Galatians — Chapter 1

If a Christian does not find the gospel thrilling, they find themselves in the same position as the Galatian church when the apostle Paul wrote to them. In this sermon on Galatians 1:8, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones shows that the gospel is most simply this: the Good News. The gospel is the most simple, most clear, and most thrilling message that has ever existed and we must be careful to speak of and think of the gospel in this way. Dr. Lloyd-Jones tells us that the whole trouble of the current generation, and every generation, for that matter, is that it does not concern themselves with learning the gospel well and being gripped by its thrilling message. God sent his own Son to die in our place and there is no other Good News. When this message is truly contemplated, the Christian will burst with praise and thanks.

In this sermon from Galatians 1:3–5 titled “This Vicious Principle,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones teaches that the world in its very nature is cursed as a result of sin. All struggle to keep a clean mind and a clean heart on this earth because it is under the dominion of Satan. The world will show all it has to offer, but Christians must remember that this world is committed to death and destruction. Dr. Lloyd-Jones instructs fixing eyes on Christ and what is eternal as one sojourns through this world. He tells that Christians must fight against evil in this life because they belong to God and will never truly be home until they reach heaven.

Sin is often considered as a general problem, but rarely do people stop to consider its personal impact. In this sermon on man from Galatians 1:3–5 titled “Man: His Problem and the Answer,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones sets minds on an eternal track. People are first and foremost souls with eternal life before them, and anything physical in this life is merely temporary. Christians are created with eternal worth and dignity. Do Christians take time to consider themselves and who they are rather? What does God think of them? This ought to be the greatest concern as it is the only opinion that holds eternal value.

One day all will be face to face with God. In this sermon from Galatians 1:3–5 titled “God ‘Is’,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones shares that to believe in God is not enough; one must truly know Him. He tells that to know God is to tremble in His presence, because once one knows God’s character, they understand the depth of their depravity. God has been revealed in Scripture and one can come to know Him because of the death of His Son. Dr. Lloyd-Jones urges knowing God because when one truly knows Him and repents, all of His wrath will turn to mercy and compassion; His terribleness will be seen as holiness. When one truly knows God, they are adopted into His family and are given a hope of everlasting bliss.

God has not abandoned the world and He has not abandoned His children. Rather, before sin ever entered the scene, God set in motion a plan to save His people from the evil of this world. God sent His Son to the cross and raised Him again that they might dwell in His presence. In this sermon on Galatians 1:3–5 titled “Man’s Need: Salvation,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones teaches the same truth that was proclaimed to the Galatians who had forgotten their great need for the gospel. Christians today are no different in that they also are apt to forget what God has done for them. When Christians forget the gospel, they forget how desperately they need this good news and to be delivered from evil. God is not passive when He looks on His children’s need; He loves them so much and has created a way for salvation. Consider His great grace, mercy, and compassion and praise Him.

When the world looks particularly bad, Christians can begin to worry and become fearful, but that is contrary to what God would have them do. In this sermon on Galatians 1:3–5 titled “Who Gave Himself for Our Sins,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones reminds that the world is already doomed to death and destruction, but Christians do not need to die with it. God gave his Son to bear the entire weight of God’s curse of sin from His final wrath and destruction of the world. When one considers the poor condition of everything around them, they should not focus on how to change the world but how to change their hearts. God provides a perfect way to be saved from all that is around—He gave His beloved Son to die in their place. Trust in that Savior and whoever believes that the Son of God was made a curse for them is delivered from the curse.

In this sermon on Galatians 1:3–5 titled “Peace With God Through Christ,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones opens his sermon with an important and fundamental question: what is the gospel? As Paul writes in his letter, Dr. Lloyd-Jones answers as the apostle answers. The good news is that God intervened and rescued His people from the sin of this world. This gospel is precisely why the church is different from other human meetings. The church is far above organizing a political gathering, listening to music, or reading poetry, Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains. Those activities are between people and creation, but the church is based upon the gospel, and the gospel involves God and humanity. It is not a human construction. The good news, unlike the efforts of people, offers a solution as to why the world is so terrible. There is sin, and sin is embedded into the nature of every man and woman. On their own, Dr. Lloyd-Jones says, men and women cannot even redeem themselves. But God interceded, as Paul writes, and rescued His people from this state by Christ’s death on the cross. Now it is possible to have peace. The Christian knows that God is stronger than whatever evil humanity can dream up, and it is His Son who will one day bring them into His kingdom.

