The Gospel of God
A Sermon on Romans 1:1
Originally preached Nov. 4, 1955
Scripture
1Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God,
Sermon Description
What is the gospel? It is certainly good news. It moved the apostle Paul every time he spoke of it. It is not law and neither is the gospel merely a list of moral commands. It is not simply an announcement that God will forgive sins. The gospel is not an appeal to do something nor a teaching on how to live better. In this sermon titled “The Gospel of God” on Romans 1:1, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explains what the gospel is not and explores what the gospel is. The gospel is a proclamation of what God has done. Some emphasize the Father’s work alone in the gospel and ignore the work of the Son. Others focus on Christ, nearly posturing His work of redemption against the Father’s will. Still some focus solely on the work of the Holy Spirit. Paul calls the gospel “the gospel of God.” This is to say, the whole of the Trinity is at work. The good news is a proclamation of what the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit have done. Listen as Dr. Lloyd-Jones proclaims this good news and puts the gospel of God before the listener.
Sermon Breakdown
- The apostle Paul introduces himself as a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God.
- The gospel is good news. We must ask ourselves if it has come to us as good news. If not, we may not truly understand the gospel.
- The gospel is not the law. The law was not meant to be good news. The law was given to show our sin, not provide salvation.
- The gospel is not just the announcement that God will forgive sins. Forgiveness of sins is taught in the Old Testament. The gospel is more than this.
- The gospel is not primarily an appeal for good behavior and morality. That is not good news. The gospel is the announcement of what God has done.
- The gospel is the good news of what God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit have done for our salvation.
- We must have a proper view of sin and salvation to understand the gospel as good news. An inadequate view of sin or a belief that all will be saved in the end can diminish the good news.
- The gospel is the gospel of God. It is the good news of what God has done, not man. Salvation is God's work, not our own effort.
- The gospel involves the Trinity: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. To focus on only one person of the Trinity is error. All three are essential.
- The Bible teaches the Trinity indirectly, not through direct statements. We see the Trinity in passages like Jesus' baptism, John 14, and benedictions.
- The doctrine of the Trinity is essential to Christianity. It differentiates the Christian faith from other monotheistic religions.
- We must be Trinitarian in our thinking. Our faith rests on the Triune God, not just belief in God alone.
The Book of Romans
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.