Romans — Chapter 6

What fear should the Christian have? In what ways ought the believer be gripped with worry or anxiety? Unruly fears, anxieties, and worries lead the believer to spiritual depression. This need not be. In this sermon on Romans 6:5–8 titled “Alive Unto God,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones declares the believer’s sure hope: they are raised with Christ. What one believes must be driven by facts. The fact is that Jesus was raised from the dead, and all who have died with Him have the confidence that they are raised with Him. In the face of temptations, these facts lead the Christian to an unshakable certainty: death has no power over them. As the believer is dead to sin and alive to Christ, Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that their future is absolutely certain. They cannot continue in sin, and will never again submit to the slavery of sin and death. Worry, fear, and anxiety are wrapped up in death. Death is rooted in sin. If Jesus has dealt with sin, He’s dealt with death. If death is no more, everything changes. Listen as Dr. Lloyd-Jones leads to the truth that calms all fear: Christ has been raised from the dead, and the Christian life is hid in Christ with God.

Why is it that some Christians experience spiritual depression? In this sermon on Romans 6:14 titled “Spiritual Depression,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones maintains that spiritual depression occurs wherever there is an ignorance of the Scriptures. He preaches this sermon, rooted in the apostle Paul’s text, to sum up a couple of his former sermons covering the Christian’s death to sin in Christ, as well as the Christian’s new life in Christ. Dr. Lloyd-Jones then expounds upon Paul’s application. If the Christian wants to live and enjoy the Christian life in victory, they have to realize the truths of their union with Christ. They are not commanded to act like it is true. They are told to realize, reckon, and regard that it is true. They are to be certain of victory over sin. The greatest comfort Christians can have in their spiritual depression is to know that because of the victory they have in Christ, sin no longer has dominion. Dr. Lloyd-Jones emphasizes that this can only be because of God’s grace. The law condemns, but God’s grace delivers. Under grace, Christians are brought more and more into God’s glory, so that they yield to sin less and less until they are completely delivered.