The Only Authority
A Sermon on Ephesians 6:14
Originally preached Jan. 28, 1962
Scripture
14Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
Sermon Description
Modern teaching says that what a person believes matters little if they live a good life. In this sermon on Ephesians 6:14 titled “The Only Authority,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones shares that this attitude is the exact opposite of the exhortation from the apostle Paul to “put on” truth. Dr. Lloyd-Jones boldly proclaims that putting on truth will put the Christian at odds with the world. Doctrine will divide while the world will fight to put unity above truth. Paul said that the Christian must hold on to truth, for without it they are already spiritually defeated. The great question today is the question of authority. Modern authority is human reason based upon modern knowledge but that is inadequate. Human minds are too finite to be trusted as ultimate authority. Authority cannot be based upon feelings either because they are so variable and unreliable. It also cannot be the pragmatic test of what makes one feel better or live better. That is entirely subjective. Authority cannot be reason or feeling. The Christian must preach the gospel faithfully to warn people and to bring them to the knowledge of truth as it is in Christ Jesus.
Sermon Breakdown
- The apostle Paul exhorts believers to "stand, therefore, having your loins girt about with truth." This means believers must know, possess and be governed by the truth.
- There is confusion today about what the truth is. Many emphasize a general spirit of love and unity over particular truth. But you can't put on a vague spirit, you need something concrete like truth.
- Some say truth can't be defined or analyzed, only felt. But feelings are subjective, variable and unreliable. We need objective truth.
- Others say criticism and defining right and wrong doctrine is wrong. But the Bible clearly defines truth and condemns error. The church has always done this.
- The question is: what is the truth and how can we know it? It can't be based on human reason, feelings or any church. Only Scripture is the authority.
- Human reason is inadequate and always changing. We can't rely on our own reason against the devil's subtlety.
- Feelings are subjective, variable and unreliable. They can be counterfeited. If we rely on feelings, we have no answer to false teachings.
- The Roman Catholic Church claims the church's authority is final, but they have added to Scripture and contradict it. They teach unbiblical doctrines like the worship of Mary as co-redemptrix.
- We must gird ourselves with the truth of Scripture alone. Relying on anything else will lead to defeat. The truth can be known and defined from Scripture.
The Book of Ephesians
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.