Understanding the Christian Message: Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones on Spiritual Comprehension

What are the main stumbling blocks that prevent people from becoming Christians according to Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones?

According to Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, there are three main stumbling blocks that prevent people from becoming Christians:

1. Failure to realize the supernatural realm: "If you don't realize that here you are definitely in the realm of the supernatural, well, of course you can't possibly become a Christian."

2. Religion itself: "Religion is the thing that holds many people back from becoming Christian... you can be religious without being Christian." He notes that the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8 was religious but still unfulfilled.

3. The nature of Christian truth: "The Christian message is something that cannot be understood by the natural man." This intellectual stumbling block is perhaps "the greatest stumbling block of all" in our modern times.

Why does Dr. Lloyd-Jones say the natural man cannot understand the Christian message?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones provides several reasons why the natural man cannot understand the Christian message:

1. The nature of the truth itself: "You're in a realm that is altogether different. The realm of the supernatural." It deals with divine mysteries beyond human comprehension.

2. The content of the message: It deals with the Trinity, God's eternal plan, the incarnation, the atonement - things that by definition are beyond human understanding. "We are dealing with infinities, with absolutes, with eternities."

3. Man's fallen state: "Man's state and condition by birth and by nature renders him quite incapable of understanding this message." Humans are finite, limited, and have "lost the spiritual faculty" needed to comprehend divine truth.

4. Man's opposition to God: "The carnal mind is enmity against God" and "the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him."

5. God's wisdom and love: God intentionally designed salvation to be beyond human understanding to humble human pride and make salvation equally accessible to all.

What does the story of Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch teach us about understanding Scripture?

The story of Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8:30-31) teaches us several important lessons about understanding Scripture:

1. One can be reading Scripture yet not understand its meaning. The Ethiopian was reading Isaiah but admitted, "How can I [understand], except some man should guide me?"

2. Human intellect and education alone are insufficient. Despite being a man of high position and education, the Ethiopian needed divine help through Philip.

3. Spiritual understanding requires divine guidance. Philip was sent specifically by the Holy Spirit to help the Ethiopian understand.

4. A humble, teachable attitude is essential. The Ethiopian demonstrated humility by admitting his need for help and inviting Philip to guide him.

5. Understanding comes through Spirit-filled teaching. Philip, filled with the Spirit, was able to explain Christ from the Scriptures.

As Lloyd-Jones puts it: "What is needed is the very thing that happened to the poor Ethiopian eunuch. He needs help, he needs instruction, he needs guidance. But he also needs a willing and a ready mind, a readiness to listen and the humility to be taught."

How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones address the modern attempt to make Christianity more understandable?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones strongly criticizes modern attempts to make Christianity more understandable by:

1. Rejecting new translations as the solution: "They've had their new translations. They're tumbling out of the presses one after another. Does it make people believe?" He calls the idea that modern language will solve the problem of belief "utterly ridiculous."

2. Criticizing the "demythologizing" approach: He condemns those who "trim our message" and "take things out of the scriptures" to make it acceptable to modern minds.

3. Opposing accommodating modern science: He rejects the idea that we must "accept what science teaches at the moment" and modify our message accordingly.

4. Challenging the belief in reasoned presentation: He disputes the notion that "if only the message is presented in a reasoned and reasonable manner, men are bound to accept it."

Lloyd-Jones insists the problem isn't linguistic or presentational but spiritual: "You can change all your words and men will still remain what he was. That isn't the problem."

What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones say is the proper approach to understanding Christian truth?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones teaches that the proper approach to understanding Christian truth involves:

1. Acknowledging our limitations: "The supreme achievement of reason is to bring us to see that there is a limit to reason."

2. Becoming childlike: "You become as a little child. You must be born again."

3. Receiving divine revelation: "It is revelation. It's God who has revealed this."

4. Submitting to the Holy Spirit: "Yield yourself to the influences of the Spirit of God and are ready to listen."

5. Approaching with humility: "Realize your helplessness, your hopelessness, your ignorance and your impotence."

6. Accepting mystery: "This is mystery, the mystery of godliness... You don't try to [understand it]. You just glory at it."

7. Receiving it as a gift: "It is of the grace of God. It's the free gift of God. And any man can receive a gift."

In Lloyd-Jones' view, true understanding comes not through intellectual effort but through spiritual revelation received in humility.