The Great Doxology
A Sermon on Romans 11:33-36
Originally preached May 14, 1965
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Scripture
33O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! 34For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor? 35Or who hath first given to him, …
Sermon Description
In this sermon on Romans 11:33–36 titled “The Great Doxology,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones shares his belief that this passage is the best doxology in Scripture. He warns not to take this passage out of context since Paul is praising God after expounding wondrous truths for much of the letter. One cannot fully appreciate Paul’s doxology without understanding the parts that make up the whole. Paul spoke about justification by faith, God’s mercy on the Jews as well as the Gentiles, and other magnificent truths. Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that many have sought to explain this passage by claiming that Paul has stopped seeking to understand God’s truths and instead broken out into praise. While this is well-meaning, it does not capture the truth of the passage. Paul is worshipping God indeed, Dr. Lloyd-Jones says, but only during His learning of God’s wondrous doctrines. This is not a mindless doxology, but rather is a very mindful one. Along the same lines, it is not just the depth of the riches that Paul is referring to – it is the depth of the riches of God. How wonderfully kind of God to give eternal life to all those who would call upon His name.
Sermon Breakdown
- The apostle expresses his amazement at the depth of God's riches, wisdom and knowledge that have led to this glorious salvation.
- The riches of God refer to His grace and mercy. Without this, there would be no salvation or gospel.
- The wisdom of God refers to His ability to devise a plan to save men and restore them to righteousness. Mere knowledge is not enough without wisdom to apply it.
- The knowledge of God refers to His omniscience. He knows everything, including all the devil's tricks and schemes. His plan is complete and caters for every eventuality. Nothing can go wrong with it.
- What has produced this great salvation is God's grace, wisdom in devising the plan, and knowledge in preparing for all circumstances.
- The apostle is amazed at the immensity and profundity of God's plan of redemption as he reviews what he has explained in the epistle.
- This doxology is a test of whether we have understood the apostle's teaching in the epistle. If we see it leads inevitably to praise, we have grasped his message.
- We must not see a contrast between mind and heart here. The apostle's heart is kindled by his mind grasping the truth. We need both mind and heart.
- The apostle is not struggling with a problem here but revealing God's inspired secret plan. He is not giving up trying to understand but praising because he does understand.
- The apostle sees this plan as a great mountain range with peaks representing its high points: righteousness from God; justification; union with Christ; sanctification; glorification.
- The plan is certain to all the elect, both Jews and Gentiles. Chapters 9-11 assure us of this. The blindness of Israel is partial and temporary.
- We should feel privileged to enter into these deep things of God and study this never-ebbing sea of truth. The world's wisdom is foolishness compared to this.
Sermon Q&A
What is the context of Paul's doxology in Romans 11:33-36?
According to Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Paul's doxology in Romans 11:33-36 emerges from two key contexts. First, it arises from the immediate preceding context where Paul has been explaining God's purpose regarding the Jews as a nation. In verse 32, Paul states that "God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all," which leads Paul to this expression of amazement. Second, it represents the culmination of the entire doctrinal section of Romans (chapters 1-11), where Paul has systematically explained God's way of salvation for both Jews and Gentiles. Lloyd-Jones emphasizes that "this doxology becomes a test of our exposition of the previous portion."
What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones say about the "depth" Paul refers to in Romans 11:33?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that when Paul exclaims "Oh, the depth," he's referring to the "fathomless character" of God's wisdom, riches, and knowledge. Lloyd-Jones compares it to "a man standing on a great mountain peak in Switzerland and looking down into some great abyss and then looking to some great old mountain peak stretching up on the other side." This depth represents the "infinities and imminities" of God's nature and plan. Lloyd-Jones emphasizes that this is characteristic of Paul's language when confronted with divine truth - ordinary language fails him and he must use superlatives piled upon one another to express the majesty of God's ways.
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones contrast heart and mind in understanding theology?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones strongly rejects the notion that Paul's doxology represents a shift from theological reasoning to emotional worship. Criticizing Professor William Barclay's interpretation, Lloyd-Jones says, "You mustn't put mind and heart in contrast when you're dealing with scripture." Instead, he argues that "it is the contemplation of the truth with the mind that always moves the heart." Rather than Paul abandoning intellectual understanding for emotional worship, Lloyd-Jones insists that "it is the understanding that kindles the heart." He describes the biblical order as "Mind, heart, will" - the mind perceives truth, which moves the heart, which then affects the will.
What are the three aspects of God that Paul celebrates in this passage?
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, Paul celebrates three aspects of God that have made salvation possible:
- God's riches - representing His grace and mercy, "undeserved favor" and "God's kindness to people who deserve nothing but punishment"
- God's wisdom - the ability to devise and execute the perfect plan of salvation where "it doesn't depend upon us. It depends upon Christ and his saving work"
- God's knowledge - God's omniscience that has "catered for every eventuality and every possibility" so that nothing can surprise God or thwart His plan
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones explain the relationship between God's knowledge and believers' security?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones teaches that God's perfect knowledge provides absolute security for believers. He states: "My security tonight is this, that God knows everything." Because God is omniscient, "there is nothing that he doesn't know," including every scheme the devil might attempt. This means God's plan of salvation "caters for every eventuality and every possibility" - nothing can take God by surprise or prevent His plan from being perfectly executed for those who are called by God. Lloyd-Jones connects this to Paul's confidence in Romans 8 that nothing "shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
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.