Questions and Answers

Why does Dr. Lloyd-Jones connect John Calvin and George Whitefield in this address?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that while these men were very different physically and temperamentally (Calvin thin and introverted, Whitefield stout and extroverted), they share crucial similarities: both were Calvinists (or Paulinists), both demonstrated phenomenal zeal and work output, both died around age 55, and both longed passionately for unity among evangelical Reformed people. Most importantly, Dr. Lloyd-Jones argues that "John Calvin always needs George Whitefield"—meaning that Calvinist orthodoxy without the power of the Spirit becomes dead intellectualism or ossified orthodoxy. The connection teaches that correct doctrine must be stated "in demonstration of the spirit and of power."

Why has George Whitefield been so tragically neglected in church history?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones identifies three main reasons for this shameful neglect: First, quoting Judges 2:8-10, he explains that "when people don't know the Lord, they very soon forget church history." Loss of knowledge of the Lord leads to loss of interest in His works and servants. Second, Whitefield's profound humility—he said "let the name of George Whitefield be forgotten and blotted out as long as the name of the Lord Jesus Christ is known." Third, unlike Wesley, Whitefield never founded a denomination to preserve and promote his memory. Dr. Lloyd-Jones notes that while countless books have been written about Wesley by the Methodist denomination, Whitefield had no such organization advocating for him.

Was Whitefield really greater than John Wesley in the 18th-century revival?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones emphatically establishes that Whitefield was "the leader, the pioneer, the first in all these respects." Whitefield was converted first (1735 vs. Wesley's 1738), began preaching the true gospel first (1736 vs. Wesley's May 1738), was first to preach in the open air (having to persuade the Wesley brothers to follow), first to organize religious societies, and founded Kingswood School. Dr. Lloyd-Jones states this is "a matter of sheer justice and of honesty and of truth" that has been distorted by calling it "the Wesleyan revival." The best Methodist scholars acknowledge this neglect has been unjust.

What was remarkable about Whitefield's conversion experience?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones emphasizes that Whitefield's conversion "was not a question of making a decision. It wasn't sudden. He didn't decide to sign a card or to do this or that." Instead, he underwent a long, painful process of conviction after reading Henry Scougal's "The Life of God in the Souls of Men," which convinced him he needed to be born again—to have God's life in his soul, not merely live a good life. He went through "terrible...agonies," lying prostrate on the ground, praying outdoors. Eventually God graciously gave him light, and "the spirit sealed it"—he received "a baptism of the spirit" that explains his extraordinary preaching from the very beginning.

What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones mean by distinguishing between "message" and "preaching"?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones makes this crucial distinction: "There is nothing that has so discouraged me...as the failure of people to differentiate between the message and the preaching...You may have a correct and an orthodox message, but it doesn't follow that you're preaching it." The preaching is how the message is presented and conveyed. When asked for a sermon manuscript to publish, Whitefield replied: "I have no objection if you will print the lightning, thunder, and rainbow with it." Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains you cannot put preaching in cold print—you can capture content but not the lightning, thunder, spoken word, action, and everything about the anointed preacher.

How did Whitefield's preaching affect even unbelievers and skeptics?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones provides striking examples: Lord Chesterfield, the sophisticated humanist, once sprang to his feet shouting "good God, stop him!" when Whitefield illustrated a blind man about to fall over a precipice. Benjamin Franklin, the skeptical scientist and printer, tells how he attended a service determined to give nothing in the collection, having "gold, silver, and copper" in his pocket: "As the preacher proceeded, I began to soften, and concluded to give the copper. Another stroke of his oratory determined me to give the silver, and he finished so admirably that I emptied my pocket wholly into the collector's dish, gold and all."

What were Whitefield's main preaching themes?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones identifies several core themes: original sin (exposing the condition of the natural unregenerate heart more powerfully than anyone), regeneration (the nature and necessity of the new birth—Whitefield believed this sermon began the awakening), direct immediate inward impressions of the Holy Spirit (though Jonathan Edwards questioned this emphasis), and justification by faith. Interestingly, Whitefield initially underemphasized justification by faith in his early ministry (1737), and the Wesley brothers helped him achieve better balance on this doctrine. He also denounced unconverted preachers and those who preached "an unfelt Christ."

What are the main lessons Whitefield teaches the modern church?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones concludes with crucial lessons: First, the position is never hopeless—God sovereignly raises up instruments when least expected. Second, Calvinism and evangelism are completely compatible—the greatest English evangelist was a Calvinist, destroying the lie that Reformed theology hinders evangelism. Third, orthodoxy is absolutely necessary. Fourth, and most important, "orthodoxy is not enough"—there were orthodox men in Whitefield's time who were useless. "Orthodoxy alone has never produced a revival. It never will." We need the power of the Spirit upon orthodox truth. Finally, Whitefield calls us back to true preaching—not mechanical statements of correct beliefs, but proclamation "in demonstration of the spirit and of power."