A Child of God in Christ
A Sermon on Regeneration
Originally preached Feb. 26, 1954
Scripture
Sermon Description
What is regeneration, and how can one know if it has taken place in their life? In this sermon on regeneration titled “A Child of God in Christ,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones tackles these questions as he leads through key passages in 1 John and Galatians. Dr. Lloyd-Jones systematically shows how salvation is proven in the life of a believer. Regeneration occurs when God implants spiritual life into people. Authentic regeneration proves itself in those who are living under the lordship of Jesus Christ as they outwardly demonstrate His holiness. But what does it look like? A genuine believer will show this regeneration in their love of other believers, conviction over sin, and desire for spiritual things. No one can produce this on their own. Regeneration means union with Christ. As Jesus taught in the gospels, a believer’s relationship with Him is similar to the interaction of a vine and its branches—just as a branch cannot thrive or survive without the support from the vine, change in the life of a believer cannot take place apart from that person’s union with Christ.
Sermon Breakdown
- Regeneration and union with Christ are inseparable doctrines that must be considered together.
- Logically, union with Christ precedes regeneration. Chronologically, they happen at the same time.
- The Holy Spirit's special work is to unite us with Christ. This is emphasized in John 14-17.
- Terms used to describe union with Christ: "in Christ", vine and branches (John 15), head and body (1 Cor 12, Eph 4-5), husband and wife (Eph 5), stones and cornerstone (1 Pet 2).
- Union with Christ is compared to humanity's union with Adam (Rom 5, 1 Cor 15).
- You cannot experience regeneration without union with Christ. They depend on and imply each other.
- We will consider the nature, establishment, and results of union with Christ.
- Understanding these doctrines strengthens faith and longing for holiness.
Great Biblical Doctrines
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.