Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones Sermon on John 3:8 - Questions and Answers

What is the primary sign of being born of the Spirit according to Lloyd-Jones?

According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, one of the primary signs of being born of the Spirit is having an increasing desire for a personal knowledge of and relationship with God. He states, "We have arrived now at one of the most important of all [tests]... that we have an increasing awareness that the ultimate end and object of salvation is to bring us to this direct and immediate and personal knowledge of God." This desire for knowing God personally becomes more important than religious duties, theology, or even blessings.

How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones distinguish between religion and true Christianity?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones makes a clear distinction by saying that "the great characteristic of the christian faith that's against all other religions is that it is internal, not external." He explains that religion is always external and focused on the surface, concerned with moral behavior and religious duties. True Christianity, however, involves an inner life, an "inner man" who has a personal relationship with God. He states, "Religion is always external, as morality is external. It's always interested in the surface. But the spiritual, the unseen, is always internal."

What does Lloyd-Jones mean by the "inner man" in his sermon?

The "inner man" refers to the spiritual reality that comes into existence when a person is born again. Lloyd-Jones explains: "The moment a man becomes a Christian, a new man comes into being, an inner man, this spiritual men." He contrasts this with non-Christians whose lives are "just of one piece" without this spiritual dimension. The inner man is the spiritual aspect of the believer that desires God, communes with God, and is being renewed daily even as the outward man perishes, as Paul describes in 2 Corinthians 4.

How does Lloyd-Jones say we should approach the person of Christ?

Lloyd-Jones teaches that true believers develop "an increasing interest in the three blessed persons of the holy Trinity, in and of themselves and for their own sake." Regarding Christ specifically, he says we should be interested in Christ himself, not just in the benefits He provides. This includes meditating on His eternal glory with the Father, the marvel of His incarnation, His life and works, His death on the cross, His resurrection, and His current reign. Lloyd-Jones says, "Where is your personal relationship to him? Where is your personal reliance on him? Where is your personal glory in him?"

What is the difference between philosophical mysticism and Christian experience according to the sermon?

Lloyd-Jones distinguishes between philosophical mysticism (which he considers an enemy of true faith) and what he calls "Christ mysticism." Philosophical mysticism deals with God as an abstraction or "the absolute" - a dead, impersonal concept. In contrast, true Christian experience involves a personal relationship with "the living God." He quotes Pascal's experience: "the God of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob, not of the philosophers." True Christian experience is centered on a personal relationship with Christ that can move believers to worship and adoration, as seen in Paul's writings where he would often break into praise when mentioning Christ's name.

How does Lloyd-Jones address the common excuse that deep spiritual experiences are only for exceptional Christians?

Lloyd-Jones strongly rejects the idea that deep spiritual experiences are only for special Christians like apostles or people with certain temperaments. He calls this "the lie of the devil" and states that there is "no such distinction in the scripture at all." He emphasizes that these experiences are "equally possible to all of us" because they don't depend on our natural gifts or abilities but on "the free gift of God" and "the operation of the Holy Spirit." He states, "No man has an advantage over any other here" because it all depends on God's grace and the divine life planted within believers.

According to Lloyd-Jones, what should be our attitude toward the attributes of God?

Lloyd-Jones laments that modern Christians have lost interest in contemplating God's attributes. He says, "What's gone wrong with us christian people? You know, 300 years ago, men used to write books on the attributes of God. And they preached on them for months and months. And the people delighted to hear them." He encourages believers to meditate on God's "infinite, absolute attributes" and to delight in thinking about God's glory, His works in creation, His providence, and His grace in redemption, rather than being solely interested in "blessings and experiences and in our own activities."

How does Lloyd-Jones explain the connection between worship and knowing God?

Lloyd-Jones teaches that true worship flows from knowing God personally. He points to hymns that express adoration of God's character and says believers should sing them "thoughtfully, with meditation, giving full value to every word and every phrase." He asks, "Do you delight in singing his praise? I don't mean being carried away by a tune. I mean that the words to you are glorious. That you thrill with a thought of them." True worship isn't mechanical religious observance but springs from a heart that knows and loves God personally - it's a test of spiritual life.

What does the phrase "God dealeth familiarly with men" mean in the sermon?

Lloyd-Jones quotes this phrase from a Puritan who discovered it late in life, explaining that it means God, though transcendent, makes Himself personally known to believers. The phrase captures the wonder that the infinite God can be known intimately. Lloyd-Jones elaborates: "God, the everlasting and eternal, is in this sense near the high and lofty one that inhabited eternity, whose name is holy, who nevertheless dwells with the humble and the contrite heart." It expresses that the God who is "afar off" also draws near to His people in personal communion.

How can a person test whether they have been truly born of the Spirit?

Lloyd-Jones provides several practical tests for determining if one has been born of the Spirit: 1. An increasing desire to know God personally 2. A growing interest in the persons of the Trinity for their own sake, not just their benefits 3. Delight in meditating on Christ's person, work, and glory 4. Finding sweetness in the name of Jesus and satisfaction in Him 5. Enjoying worship and contemplation of God's attributes 6. A sense of the "inner man" that is distinct from natural life 7. God becoming the supreme object of one's life and desires

He sums up: "These are tests of life. No longer the cold, intellectual abstractions. No longer the distant thoughts of a legal God. Who is interested in your moralisms. But Abraham's God and mine. My God."