Understanding Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones' View of the Glorious Gospel

What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones mean by "the glorious gospel of the blessed God"?

According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, "the glorious gospel of the blessed God" refers to the magnificent, wonderful, and awe-inspiring message about God Himself. He emphasizes that what makes the gospel "glorious" is that it starts with God rather than with man, and reveals God's wisdom, power, and love in saving sinners through Jesus Christ. As he states, "What is the gospel? Well, you know, the first thing to say about the gospel is not that it's good news for men. It is good news about God. It is primarily an assertion concerning God."

How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones contrast the gospel with political solutions?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones clearly distinguishes between the gospel and political solutions by explaining that politics deals with temporal, relative matters (like housing, wages, and war prevention), while the gospel addresses the fundamental, eternal issues of humanity. He states, "While that is all right as far as it goes, politics is always partial, it is always incomplete." The gospel, by contrast, is "profound and fundamental and eternal." He clarifies that he doesn't despise politics but recognizes its limited scope compared to the eternal significance of the gospel.

What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones identify as humanity's fundamental problem?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones identifies humanity's fundamental problem as our failure to start with God. He explains: "Everything that is true of mankind this evening, all our troubles, all our heartaches, all our pains, our problems, our illnesses, our diseases, everything, is due to the fact that mankind has turned away from God, that it doesn't start with God, but it starts with itself and puts itself in the supreme position." This rebellion against God leads to a false view of humanity, no basis for moral behavior, and ultimately to lawlessness and societal breakdown.

How does Lloyd-Jones explain why modern morality is failing?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that modern morality is failing because humanity has rejected God as the foundation for ethics while failing to provide any adequate alternative. He quotes Lady Wooten, a humanist sociologist, who admitted "the whole trouble today is the total failure of society to provide any alternative basis for morality." Without God as the moral authority, people are left asking "why shouldn't I?" with no compelling answer, leading to moral relativism and ultimately chaos. As Lloyd-Jones puts it, "Man, when he starts with himself and when he doesn't glorify God and puts himself up as the ultimate standard of everything, always ends, not only in sin, but in complete lawlessness."

What does Lloyd-Jones present as the solution to humanity's moral problems?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones presents the gospel of Jesus Christ as the only solution to humanity's moral problems. He explains that human efforts, civilizations, and reforms have all failed because "Man can't resolve his problems, he can't reform himself, he can't give himself a new nature." The solution comes through God's wisdom, power, and love displayed in Christ, who came to save sinners by taking their punishment upon Himself at the cross. This gospel provides forgiveness, reconciliation with God, and a new nature that enables moral transformation. As he states, "Here is one who says, 'Here am I.' And God puts my sins upon him... He deals with the problem of my sin, my guilt, and he reconciles me to God."

Why does Dr. Lloyd-Jones emphasize starting with God rather than human needs?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones emphasizes starting with God rather than human needs because this approach fundamentally distinguishes the gospel from all other teachings. While other teachings (political, philosophical, or religious) begin with human problems and desires, the gospel begins with the reality of God as Creator, Sustainer, and Judge. This starting point provides the proper reference point for understanding humanity's true condition and needs. As he states, "We don't just start with ourselves and our needs and our problems and our difficulties and our man-made solutions. We've got to look right outside ourselves." This God-centered approach reveals that our deepest need is not just for better living conditions but for reconciliation with our Creator.

How does Lloyd-Jones describe the uniqueness of the gospel compared to other teachings?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones describes the gospel as being "in a class on its own" and "entirely different" from all other teachings because of its starting point (God rather than man), its revelation of God's glory, and its power to actually solve humanity's deepest problems. Unlike political, philosophical, or ethical systems that can only address symptoms, the gospel deals with the root cause of human suffering—our alienation from God. He says, "Everything else starts with man and man's reason and understanding, man's problems and difficulties and needs and desires. This at once pulls us up. We're in another atmosphere." The gospel is also unique in its power to truly transform lives, as evidenced by Paul's own dramatic conversion from persecutor to apostle.

What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones say about the gospel's power to transform?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones emphasizes that the gospel not only diagnoses humanity's true problem but provides the power to solve it. He states, "I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God and to salvation, to everyone that believeth." This power is demonstrated in Christ's ability to forgive sins, reconcile people to God, and give them new life and strength. He says the gospel "works" where all human solutions fail because it provides both forgiveness for past sins and new spiritual life: "He enters into me and he strengthens me, gives me new life, new power, a new love, a new objective, a new everything. He leads me by the hand. He'll hold me until the end and finally present me, faultless, before the presence of God's glory."

How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones interpret Romans 1 in relation to modern moral problems?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones uses Romans 1 to explain the progression of moral decline in society, drawing direct parallels to modern moral problems. He explains that when people "glorified him not as God," they were given over to increasingly depraved behaviors, including sexual immorality and various forms of wickedness. He directly applies this to contemporary issues like broken marriages, juvenile delinquency, and sexual perversion, stating these problems stem from the same root cause: humanity's rejection of God as the proper standard. He makes the connection explicit: "That's practical politics for you. That's the problem of this country. The great Roman Empire went down... Why did she go down? Was it a military reason? It wasn't. It was a moral reason. This sort of thing went on and down she went, is Britain following."

What is the relationship between God's glory and the gospel according to this sermon?

According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, God's glory is both the content and the characteristic of the gospel. The gospel reveals the glory of God—His wisdom in devising salvation, His power in accomplishing it through Christ's death and resurrection, and His love in giving His Son for sinners. As Lloyd-Jones explains, "Here you see the glory of this blessed God shown in the gospel." At the same time, this revelation of God's glory makes the gospel itself glorious, setting it apart from all lesser teachings and inspiring wonder and worship in those who receive it. The proper response to this glorious gospel is to join the apostle in saying, "Now unto the king, eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever."