La Gloria de Dios Revelada (1)
Un sermón Romanos 9:19-24
Predicado originalmente 22 de febrero de 1963
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Escritura
19Me dirás pues: ¿Por qué, pues, se enoja? porque ¿quién resistirá á su voluntad?
20Mas antes, oh hombre, ¿quién eres tú, para que alterques con Dios? Dirá el vaso de barro al que le labró: ¿Por qué me has hecho tal?
21¿O no tiene potestad el alfarero …
Descripción del Sermón
Dios tiene todo el derecho de castigar el pecado inmediata y eternamente. La humanidad ha sido advertida durante siglos que debe apartarse del pecado y someterse a Cristo. Aunque Dios contiene Su ira, no permitirá que Su voz sea ignorada para siempre. En este sermón sobre Romanos 9:19-24 titulado "La Gloria de Dios Revelada (1)", el Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones presenta cuatro argumentos para explicar la paciencia de Dios con las personas pecadoras. Estos incluyen (1) la compasión de Dios que no se complace en el castigo; (2) el hecho de que la humanidad es totalmente inexcusable debido a las oportunidades que Dios ha dado; (3) la realidad de que cuando la ira de Dios sea revelada, será aún más impactante; y (4) la paciencia y la ira de Dios revelan Su carácter de maneras que nada más puede. La ira de Dios protege Su santidad, pero fue Su ira la que se derramó sobre Jesucristo cuando Él tomó el castigo de la humanidad por el pecado. Ese don de salvación da a conocer las riquezas de Su gloria y es lo más magnifico que Dios hace. Incluso el milagro de la creación palidece en comparación con el milagro de la salvación. El hecho de que Dios siquiera eligiera asociarse con la humanidad es asombroso para el Dr. Lloyd-Jones mientras explica cómo toda la Trinidad está involucrada en el plan de salvación: es la voluntad del Padre salvar, el Hijo quien fue ejecutado y resucitó de la tumba, y el Espíritu quien sella la salvación y continúa aplicando la obra de santificación en la vida del cristiano. Esta es la obra que Dios se deleita en hacer, pero también es la obra de la cual la humanidad huye. Hoy es el día de salvación, para dejar de huir de Dios y volverse a Él en humilde confesión del pecado, creyendo en la obra consumada de Jesucristo.
Desglose del Sermón
- El apóstol Pablo está respondiendo a una objeción planteada en Romanos 9:19 sobre lo que había enseñado anteriormente.
- Pablo reprende a cualquiera que cuestione la justicia y sabiduría de Dios al elegir a algunos para salvación y castigar a otros.
- Pablo da una razón por la cual Dios muestra ira y misericordia. Dios soporta los vasos de ira para mostrar su poder e ira, y muestra misericordia a los vasos de misericordia para dar a conocer las riquezas de su gloria.
- El atributo supremo de Dios es su gloria. Su gloria es luz perfecta y amor perfecto. Todo lo que Dios hace revela su gloria de alguna manera.
- La gloria de Dios se muestra en su poder e ira, pero se muestra especialmente en su misericordia y gracia. Su gloria se manifiesta más plenamente en la redención.
- La gloria de Dios en la redención causa asombro en el cielo y será manifestada por los siglos venideros. Incluso los ángeles anhelan contemplar la obra redentora de Dios.
- La frase "riquezas de su gloria" significa que la gloria de Dios es infinita e inescrutable. La gloria de Dios se muestra en el hecho de que alguien sea salvo.
- La gloria de Dios se muestra en el diseño del plan de redención - el Padre planificando, el Hijo ejecutando, el Espíritu aplicando. Las personas de la Trinidad trabajan juntas en armonía para salvar pecadores.
- La gloria de Dios se muestra en la preparación del Antiguo Testamento para Cristo. A pesar del pecado y el fracaso humano, Dios soberanamente llevó a cabo su propósito redentor. La gloria de Dios se ve en la elección de individuos improbables como Jacob y David.
- La gloria de Dios en la redención no debería dejarnos ninguna objeción a su justicia o sabiduría. Si aún objetamos, probablemente conocemos poco de la gracia de Dios.
Sermon Q&A
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones' Sermon on Romans 9:22-23: Questions and Answers
What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones identify as the main purpose of God in salvation according to Romans 9:23?
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, God's main purpose in salvation is "to show and to make known the riches of his glory." The sermon emphasizes that God's primary aim in saving people is not primarily for our benefit but to display the magnificence of His own character. As Lloyd-Jones states, "Everything that God does is a revelation of some aspect or other of his being and of his character," and in salvation, God particularly reveals "the riches of his glory" through His mercy toward undeserving sinners.
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones define "the glory of God" in this sermon?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that "the ultimate truth about God, the ultimate attribute of God, if we may so speak, is his glory." He describes glory as something that "baffles description" and can only be partially understood through biblical accounts of those who have glimpsed it. He states, "All I know is this, that it's perfect light, perfect love." Lloyd-Jones emphasizes that while God's glory is manifested in His power and wrath, it is most profoundly revealed in His mercy toward sinners.
