Grace; So Rich and Free
A Sermon on Romans 5:6-11
Originally preached Jan. 17, 1958
Scripture
6For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 7For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. 8But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we …
Sermon Description
God’s love for His children is a main theme throughout the Bible. But, how can we be sure of His love? In this sermon on Romans 5:6-11, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones points out several truths which clearly prove God’s love for us. He begins by pointing out that God is the One who gave us our salvation. Not only that, but He sent His one and only Son to come and die on a cross so that we might have salvation. Dr. Lloyd-Jones goes on to point out the truth that we were not given salvation because we had earned it or worked for it. In fact, when Jesus died for us, we were ungodly and enemies of God. We were sinners who had broken the Law and were deserving of eternal death. However, God, in His abundant grace and mercy, saved us while we were still sinners. He sought us even when we were His enemies and called us His own. Dr. Lloyd-Jones encourages us to find joy in this proof of God’s love in saving us, despite our sinful nature. He encourages us to never forget the amazing gift of salvation that the Lord has so graciously given us, and to find assurance in this proof of His love.
Sermon Breakdown
- The apostle Paul's object in Romans 5 is to teach the security of the believer and give assurance of salvation.
- Our salvation is entirely of God, planned before the foundation of the world. This demonstrates God's love.
- What God has actually done in sending Christ to die proves His love.
- The character of the people for whom this was done - without strength, ungodly, sinners - emphasizes God's love.
- The whole world is ungodly; every Christian was once ungodly. Mere belief in God or good works does not make one godly.
- Christ died for the ungodly, not the righteous or good. There was nothing in us to recommend us to God.
- Our salvation is entirely gratuitous, arising from God's love and grace alone.
- This demonstration of God's love should be the greatest source of assurance for believers. If salvation depended on us, our position would be precarious. But God does not change, so we can be sure of remaining saved.
- In verses 9-10, Paul will draw a deduction from and clinch the points he has made.
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.