The apostle Paul teaches that the cross of Christ is at the center of the gospel and in this Scripture, he defends the gospel of God’s grace alone. In this sermon on Galatians 1:3–5 titled “The Results of the Cross,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explains how all stand before God condemned for their sin and rebellion against a holy God. But God, in His grace, sent His Son into the world to die for sinners so that they might be forgiven and made His children. This salvation is an ultimate act of grace that is a result of God’s free love. There is nothing anyone can do to merit God’s favor or love. It is God who sends His Spirit to convict people of their sin and awaken them to their fallen condition. How does salvation change a person? The Bible is clear that not only does salvation make one right with God, but it gives them a new mind and new desires. It changes them by giving them a love for God and the people of God. It makes sinners into new people who now love and serve God. This sermon calls all to leave behind sin and come to Jesus who alone can save sinners and give them eternal life.

Humanity’s fundamental need is to know the truth about the world, themselves, and God. The gospel provides these truths and thankfully does not merely stop there—it is good news. Not a product of humanity, the gospel is a certain revelation of God’s eternal heart. God has made a way of salvation for the human predicament. In this sermon on Galatians 1:6–7 titled “No Other Gospel,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones teaches how God can be one’s Father. “And can it be that I should gain an interest in my Savior’s blood?” This sermon shows Paul’s urgent concern for the people who had gone wrong on how to become possessors of this blessing. Learn about the truth that changed Luther and many mighty men of God, causing the Protestant Reformation. What is the doctrine of justification by faith? Preaching must explain this particular doctrine. How does one become a Christian? It is not by birth, nationality, circumcision, baptism, diet, or the law. The law is absolute—if one fails in one part, they have broken it entirely. God alone can make a person a Christian. Christ has taken away the sin and clothes His people with His righteousness.

What is the Gospel? Paul was forced to defend and expound the Gospel of grace alone in Galatians 1:6-9 because there were those that were preaching a different 'gospel.' Paul says that Christians are those that have been called by God out of the world of sin and evil into the new life of Christ. All those that are called by God will come to Him and they will persevere. While many will hear the Gospel, only those that God effectually calls will come to Him and be saved. Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones shows how this doctrine has great practical significance. It shows us that salvation is a matter of grace, no one can come to God until he enlightens them and draws them to himself. This sermon forces us all to asks ourselves, am I trusting in Jesus? Am I resting in God’s grace alone? The Gospel that Paul defends is one of grace and peace. Only the Gospel of grace can transform us and bring us into a loving relationship with God.

Opening his sermon, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones reads from Galatians 1:8. Within, the apostle ridicules the early church for believing another gospel, a gospel from man. But Paul makes himself clear: whoever teaches a different gospel from what Christ revealed, be it an angel or man, let that person be accursed. Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that even today, false gospels are preached by men all over the contemporary world. The Bible is put on a shelf, and people forget its sound doctrine. The Christian message is adapted to fit man’s view of the world. Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains the perilous problem with this practice. When man changes the Christian Gospel, or creates his own, he removes God from the picture. With God gone, man must rely on himself for his salvation and redemption. But, Dr. Lloyd-Jones says, the truth of the Bible has revealed that man will never be enough. It is not man who can save his soul but the blood of Jesus Christ. That is the true Gospel. The beauty of the Christian Gospel is that Christ comes to us in our sin, and He offers whoever believes upon Him unmeasurable grace and eternal life.

Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones opens his sermon by reading from Galatians 1:21-24. Within, Paul addresses the early church, giving a brief overstory of his life, explaining how he used to persecute the church. But after his conversion, when Christians saw him preaching the faith he sought to destroy, they glorified God. This personal history Paul gives, Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains, is important for many reasons. Firstly, it gives an account of a great historical mover. Even secular thought cannot deny the influence of Paul. But secondly, Paul’s account reveals the power of Christ in a person’s life. Dr. Lloyd-Jones points back to perilous moments in Paul’s life, the times he was incarcerated or beaten. But he did not turn from the faith. He praised God, from whom he drew his strength. This is how the Gospel can change a person’s life, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones says. Christianity is more than a religion of morals. True Christianity changes a person. He or she becomes a new creation. The early church saw this within Paul, and they praised God for it. Dr. Lloyd-Jones closes his sermon by offering this life changing Gospel. For it is through the Good News that men and women understand Christ’s love and lasting peace.