Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones on the Foolishness of Preaching: Questions and Answers

Why did Jesus Christ come into the world according to Dr. Lloyd-Jones?

According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, Jesus Christ came into the world primarily because "men did not know God." He emphasizes this is not merely about lacking intellectual knowledge about God, but a deeper experiential knowledge - the kind of intimate knowledge that constitutes "life eternal." As he states: "He came and did all he did in order to bring us to God, to this knowledge of God, to this enjoyment of God, which man had had at his first creation and which he'd lost because of sin." He did not come primarily to introduce a new ethical system or solve political problems, but to restore our relationship with God.

What does "the world by wisdom knew not God" mean in Dr. Lloyd-Jones' sermon?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that this phrase from 1 Corinthians 1:21 means that despite all human philosophical efforts and intellectual achievements, mankind failed to discover true knowledge of God. He points to the greatest civilizations and philosophers of history who, despite their brilliance, could not arrive at this knowledge: "Greece at her very zenith, at her acme in her mightiest thinkers and philosophers had not been able to arrive at this knowledge." This demonstrates the futility of human wisdom in truly knowing God. He sees this as a deliberate demonstration of God's wisdom - allowing humanity 4,000 years to try and fail before sending Christ.

What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones identify as the cause of man's failure to know God?

The cause of man's failure to know God, according to Lloyd-Jones, is "man's pride of intellect, man's confidence in his capacity to comprehend the incomprehensible, man's refusal to admit his creatureliness, man's desire to be as God and to stand up and regard God as an equal." This intellectual arrogance prevents humans from accepting divine revelation. As he puts it: "There is no greater sin than this that a man should say, I have it within me to find God and to stand alone before him."

How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones describe God's motivation for sending Christ?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones emphasizes that Christ came entirely because of "God's good pleasure" - not because of human merit or in response to human requests. As he explains: "God, in sending his son into this world, was moved by nothing save his own determination, his own good pleasure...He was moved and influenced by nothing but his own eternal heart of love." This was an act of pure grace, stemming from God's own nature rather than any human worthiness or initiative.

What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones mean by "the foolishness of preaching"?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that this phrase would be better translated as "the foolishness of the thing preached" - focusing on the message rather than the act of preaching. This refers to how the gospel message appears as foolishness to human wisdom: "God shows his eternal and everlasting wisdom, what is rarely wisdom in this thing, which seems to be unutterable folly." The idea that salvation would come through a Jewish baby born in poverty, who became a carpenter and died on a cross, seemed absurd to worldly wisdom but represents God's true wisdom. As he says: "Is this wisdom? This is folly... Oh, but you and I know that this is God's wisdom."

What warning does Dr. Lloyd-Jones give about trying to understand divine mysteries?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones warns against applying human reason to understand divine mysteries like the incarnation, virgin birth, and atonement. He points to biblical examples like Zacharias and Mary who were rebuked for questioning how God's promises could be fulfilled. He urges: "Don't try to understand the atonement. Don't try to understand the resurrection. Cease from this folly of mankind, which before Christ ever came, had been proved to be a complete failure." Instead, he advocates accepting these truths by faith and responding with worship, as these mysteries exceed human comprehension.

How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones connect his message to the Christmas season?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones connects his message to Christmas by challenging his audience to approach the incarnation with the right mindset. Rather than trying to intellectually comprehend the miracle of Christ's birth, he encourages them to "look with adoring wonder and amazement at what it hath pleased God to do to send his son out of the eternal glory as a babe into that stable in Bethlehem." He suggests that the proper response to Christmas is not philosophical analysis but humble worship, recognizing that Christ came to "give us this second birth... to make us children of God... to give us knowledge of God, which is life eternal."

What connection does Dr. Lloyd-Jones make between 1 Corinthians and modern theological issues?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones connects Paul's warning to the Corinthians about reverting to human wisdom with modern theological trends that prioritize human reasoning over divine revelation. He states: "This is the particular battle which the christian faith is having to fight even at this present time. It's been the trouble now for 150 years or so." He criticizes modern theological approaches that treat biblical facts as "irrelevant" and those who stand in judgment of Scripture based on scientific or philosophical presuppositions, seeing this as the same error Paul was addressing in Corinth.