Christ as the Son of God and savior.
- The sermon highlights several passages of Scripture that point to Christ as the only way of salvation, including John 14:6, Acts 4:12, and 1 John 5:11-12.
- The sermon discusses justification as coming through faith in Christ alone, according to passages like Romans 3:24-25 and Ephesians 1:7.
- The sermon proclaims that Christ is everything to the Christian. A Christian finds life, love, joy, and satisfaction in Christ alone.
- The sermon concludes by re-emphasizing the importance of believing the testimony of Christ in order to live as a Christian. One must start with who Christ is before applying Christianity to various issues.
Sermon Q&A
Lloyd-Jones Sermon Analysis: Understanding the Testimony of Christ
What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones identify as the foundation of the Christian faith according to 1 Corinthians 1:4-9?
According to Lloyd-Jones, the foundation of the Christian faith is twofold. First, as he established in his previous sermon, salvation is "altogether and entirely of God." Second, and equally important, this salvation comes only through the Lord Jesus Christ. Lloyd-Jones points out that "God is the author. But God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself." The centrality of Christ is so crucial that Lloyd-Jones notes Christ is mentioned nine times in the first nine verses of 1 Corinthians, demonstrating that there is no Christianity apart from Christ's absolute centrality.
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones define a Christian based on this sermon?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones defines a Christian with three main aspects:
- "A Christian is a man who first and foremost has believed and received and is sure of the testimony of Christ."
- "He is one who has been called into the fellowship of Christ."
- "He is one who is waiting for the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ."
Lloyd-Jones emphasizes that "you can't think of a Christian, you can't define him except in terms of his peculiar relationship to this blessed person [Christ]."
What does the "testimony of Christ" mean according to Dr. Lloyd-Jones?
Lloyd-Jones explains two interpretations of "the testimony of Christ":
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Christ's own testimony - the witness and teaching that Christ himself gave about God, about the law, about himself, and about his work. This includes Christ's claims like "I am the light of the world," "I am the door," and statements about his purpose: "to seek and to save that which is lost."
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The apostles' testimony concerning Christ - their preaching and witness about Jesus, centered on "Jesus and the resurrection." As Lloyd-Jones notes, "the apostle Paul... determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ and him crucified."
Both interpretations ultimately convey the same truth: that God's way of salvation is exclusively through Jesus Christ.
Why does Dr. Lloyd-Jones emphasize the importance of Christ's centrality to Christianity?
Lloyd-Jones emphasizes Christ's centrality because it's the most common area where people go wrong. He laments that "there are large numbers of people who claim to be Christians who are Christless," who "go to God, but Christ isn't there." He sees this as "the main cause of trouble in the Christian church, this astounding tendency to think even of Christianity apart from the Lord Jesus Christ and his absolute centrality."
Lloyd-Jones insists that a proper understanding of Christianity recognizes that Jesus is "his son, Jesus Christ our Lord" - fully God and fully man - and the only way of salvation. He states emphatically: "There is none other name under heaven given amongst men, whereby we must be saved, save this name. None other. There is no second, there is no addition. He is alone."
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, how are most church problems related to foundational principles?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that most church problems arise because people have forgotten foundational truths. He states: "All the aberrations, all the confusions, all the problems and difficulties, they all emanate from just this."
Using the Corinthian church as an example, he points out that their issues with division, legal disputes, communion practices, and spiritual gifts all stemmed from forgetting first principles. When addressing schisms, Paul reminded them "the church's one foundation is Jesus Christ, her Lord and nobody else." Regarding meat offered to idols, he reminded them not to harm "your brother for whom Christ died." And concerning spiritual gifts, he reminded them "ye are the body of Christ."
Lloyd-Jones summarizes: "All problems and difficulties ultimately arise from some failure or another to understand or to apply foundation principles."
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.