What is the relationship between verses 22 and 23 of Romans 9 according to Lloyd-Jones?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones acknowledges that scholars debate whether these verses are "two separate but parallel statements, or are they two parts of one statement." He suggests both interpretations have merit. They can be understood as two related ideas: God shows patience toward vessels of wrath while simultaneously extending grace to vessels of mercy. Alternatively, they can be taken as two separate aspects of God's character being displayed. Either way, Lloyd-Jones says "the meaning is much the same in both cases" - God's character is being revealed through both His judgment and His mercy.
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones define God's grace in this sermon?
Lloyd-Jones defines grace as "favor shown to those who are utterly and completely undeserving." He elaborates: "Grace is kindness shown to a man who deserves nothing but punishment. He deserves nothing at all. And yet, though he deserves nothing, he is shown great favor." This definition highlights the completely unmerited nature of God's grace, which is central to understanding "the riches of his glory" in salvation.
What is significant about the Trinity's involvement in salvation according to Lloyd-Jones?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that the plan of salvation involves all three persons of the Trinity working together in a remarkable display of divine glory. He describes how "the three blessed persons dividing this work and this plan up amongst themselves" with the Father planning, the Son executing, and the Spirit applying salvation. What's particularly striking is how the Son and Spirit voluntarily subordinate themselves in the process: "The second person in the Trinity humbles himself... and makes himself subordinate to the Father" while "the Holy Spirit subordinates himself to the Son and to the Father" - all for the purpose of saving undeserving sinners.
How does Lloyd-Jones respond to objections about God's justice in saving some but not others?
Lloyd-Jones responds to these objections by pointing to the overwhelming glory of God displayed in salvation. He effectively says that if we truly understood the riches of God's glory in saving anyone at all, we wouldn't be questioning His justice. As he puts it, "Oh, how blind they are to the riches of his glory. If they'd only had a glimpse of it, they'd be so filled with astonishment they wouldn't be able to say anything else." He challenges his listeners at the end: "Does anybody object to all this? Does anybody feel still that this is unjust?"
What examples from the Old Testament does Lloyd-Jones use to illustrate God's purpose of redemption?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones describes how the Old Testament reveals "the outworking of that one great purpose" announced in Genesis 3:15 that "the seed of the woman shall bruise the serpent's head." He traces this line of redemption through Abel, Seth, Noah, Shem, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Judah. He specifically highlights Jacob and David as examples of unlikely candidates for God's favor. With Jacob, God chose someone "scheming, underhanded, sly" rather than the seemingly "nicer" Esau, and with David, God remained faithful despite "terrible and most grievous sin." These examples show "the glory of God and the wonder of his ways."
According to Lloyd-Jones, what is the relationship between understanding sin and appreciating God's glory?
Lloyd-Jones insists that a person cannot comprehend "the riches of God's glory" without first understanding the depth of human sin. He states, "If you don't believe that [we are all hell-deserving sinners], you will know nothing about grace, and you'll know nothing about the riches of God's glory." He emphasizes that we "can't hope to begin to understand, leave alone to measure the riches of his glory unless you know something about the depth of sin." This understanding of our desperate condition makes God's gracious salvation all the more glorious.
How does Lloyd-Jones describe what the Bible is primarily about?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones rejects the notion that the Bible is "the history of men searching for God." Instead, he declares, "It's always the history of God searching for lost men." He explains that the Bible is fundamentally "the history of redemption" where "all the history and all that you have about other nations, it comes in simply because it throws some light upon the history of redemption." Lloyd-Jones emphasizes that Scripture isn't "primarily about this world and this life" but about "God's people, about these vessels of mercy and what God is doing about them."
What did Lloyd-Jones say is visible even to angels through God's redemption of sinners?
Lloyd-Jones, citing Ephesians 3:10, explains that even "the principalities and powers in heavenly places" (angels) learn something new about God through His redemption of the church. Though angels have "spent their time in the presence of God, in the glory of heaven," they now see "something of his manyfold wisdom which they'd never seen before in and through the church." Lloyd-Jones emphasizes that "even the principalities and the powers in the heavenly places, are going to see something of the truth about the glory of God that they'd never seen before through us the vessels of mercy."
El Libro de Romanos
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
El Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) fue un ministro evangélico galés que predicó y enseñó en la tradición Reformada. Su ministerio principal fue en Westminster Chapel, en el centro de Londres, desde 1939-1968, donde impartió exposiciones de varios años sobre libros de la Biblia como Romanos, Efesios y el Evangelio de Juan. Además de la colección del Fideicomiso MLJ de 1,600 de estos sermones en formato de audio, la mayoría de estas grandes series de sermones están disponibles en forma de libro (incluyendo una colección de 14 volúmenes de los sermones de Romanos), así como otras series como "Depresión Espiritual", "Estudios sobre el Sermón del Monte" y "Grandes Doctrinas Bíblicas". Es considerado por muchos líderes evangélicos de hoy como una autoridad en la verdad bíblica y la suficiencia de las Escrituras.