Spirit Baptism and Sanctification
A Sermon on John 1:26-33
Scripture
26John answered them, saying, I baptize with water: but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not; 27He it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoe’s latchet I am not worthy to unloose. 28These things were done in Bethabara beyond Jordan, where …
Sermon Description
What is the relationship of the baptism of the Holy Spirit to the other things that the Holy Spirit supplies and how He acts and moves? Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones takes on the topic of sanctification and the baptism of the Holy Spirit and shows the ways in which they do, and do not, have a relation to each other. Being baptized by the Holy Spirit occurs for Christians when they are born again and are made new through saving faith in Jesus Christ. Thus, it is an instantaneous, one-time event. Sanctification, however, is a life-long process of being shaped into the image of Christ that starts at salvation, but does not end until that believer is brought face-to-face with the Lord after they die. In preaching this sermon from John 1:26–33 titled “Spirit Baptism and Sanctification,” Dr. Lloyd-Jones makes his argument as to why there is no direct correlation between baptism of the Holy Spirit and sanctification, specifically because the baptism of the Holy Spirit is mostly for boldness and power in witnessing. Although spiritual gifts at the church of Corinth were evident, Paul wrote a scathing letter to them because they were not pursuing the Lord, and thus were not progressing in their sanctification. Yet, despite all this, Dr. Lloyd-Jones presents his case for why there is a clear, indirect relationship. He unpacks this and more in this helpful sermon on baptism of the Holy Spirit and how it affects the day-to-day lives of the followers of Christ.
Sermon Breakdown
- The baptism of the Holy Spirit is primarily for power and witness, not sanctification.
- There is no direct connection between the baptism of the Holy Spirit and sanctification. They are two separate works of the Spirit.
- The case of the Corinthian church shows there is no direct connection. They had spiritual gifts but were lacking in sanctification and holiness.
- Sanctification is always presented in the New Testament through exhortation and appeal. The baptism of the Holy Spirit happens to us, we can't produce it.
- While there is no direct connection, there is an indirect connection. The baptism of the Holy Spirit promotes and encourages sanctification.
- The baptism of the Holy Spirit is like rain and sunshine on a garden, stimulating growth of the seed of divine life already planted at regeneration.
- We must test everything claiming to be of the Spirit by the fruit of the Spirit and other marks of sanctification. There is a consistency and wholeness to the work of the Spirit.
- The Corinthian Christians were saints, showing you don't have to be perfect to be a Christian. But their sins still needed to be addressed.
- We must warn those claiming spiritual experiences or gifts if we don't see clear evidence of sanctification in their lives.
The Book of John
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.