He that Believeth Not
A Sermon on John 3:18
Originally preached March 17, 1957
Scripture
18¶ He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
Sermon Description
What is the great need of humanity? It is nothing less than salvation from sin. In this sermon on John 3:18 titled “He That Believeth Not,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explains that the only hope is proclaimed by the accomplished work of Jesus Christ who came into this world by being born under the law in the likeness of sinful flesh in order to redeem those who were slaves of sin. Jesus is God’s appointed means of salvation for all who believe. God did not send Jesus into the world to condemn the world, but in order that sinners would be saved and brought to a knowledge of the truth. Many people misunderstand this, supposing that God is only a cruel judge who takes delight in destroying the wicked for their sins. Others make the opposite mistake and think He is so loving that He will not require any recompense for evil deeds. So, they suppose that there is no need to be saved and no need for a Savior. These are both terrible misunderstandings of the gospel that is given in Holy Scripture. In Scripture is found God who sent His Son to die in the place of sinners so that all who believe would be inheritors of eternal life and all blessings in Christ.
Sermon Breakdown
- Our Lord does not pronounce a universal salvation. There is a division of mankind into two groups: the not condemned and the condemned.
- While God did not send His Son to judge the world, His coming into the world is nevertheless a judgment of the world. Our response to Him reveals the truth about us.
- If we hold any view of Him except the true one He taught, we turn the Savior into the source of our condemnation. Regarding Him as just a moral teacher or example condemns us.
- We must believe in His name, meaning His person as the Son of God, and His work of dying to save us from our sins. Anything less turns Him into our condemnation.
- Our relationship to Him in this life determines our eternal destiny. We are either condemned already or saved already. There is no second chance after death.
- If we die unbelieving, our fate is already settled. At the judgment, the sentence is just pronounced. If we believe, we can know we are saved already.
- We can enjoy the fruits of heaven now by faith. We do not have to wait until death to be saved or know we are saved. It can be done now.
The Book of John
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.