Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones on Biblical Revival: Questions and Answers

What is the biblical definition of revival according to Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones emphasizes that revival is fundamentally different from evangelistic campaigns or human efforts. He defines it as "a renewal of the life of the church as the result of the direct action of the Spirit of God upon an individual or a group of people, a church or even a group of churches, or perhaps even more or less a nation." He stresses that revival is "a visitation of the Spirit, an outpouring of the Spirit, a phenomenon, nothing that man organizes or arranges or produces. It is a sovereign action of God." This definition makes clear that revival cannot be manufactured through human methods but is entirely dependent on God's sovereign intervention in the life of His church.

Why does Lloyd-Jones use Isaac digging the wells of Abraham as an illustration for revival?

Lloyd-Jones uses Genesis 26:17-18 as a powerful metaphor for the church's need to return to foundational truths. He explains that Isaac, when faced with desperate need for water, "did not send for the prospectors" or "water diviners" but instead "sent for the ordinary laborers" to dig again "the wells of water which had been digged in the very area where they were by Abraham his father." Lloyd-Jones applies this by saying, "He knew that his father Abraham was a great expert in this matter...he knew that when his father had dug these wells he had found water there." The lesson is that instead of seeking new methods or messages, the church must return to the proven truths that brought life in previous generations, recognizing that "God is still the same" and "what God has done, God can do."

What does Lloyd-Jones mean by "Philistine rubbish" that has covered the wells of truth?

According to Lloyd-Jones, the Philistines had "thrown in a lot of rubbish and of mud and of mire and of sticks" into Abraham's wells, making the water invisible and unavailable. He applies this spiritually, saying "something has happened which is concealing and hiding and between us and the very thing we stand in need of." This "rubbish" includes modern philosophies like deism and rationalism, the denial of the supernatural, the rejection of biblical authority, and psychological approaches that replace biblical teaching about sin. He states: "vital truths and doctrines are hidden from the people" by "all this rubbish that has characterized the life of the church during this present century." The church's task is to "clear it out" so that "we shall discover, as Isaac discovered, precisely what we need."

What vital doctrines does Lloyd-Jones identify as being hidden in the modern church?

Lloyd-Jones identifies several crucial doctrines that have been obscured. First and foremost is "the sovereign transcendent God who acts and who intervenes in the life of the church and of individuals." He quotes Pascal's distinction between "the God of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob, not the God of the philosophers." Second is "the whole authority of the scriptures" where "revelation is denied, inspiration is denied, propositional truth is being denied." Third is "the doctrine of man in sin under the wrath of God" - noting that people no longer tremble "with fear of God." Fourth is "the person of the Lord Jesus Christ" including "his unique deity, his eternity, his virgin birth, his miraculous power, his literal, physical resurrection." Finally, he emphasizes "the whole doctrine concerning the person and the work of the Holy Spirit," suggesting this might be "the greatest trouble of all."

Why does Lloyd-Jones argue that church history is essential for understanding revival?

Lloyd-Jones makes a passionate plea for studying church history, arguing against the modern assumption "that our problem is something which is absolutely new and that therefore the past has nothing at all to teach us." He states emphatically: "Can there be anything so foolish as to ignore this in the desperate plight and condition of the Christian church at this present time?" He explains that history shows "strange variations in the life story of the Christian church" with periods of power followed by decline, then revival again. This historical perspective is "comforting if we use it properly" because "we realize that this isn't the first time that the church has been in the powerless condition." He notes that becoming acquainted with past revivals has often "been the thing that seemed to spark off a new interest and a new concern and a new zeal in prayer."

What role does the Holy Spirit play in genuine revival according to Lloyd-Jones?

Lloyd-Jones emphasizes that "there is nothing that is more outstanding in a revival than the presence and the power of the Spirit." He challenges the prevailing doctrine that "we all receive the Spirit in our regeneration, and that we there have everything, and then all we do is to yield to the Spirit that is within us." Instead, he argues for the possibility of special visitations where the Spirit "comes, as I said, suddenly or gradually, individual or a group, it doesn't matter. But the great thing is that he comes." He asks pointedly: "Do we, in our thinking and in our doctrine concerning the Holy Spirit and his work, do we leave any room for revival, for a visitation of the Spirit, for a coming of the Spirit upon us?" He quotes Christ's words that "it is expedient for you that I go away" because the Comforter would come, emphasizing the Spirit's vital role.

How does Lloyd-Jones distinguish between revival and evangelistic campaigns?

Lloyd-Jones makes a clear distinction at the beginning of his lecture, stating: "Revival has somehow been regarded recently by people as meaning an evangelistic campaign. I don't mean that at all by revival, and that's not the traditional meaning given to the term." He illustrates the difference with a story from Africa where a missionary had been "pleading with people to come forward in decision, almost at the end of every sermon, putting great pressure to bear upon them" with little response for 20 years. But when revival came, "he wasn't halfway through his sermon before people began to come forward in agony, in agony of soul, crying out for help. That is the difference. The Spirit is poured out. You can't explain the revival in any other terms." Revival is God's sovereign action, not human organization or pressure.

What does Lloyd-Jones identify as the greatest hindrance to revival in his day?

Lloyd-Jones identifies Arminian theology as a major hindrance, stating: "I believe the greatest factor in causing the whole notion of revival to recede in the thinking of the church has been due to the prevalence of an Arminian type of teaching which is activist and believes that men can do things." This emphasis on human ability has "made people put their confidence and their faith in such activities rather than to look to God for some almighty and overwhelming action on his part." He also criticizes the focus on church unity as the solution, noting that historically "when revivals have come, they've come to divided churches" and during revival "these denominations seem to forget their differences." The real problem is theological - the covering over of essential truths about God's sovereignty and human sinfulness.

Why does Lloyd-Jones believe the church's situation in his time was desperate rather than merely difficult?

Lloyd-Jones argues forcefully that "we are fighting for the very life of the church. We are fighting for the very essence of the Christian message." He rejects the idea that the problem is merely organizational, stating it's "not some modification of the organization here or there." He compares the church to Isaac's desperate need for water - "not only urgent, it was desperate" - explaining this wasn't about luxury but "the bare necessity of life, water, without which existence is impossible." He warns that apparent prosperity through "various activities" can give "an impression of prosperity...an appearance of success" but asks the crucial question: "Is this activity and apparent prosperity and success something real or is it something spurious?" The church may appear successful statistically while failing to function as the true church.

What historical examples does Lloyd-Jones give of doctrinal decline preceding revival?

Lloyd-Jones provides several historical examples of how false teaching preceded periods of revival. Before the Protestant Reformation, "the basic, essential truths were there, but they were hidden, covered over by the rubbish." Before the 18th-century evangelical awakening, there was "that period of deism and rationalism" where God was viewed as a distant watchmaker. In Scotland around 1840, before the revivals connected with "William Chalmers Burns and Robert Murray McChane," there was "Moderatism...a deadly and devastating teaching, a mere moralism." In Northern Ireland before the 1858-1859 revival, "almost the whole church had become Arian in her doctrine" until Henry Cook fought this battle "from the mid-1820s right until the time of the revival." These examples demonstrate that doctrinal recovery often precedes spiritual renewal.