Lloyd-Jones on Church Unity: Historical Lessons for Today

What historical factors contributed to the divisions within Protestantism after the Reformation?

According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, several key factors contributed to the divisions within Protestantism following the Reformation:

1. The idea of national churches - As the Reformation took place independently in different nations, churches tended to form along national lines, creating natural divisions.

2. National characteristics - Different temperaments and cultural traits influenced how different peoples approached church matters. For example, the English tended to dislike rigid definitions and preferred compromise, while the Scots liked precise theological definitions.

3. Politics - Political considerations heavily influenced church decisions. Luther feared the Anabaptists would undermine the Reformation politically; Elizabeth I shaped the Church of England based largely on political concerns.

4. Individual temperaments - The personalities of key leaders like Luther, with his explosive nature, affected how divisions developed.

5. Tradition and resistance to change - This was particularly evident in debates over episcopacy, which became "the rock at which they all struck."

6. Disagreements over fundamentals versus non-essentials - Churches divided over what constituted essential doctrine versus secondary matters.

How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones view the historical divisions between Roman Catholics and Protestants versus divisions within Protestantism?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones makes a clear distinction between these two types of divisions:

"The division between Roman Catholic and Protestant I am prepared to defend to the death. But the other divisions I am prepared to assert were sinful, that they were manifestations of sism, and that rarely they were guilty. And we are guilty in the sight of God."

He views the Protestant break from Rome as biblically necessary and justified, but sees the subsequent divisions among Protestants as tragic failures that damaged the testimony of the church. He notes that these divisions occurred despite the fact that most Protestant leaders at the time desired comprehension and unity.

What example does Lloyd-Jones give of a tragic division within Protestantism?

The most striking example Lloyd-Jones provides is the division between Lutherans and the Reformed tradition over the Lord's Supper. At the Colloquy of Marburg in 1529, Luther and Zwingli agreed on 14 out of 15 doctrinal points, but divided over their understanding of Christ's presence in communion.

Luther insisted on his view of consubstantiation, famously writing "This is my body" on the table. Lloyd-Jones calls this "one of the great tragedies in the history of the Church" and quotes a Puritan who said this division had "given religion since the last reformation thereof a greater blow than all the thunderbolts of Rome together."

Poignantly, Lloyd-Jones notes that Luther near the end of his life, after reading Calvin on the Lord's Supper, told Melanchthon: "In this matter of the sacrament, we have gone much too far. I will commend the thing to the Lord. Do something after my death." But by then, the division had hardened beyond repair.

What solution does Lloyd-Jones propose for evangelical unity today?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones proposes several key steps toward evangelical unity:

1. Abandon the idea of a national church - Churches in a country can work together, but the concept of a single established national church should be rejected.

2. Define fundamentals properly - Avoid both "unrestrained laxity" and "egotistical rigor" by identifying the truly essential doctrines.

3. Don't be bound by tradition - Even historic confessions of faith should be viewed as "subordinate standards" that can be modified, as American Presbyterians did with the Westminster Confession.

4. Distinguish between error and heresy - Not all theological mistakes are grounds for division.

5. Consider adopting the 16 fundamental articles of faith - Lloyd-Jones references a list created in 1654 by John Owen, Thomas Goodwin and others that defined the essential doctrines that could serve as a basis for Protestant unity.

As Lloyd-Jones concludes: "In things essential, unity; in things indifferent, liberty; in all things charity."

What opportunity does Lloyd-Jones believe exists for evangelical Christians today?

Lloyd-Jones believes that evangelical Christians in his day faced "an opportunity such as the church has not had since the Protestant Reformation." He argues that modern Christians are "in an altogether better and more advantageous position than our forefathers were in the 16th and the 17th centuries" because:

1. Politics is no longer the dominating factor it once was
2. Nationalism has declined in favor of more international thinking
3. There is increased interest in ecumenism and church unity
4. There is "a new freedom of maneuver" which previous generations didn't have

Lloyd-Jones challenges his audience to have "the same burning desire for protestant evangelical unity as Calvin" did, noting that "division in the church is a scandal" and "sism is a deadly sin." He believes that if modern evangelicals can learn from history and avoid the mistakes of their forefathers, they can achieve the Protestant unity that eluded previous generations.