You Are Christ's
A Sermon on 1 Corinthians 3:21-23
Originally preached Oct. 2, 1966
Scripture
21Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours; 22Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours; 23And ye are Christ’s; and Christ is God’s.
Sermon Description
Listen as Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones discusses the greatest tragedy of all – the rejection of the Gospel. Apart from this, the world would not know tragedy. The trouble with man is that he is by nature a fool. We must not glory in man; we must not rely upon him with all our trust. In this sermon on 1 Corinthians 3:21-23, learn about the cult of personality and the fundamental lack of fitness man has to hold the allegiance of other men. Man’s powers are altogether given to him; he is a created being. Men are selfish and always changing. To glory in man is to be enslaved, furthermore to glory in self is to be enslaved. “Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown.” Do not be deceived, life is a master to you, you are not a captain of your soul. Discover the wisdom of glorying in Christ! The Gospel is a call to glory in Christ alone. Christ voluntarily takes a place of subordination and humiliation to work out God’s great plan of redemption. Christ wasn't mastered by life, He conquered death. See the world in a different way — see it as a work of God’s hands.
Sermon Breakdown
- The apostle Paul is addressing the problem of divisions in the Corinthian church. Some members were saying “I am of Paul”, others “I am of Apollos”, and others “I am of Cephas”.
- Paul says this is foolish and carnal. They have gone back to worldly ways of thinking.
- The ultimate problem with mankind is that we are fools. We deceive ourselves through pride in our own wisdom and understanding.
- Man’s folly is shown through glorying in men. We make men into gods and become their slaves.
- No man is fit to have such allegiance. All men are mere creatures, with limited, changing powers. Men are sinful and selfish.
- Glorying in men leads to slavery to everything - the world, life, death, the present, the future. We become terrified and unable to enjoy life.
- We should glory only in God and Christ. Christ is the eternal Son of God, perfect and sinless. He has done what no man could do - conquered sin, death and the devil. He reigns over all and is coming again.
- Believing in Christ, we belong to him and receive his nature. All things are ours through him. Instead of being slaves, everything becomes our servant.
- The world, life, death, things present and things to come become our servants and ministers. They work for our good and God’s glory.
- We must not glory in men but in Christ, who transforms slaves into masters. Only in him can we be truly free.
Sermon Q&A
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones on Glorying in Christ vs. Glorying in Men
What does Paul mean when he says "let no man glory in men"?
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, when Paul says "let no man glory in men" in 1 Corinthians 3:21, he means we should not put our ultimate trust, faith, and reliance in human beings. Lloyd-Jones explains: "When you glory in a man, it means that you not only believe in him and what he stands for, but you trust him, you rely upon him, you pin your faith to him." This is the essence of the worldly way of thinking that Paul is warning against.
Why is it foolish to glory in men according to Lloyd-Jones?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones outlines several reasons why glorying in men is foolish:
- No man is fit for such allegiance because "men is, after all, only a creature" with limited, given powers.
- "What hast thou that thou didst not receive?" - all human abilities are given, not self-created.
- Human powers are limited and cannot deal with the ultimate questions of life.
- Human wisdom is changeable and constantly shifting.
- All humans are sinful and fallen, ultimately selfish and untrustworthy.
- The end of glorying in men is always some form of slavery.
What does Lloyd-Jones say happens when we glory in men?
Lloyd-Jones teaches that when we glory in men, we paradoxically become their slaves. He states: "The apostle points out here that the ultimate end always of glorying in men is slavery." People who follow human leaders often become their possession rather than the other way around. He gives examples of political followers who change their views whenever their leader changes direction, showing they've become slaves to these leaders.
What does it mean that "all things are yours" according to the sermon?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that when Paul says "all things are yours" to Christians, he means that rather than being slaves to the world, life, death, and circumstances, believers in Christ become masters of these things. He states: "You put your trust and confidence in Christ and glory in him and in him alone, and what will happen to you is this, that instead of being the slaves of men and of the world and of life and of death and of things present and of things to come, they become yours."
How does Lloyd-Jones describe the Christian's relationship to death?
Rather than being enslaved by the fear of death as non-believers are, the Christian becomes master of death. Lloyd-Jones explains: "Death to the Christian is nothing but a little rivulet that separates this world of sin and shame and world from a glory which is indescribable." He quotes Hebrews that Christ "has delivered those who, through fear of death, were all their lifetimes subject to bondage." For the Christian, "Death becomes my servant. And the business of this particular servant is just to take me and to usher me into the presence of my king."
Why should we glory in Christ instead of men according to the sermon?
Lloyd-Jones gives several reasons why Christ alone deserves our allegiance:
- He is who He is - the eternal Son of God, not merely a created being
- What He has done - died for our sins, defeated our enemies including the devil and death
- His present position - seated at God's right hand with all power
- What He will do - return to establish His kingdom and make all things new
- Our relationship to Him - when we belong to Christ, we become heirs of all things
What is the ultimate result of glorying in Christ according to Lloyd-Jones?
The ultimate result is freedom and ownership. Lloyd-Jones concludes: "Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and the things to which you were formerly a slave will be transformed into your servants. If the son shall set you free, you shall be free indeed, and all things will be yours." Instead of being enslaved by the world, life, death, and circumstances, the Christian sees these things transformed into servants that work together for their good and God's glory.
How does becoming a Christian change one's relationship to the world?
According to Lloyd-Jones, becoming a Christian transforms how we see the world: "The moment you become a christian you see this world in an entirely different way. It becomes transfigured you see it now as the work of God's fingers." The Christian sees God's glory in creation in ways that "Christless eyes have never seen." He quotes the hymn: "Heaven above is softer blue, earth around is sweeter green. Something lives in every hue. Christless eyes have never seen."
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.