Not Under Law. but Grace
A Sermon on John 1:17
Originally preached Dec. 2, 1962
Scripture
17For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
Sermon Description
When one reads through the Old Testament, they find that a great portion of it speaks of the law. Since the old law is seemingly of great importance, what is its relationship to Christians today? For most Christians, the understanding of the law and the Christian either goes too far to the extreme or not far enough. In this sermon on John 1:17 titled “Not Under Law, but Grace,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explains the true answer to this question that reveals that Christ is the end of the law for Christians. Before Christ came to die on the cross, all were under the law. However, since humans are not perfect, they were unable to fulfill it. Because of this, Christ came to fulfill the law for humanity, allowing those who put their trust in Him to be delivered from the condemnation of the law. He goes on to explain that while it is important to think of salvation in terms of the law and realize that no one receives salvation from their own works, it is also important to realize that when anyone believes in Christ, they receive His righteousness and He enables them to keep the law through the Spirit. Because of this, Christians can have peace knowing that they are no longer under the rule of the law, but under the rule of Christ.
Sermon Breakdown
- We must always think of salvation in terms of the law. Our feelings are irrelevant. What matters is our objective standing before God.
- We must never think of salvation in terms of our having to keep the law. Christ has fulfilled the law for us.
- We must never look at or rely on anything we are or anything we do. Our position depends entirely on Christ and what he has done.
- We must never listen to the accusations of the devil. We have an answer - Christ has fulfilled the law for us.
- We must never allow ourselves to feel condemned. We can point to Christ's righteousness, not our own.
- We must never doubt our salvation because of sin. Our salvation depends on Christ, not our own works.
- It is the duty of Christians to have assurance of salvation and rejoice in Christ. This comes from understanding our relationship to the law.
- Christ has delivered us from being under the law's condemnation. We are dead to the law.
- We must never think of grace as lawless or an excuse to sin. Grace enables us to fulfill the law.
- Christ, through the Spirit, enables us to fulfill the law. This is as glorious as Christ's work for us.
- Grace gives us the power to fulfill the law, not just forgiveness. This undoes the work of the devil in the Fall.
- The law is no longer grievous for Christians. We have liberty and joy in fulfilling it through the Spirit.
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.