What Does It Mean to Be a Servant of Jesus Christ According to Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones?

Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones provides an in-depth explanation of what it means to be a "servant of Jesus Christ" as the Apostle Paul describes himself in Romans 1:1. Here are key insights from his sermon:

What did Paul mean by describing himself as a "servant of Jesus Christ"?

According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, Paul meant several important things:

1. He was identifying himself as a Christian: "Every Christian is a bond slave of Jesus Christ. Take the way in which the apostle puts that in writing to the Corinthians in his first epistle in the 6th chapter, and in verses 19 and 20, he there reminds them that their bodies are the temples of the Holy Ghost, and goes on to say, 'and ye are not your own. Ye are bought with a price.'"

2. He was expressing his devotion to Christ: "The love of Christ constraineth me... He's helpless. He's like a man in a vice, and the vice is being screwed up... He can't help himself. 'Woe is unto me if I preach not the gospel.' He must."

3. He was writing with authority: "He was not writing on his own account, but that in a very literal sense, he really was writing as the servant of the Lord Jesus Christ."

What are the characteristics of a true apostle according to Dr. Lloyd-Jones?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that an apostle is "one chosen and sent with a special commission as the fully authorized representative of the sender" with these qualifications:

1. Must have seen the risen Lord personally
2. Must have been specially called by Christ himself
3. Given authority to work miracles
4. Power to impart spiritual gifts to others
5. Authority to teach and establish doctrine
6. Authority to organize churches and ordain leaders

How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones describe Paul's apostolic calling?

"This is one of the most amazing things in history... This is the crowning act and the supreme masterpiece of our blessed Lord that he chose thus as an apostle, one who had been his chief enemy. He chooses here a man who had not been with him in the days of his flesh... who wasn't with them when he came into the upper room after his resurrection... He was an outsider then and for years after that, and a blasphemer and a persecutor and trying to exterminate Christianity. And yet he's an apostle, as much an apostle as they are."

How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones suggest we apply this teaching to our own lives?

"Is Jesus Christ in the forefront of our minds and of our hearts and of our conversation? I mean, even I'm talking to Christian people, to believers. When we talk to one another, are we always talking about some experience we've had or some blessing we've had, or are we talking about the Lord Jesus Christ? I have no hesitation in asserting this. The more one grows in grace, less and less does one talk about oneself and one's experiences, and more and more does one talk about him."