Understanding Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones' Sermon on Unbelief in John 8:13

What were the main causes of unbelief according to Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones in this sermon?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones identifies several key causes of unbelief based on the Pharisees' rejection of Jesus in John 8:13:

1. General prejudice - The Pharisees approached Jesus with preconceived notions and were determined not to believe before even hearing Him. They focused on minor technicalities while missing the profound truth Jesus was offering.

2. Judging "after the flesh" - People rely solely on physical senses and human reasoning rather than spiritual discernment. As Lloyd-Jones explains: "They are looking at the outward representation. You are looking at the form. You're looking at the shell."

3. Rejection of revelation - Unbelievers insist that all truth must be discovered through human reasoning and research, refusing to accept divine revelation as a legitimate source of knowledge.

4. Making human reason supreme - Making human understanding the "final arbiter" and "ultimate court of appeal," even regarding the nature of God Himself.

5. Spiritual blindness and deadness - The deepest cause is that unbelievers "lack a spiritual faculty" and are "spiritually dead." This fundamental problem prevents them from perceiving spiritual realities.

How did the Pharisees miss the significance of Jesus' claims according to the sermon?

According to Lloyd-Jones, the Pharisees consistently missed the profound significance of Jesus' claims in several ways:

1. They focused on technicalities: When Jesus made His extraordinary claim "I am the light of the world," they immediately responded with a procedural objection: "Thou bearest record of thyself. Thy record is not true."

2. They missed the central message: They became distracted by minor points of order and regulations while completely missing the transformational message Jesus was offering them.

3. They showed contempt in their questioning: Their questions like "Who art thou?" and "Where is thy father?" demonstrated ridicule and contempt rather than genuine inquiry.

4. They misunderstood spiritual concepts: Like Nicodemus who took "born again" literally, they consistently interpreted spiritual concepts in purely physical terms.

5. They reduced the divine to the merely human: They saw Jesus only as "Jesus of Nazareth" rather than recognizing the "Lord of glory" within Him, judging solely by outward appearance.

What is the relationship between human reasoning and spiritual understanding according to Dr. Lloyd-Jones?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that human reasoning, while valuable in the scientific realm, is fundamentally limited when it comes to spiritual understanding:

1. Human reasoning alone cannot comprehend God: "Can a man, by searching, find out God? Of course he can't, because God is infinite and absolute and eternal."

2. Different realms require different faculties: "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, but that which is born of the spirit is spirit. You're in different realms."

3. Revelation is necessary: "We are dependent entirely upon revelation. If God should be pleased to reveal himself, well, then we'll know something about him."

4. Spiritual understanding requires spiritual birth: "You've got to be born again, he says, before you can ever see it, leave alone enter it."

5. Human reasoning often rejects what it can't comprehend: People reject spiritual truths like the virgin birth, miracles, resurrection, and atonement because these concepts don't fit within human categories of understanding.

Lloyd-Jones concludes that making human reasoning supreme leads to creating a god in our own image rather than accepting God as He has revealed Himself.

How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones compare the Pharisees' unbelief to modern skepticism?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones draws several parallels between the Pharisees and modern skeptics:

1. Same fundamental problem: "There's nothing new about unbelief. It's as old as the story of men since he fell."

2. Not limited to intellectuals: "It isn't only the communist members of the brainstrust that are not christians, you know, Tom, Dick and Harry on the street corner are not either."

3. Similar objections: Modern skeptics, like the Pharisees, focus on minor objections or inconsistencies while missing the central claims of Christianity.

4. Scientific objections: "The modern men... says he will not believe anything unless it conforms to what he knows and what he has discovered," particularly rejecting anything that doesn't align with scientific knowledge.

5. Moral objections: Like rejecting the atonement because "It's immoral to me," modern skeptics make their own moral sensibilities the standard by which they judge God.

6. Blindness to fulfilled prophecy: Lloyd-Jones points to the destruction of Jerusalem (AD 70), the preservation of the Jews as a separate race, and the state of the modern world as evidence fulfilling Jesus's prophecies that modern skeptics ignore.

What solution does Dr. Lloyd-Jones offer for those who struggle with unbelief?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones concludes his sermon with practical advice for those struggling with unbelief:

1. Self-examination: "Look at yourself as you see yourself depicted in these pharisees. See the real cause and explanation of it all."

2. Acknowledge spiritual deadness: "See that you're spiritually dead. See that you lack a spiritual optic nerve."

3. Recognize the need for new life: "See that you need new life, new power. You need to be born again. You need the action of the spirit of God upon you."

4. Repent: "Repent. Acknowledge your darkness, your blindness."

5. Ask for God's mercy: "Ask him to have mercy upon you and to open your eyes."

6. Trust God's response: "And if you do that, he will hear you. He will answer you."

The ultimate solution is not more human reasoning but spiritual transformation: "You will find that you've got new life, and you'll see that Christ is the savior of the world and your own personal savior."