Why did the Apostle Paul deliberately choose not to preach philosophy, politics, and culture to the Greeks, even though he was fully capable of discussing these subjects?

Paul made this decision because he recognized that all these subjects, however fascinating to his audiences, came to "naught"—they accomplished nothing in terms of humanity's fundamental need. Philosophy had been tried and tested before Christ ever came, producing the greatest thinkers the world has known, yet the ancient world remained in moral chaos. Paul knew that while these topics might gain him an audience and even popularity, they could not save souls or reconcile people to God. He had been commissioned by Christ to preach a specific message—the gospel—and as an ambassador, he was bound by common honesty to deliver only the message entrusted to him, not his own theories or ideas.

What evidence does Dr. Lloyd-Jones present to demonstrate that human wisdom and education have failed to solve mankind's problems?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones marshals extensive evidence from humanists themselves. He quotes Count Tolstoy declaring that "the meaningless absurdity of life is the only incontestable knowledge accessible to man." He cites Morris Ginsburg exposing the naivety of assuming intellectual advance would improve human relationships. He references Albert Mansbridge's 1903 confidence that education would solve social problems, contrasting it with the reality that social problems have only increased. Arnold Toynbee, after a lifetime studying history, concluded that technology is the only field showing progression while humanity remains unable to subdue its destructive passions. Perhaps most poignantly, Aldous Huxley confessed at life's end that after being concerned with the human problem all his life, he had nothing more to offer than "try to be a little kinder."

According to this sermon, what is God's diagnosis of humanity's condition, and why must we understand this before we can appreciate the gospel?

God's diagnosis, according to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, is that man is estranged from God, rebellious against his Creator, and under the wrath of God. The world is as it is not because of insufficient education or inadequate political systems, but because humanity has rebelled against God. This rebellion brought chaos upon mankind, driving him from paradise, and he has been trying unsuccessfully to return ever since. The wrath of God is presently being revealed against all ungodliness, which explains the mounting crises of our age. Until people understand that their fundamental problem is not intellectual or social but spiritual—that they are separated from a holy God who must judge sin—they will continue seeking solutions in the wrong places and will never appreciate why the cross was necessary.

How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones explain the meaning and necessity of Christ's death on the cross?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that God, being holy, righteous, and just, cannot overlook sin. He has declared that "the soul that sinneth it shall die"—the wages of sin is death. Human beings are trapped: their sins stand between them and God, but they cannot erase their own guilt no matter how hard they try. God's solution was to send His own Son, spotless and pure, who had never broken the law and had given complete obedience to the Father. God laid our sins upon Christ on the cross—"He hath made him to be sin for us who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." Christ bore our punishment, satisfied divine justice, and achieved reconciliation. This was not a mere example or moral influence, but substitutionary atonement—Christ dying in our place, bearing our guilt, suffering our penalty.

What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones mean when he says the gospel "works" where everything else fails, and what evidence does he provide from his own ministry?

When Dr. Lloyd-Jones says the gospel "works," he means it actually accomplishes what human systems cannot: genuine transformation of human nature and reconciliation with God. Unlike philosophy which leaves people in despair, or politics which fails to change hearts, the gospel produces concrete, observable results. He provides powerful testimony from his ministry at Sandfields where, instead of temperance societies and moral exhortation, he preached Christ crucified. Alcoholics were genuinely converted and brought their bottles to his door, no longer needing external programs to control their behavior because their hearts had been changed. The church secretary E.T. Rees was converted under his ministry. The church grew from about 100 members to 500 active members. Beyond behavioral change, the gospel gives people forgiveness, peace with God, joy in tribulation, understanding of life's meaning, and confident hope of glory—benefits that persist regardless of external circumstances and endure into eternity.