The Only Gospel
A Sermon on 2 Timothy 2:8
Originally preached Dec. 20, 1964
Scripture
8Remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead according to my gospel:
Sermon Description
Does the gospel change from person to person? In this sermon on 2 Timothy 2:8 titled “The Only Gospel,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones dives deeper into what the gospel is. In 2 Timothy 2:8, Paul instructs believers to follow “my gospel.” Some have interpreted this to mean that each have their own individual gospel that is based on individual experiences. Yet, as Dr. Lloyd-Jones shows, this cannot be further from the truth — Paul is exhorting Timothy to hold tightly to the unchanging, true gospel that Paul was preaching. What else is he saying in this passage? First, that it is the only gospel. Second, this gospel is to be remembered because it is the meaning of the story of Christ. While some say that claiming to have exclusive truth is “narrow-minded,” Dr. Lloyd-Jones provides some reasons why Christians can rightly claim that this gospel is true. First, if there was any other gospel, the events that occurred in the life of Jesus would not have happened because they would not have been necessary. Second, Jesus is the only one to fulfill the prophecies from the Old Testament about the promised Savior. Third, Jesus is the only one who can really teach about God since He is a person of the Trinity. Fourth, only Jesus could perform the task to accomplish what is needed — salvation, the defeat of enemies, and a guide through life.
Sermon Breakdown
- The apostle Paul refers to the gospel message he preaches as "my gospel" in 2 Timothy 2:8.
- By saying "my gospel", Paul does not mean that the gospel belongs to him or that it is his personal opinion. Rather, he means that it is the only true gospel, the gospel which was revealed to him and the other apostles by Jesus Christ himself.
- The gospel can be clearly defined and stated. It is not some vague feeling or spirit. The gospel is the story of Jesus Christ, who He is and what He has done.
- Specifically, the gospel is the story of Jesus, the seed of David and the Son of God, who was born in Bethlehem, died for our sins, was buried, and was raised from the dead.
- The meaning of this story is that through faith in Jesus, we can receive forgiveness of sins and eternal life. Repentance and forgiveness of sins are to be preached to all nations in Jesus' name.
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This is the only gospel because:
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If there were any other way to be saved, Jesus would not have had to come and die.
- Jesus is the only one who fulfills all the Old Testament promises and prophecies about the Messiah.
- Jesus is the only one who can reveal the Father to us and teach us about God. No one has seen God except the Son.
- Jesus is the only one able to accomplish what needs to be done for our salvation. He alone can keep the law for us, conquer our enemies, bear the punishment for our sins, give us new life, and present us to God.
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Without this gospel, there is no hope. We have no way to escape God's wrath except through faith in Jesus.
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We must remember this gospel and believe it to be saved. If we reject it, there is nothing left for us but eternal destruction.
Other Sermons
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.