The Nature of Belief
A Sermon on John 3:18
Originally preached March 24, 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 does it mean to believe in Jesus Christ? In this sermon on John 3:18 titled “The Nature of Belief,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explains that it is far more than mere intellectual assent. True belief requires trust in God and His promises. It means trusting that Jesus has died for sins and that His called have been set free from the bondage and dominion of evil. This is the most important truth in the world because it affects not only life in this world, but also in the next. Those who know God will live with Him for eternity in the new heavens and the new earth, but those who reject the message of salvation are guilty of the vilest sin as they have rejected the very Son of God and are already condemned. All who reject God are cast out of His presence because they have broken His law and rejected His salvation. Those who do not believe in the gospel have no hope because God has provided no other way of salvation. It is only by believing upon Jesus Christ that they can be saved and made right with God. This is the gospel that must be proclaimed to a fallen world.
Sermon Breakdown
- The importance of belief
- Life is serious because it determines our eternal destiny
- Listening to the gospel is the most important thing we can do
- Belief is not just saying you believe - it requires accepting Christ's teaching about our sinful state, trusting in Christ as our savior, and committing our lives to him
- Belief means seeing that eternal destiny is the most important thing, clinging to Christ, and avoiding sin
- Belief involves accepting Christ's teaching, trusting in his sacrifice, and committing our lives to him
- Unbelief is an enormous sin because it rejects God's law, Christ's testimony, and God's witness of Christ
- Unbelief says God is a liar and spurns his love shown in Christ's sacrifice
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.