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Sermon #5473

The Doctrine of Sin

A Sermon on John 17:17

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Scripture

John 17:17 ESV KJV
Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. (ESV)

Sermon Description

What separates people from God and what keeps them from knowing Him on their own? The answer is found in understanding the sin that is within oneself. In this sermon on John 17:17 titled “The Doctrine of Sin,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explains that believers are sanctified in the truth, and sanctified from the ugliness of sin that keeps one in a wrong relationship to God. Sin is what separates people from God. It is not intellect or a cognitive problem. Disobedience to God places a person in a wrong relationship to Him because sin is centered on self and causes the pagan to be focused on themselves and not God. The sinner is not God-centered. How does he or she know this? The law is that which exposes one’s sin and the holiness of God. Therefore, the sinner must be converted from sin. They must receive a new nature and become a new person, a new creature in Christ. But conversion is only the beginning. Through ongoing sanctification, the believer is not cleansed from sin and made like Christ. The believer must consider if they have glossed over sin and crowded it out, or have dealt with their sin through repentance and belief and continue to deal with it in their sanctification.

Sermon Breakdown

  1. The process of sanctification is maintained through God's word.
  2. Our troubles arise from focusing on ourselves rather than God. Salvation's purpose is knowing God.
  3. The second section of truth after God's doctrine is sin's doctrine. Sin separates us from God.
  4. We tend to neglect sin's doctrine before and after conversion. But the Bible emphasizes it throughout.
  5. Understanding sin's doctrine is vital to understanding sanctification. Realizing our need drives us to Christ.
  6. The Bible presents sin's doctrine through teaching about God's law, showing sin's exceeding sinfulness.
  7. The law shows God's holiness and our sinfulness. The Jews misinterpreted the law as a means of salvation through works.
  8. The law's purpose is showing our sinfulness and need for grace. "By the law is the knowledge of sin."
  9. A "law work" means facing the law to see our sinfulness. The law is our "schoolmaster" to bring us to Christ.
  10. The Sermon on the Mount expounds the law's spiritual nature, showing our sinfulness and need for the beatitudes.
  11. Epistles argue about the law and teach about the flesh, sin, and death, calling us to self-examination.
  12. The first way the Bible teaches about sin is distinguishing between sin (a state) and sins (actions). The emphasis is on being rather than doing.
  13. Sin is primarily a wrong attitude toward and relationship with God. It is not living wholly for God and His glory.
  14. Sin is deep in our nature, requiring rebirth and a new nature to defeat. The old nature remains, so the problem continues.
  15. Sin shows itself as "missing the mark" of God's righteousness and holiness. It is transgressing God's law and disobeying Him.
  16. Sin is "concupiscence": evil desires inflamed even by God's law. The law stirs sinful passions instead of restraining them.
  17. Sin acts as an opposing "law" in our members, causing us to do what we hate and not do what we love. It is a powerful governing principle.
  18. We must examine ourselves in light of this biblical teaching, let it humble us, and drive us to Christ for deliverance by His work alone.

Sermon Q&A

What Does Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones Teach About the Role of Truth in Sanctification?

According to Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones' sermon on John 17:17, truth plays a central role in sanctification. Here's his teaching on this important spiritual process:

What is the relationship between God's truth and sanctification?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains: "The process of sanctification goes on in us and is maintained in us by God through his word. That is obviously the import of this petition which is here offered by our Lord on behalf of his people. He doesn't merely say sanctify them, but sanctify them through or in thy truth."

According to Lloyd-Jones, sanctification happens when believers are "brought into the realm of the truth" to such an extent that truth operates upon them, living in it as it works in them and produces "gracious effects and results."

What does Lloyd-Jones mean by "truth" in the context of sanctification?

Lloyd-Jones emphasizes that the truth that sanctifies is:

  1. "The whole word, that everything in the word conspires to this one end"
  2. "Not just some little department of truth, one aspect of truth"
  3. "The whole truth, the entire truth, everything in a sense, which we have in this book, which we call the Bible"

What are the two key doctrines that contribute to sanctification?

Lloyd-Jones identifies two foundational doctrines that are particularly important for sanctification:

  1. The doctrine of God - "The primary object of christian salvation is to bring men to know God and to know themselves as the children of God and the heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ."

  2. The doctrine of sin - "If salvation ultimately means to know God, the great problem is what is it that separates us from God? And the answer to that is sin."

Why is understanding sin so important for sanctification?

Lloyd-Jones argues that the doctrine of sin has been "sadly and grievously neglected" in modern Christianity, yet it's essential for sanctification because:

  1. It helps believers understand what they need salvation from
  2. It drives them to Christ out of recognition of their need
  3. It enables deeper application to Christ for ongoing sanctification

As Lloyd-Jones states: "It is only as we realize the truth about ourselves and our condition. It is only as we come to realize our ultimate need that we apply to Christ, who alone can supply it."

How does God's truth about sin specifically work in the sanctification process?

According to Lloyd-Jones, God's truth works in our sanctification by:

  1. Teaching us through His law, which shows "the exceeding sinfulness of sin"
  2. Revealing our true condition and need for grace
  3. Driving us to Christ for forgiveness and transformation
  4. Making us aware of indwelling sin even after conversion

Lloyd-Jones concludes: "We need to be kept down, we need to be humbled, we need to be convicted of sin. And it is only as we are that we shall realize the need of sanctification. It is only as we are we shall fly to Christ and seek his face and seek God."

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Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.