Revival: An Historical and Theological Survey
The Case for Revival in the Reformed Tradition
Originally preached Dec. 26, 1959
Sermon Description
In this address delivered at the Puritan Conference on the centenary of the 1859 Revival, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones confronts a startling paradox: those who hold most firmly to the doctrines of sovereign grace have largely ceased to think about revival. Surveying the history of revivals from the seventeenth century through the great awakenings of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, Dr. Lloyd-Jones traces the decline of revival consciousness in the church after 1860 and identifies its causes — the rise of theological liberalism, the influence of Charles Finney's methods, the dangers of intellectualism, an excessive reaction against Pentecostalism, and the silence of the Puritans themselves on the subject.
Dr. Lloyd-Jones then dismantles the objections raised against praying for revival, including the claim that Pentecost was a once-for-all event and that reformation must precede any outpouring of the Spirit. Drawing on Buchanan, Smeaton, and Jonathan Edwards, he argues that the history of redemption has been carried forward mainly by remarkable effusions of the Holy Spirit at unexpected times and places — and that nothing so demonstrates the sovereignty of God, the irresistibility of grace, and the impotence of man as revival. The address closes with a fervent call to prayer, grounded in Isaiah 64, that God would rend the heavens and come down.
Scripture
Sermon Breakdown
- Dr. Lloyd-Jones defines revival as an extraordinary work of the Holy Spirit, first enlivening the members of the church and then bringing about the conversion of large numbers outside it.
- He observes that revival has never occurred in the Roman Catholic Church or in Unitarian churches, and that the Anglican Church has known very little of it — raising questions about the relationship between church structure, liturgy, and the freedom of the Spirit.
- A broad historical survey traces revivals through the seventeenth century in Ireland, Scotland, and England, through the Moravian awakening, the Great Awakening under Edwards and Whitefield, the Welsh revivals from 1735 onward, and the 1859 revival across Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and America.
- After 1860, a dramatic shift occurred: the church ceased to think instinctively in terms of revival, turning instead to evangelistic campaigns, committees, and programs — a change Dr. Lloyd-Jones attributes to the decline of Reformed theology, the influence of Finney, and the rise of theological seminaries.
- He identifies a troubling lack of interest in revival among Reformed and Calvinistic believers in particular, tracing it to the dangers of intellectualism, preoccupation with apologetics, a distrust of emotion, an overreaction against Pentecostalism, and even the silence of the Puritans on the subject.
- Dr. Lloyd-Jones addresses the objection that the New Testament does not teach believers to pray for revival, arguing that the apostolic church was itself a church in the midst of revival and therefore had no need to pray for what it already possessed.
- He challenges the claim that reformation must precede revival, pointing to Whitefield and Howell Harris, who both received their baptism of power before arriving at Calvinistic convictions — and insisting that to place conditions on God's sovereign action is to think like an Arminian.
- Quoting Buchanan at length, he calls for a synthesis that honours both the ordinary, gradual work of the Spirit and the extraordinary, sudden outpourings that have historically advanced the cause of Christ.
- He argues that nothing so vindicates the Reformed faith as revival: it demonstrates the sovereignty of God in timing, place, and instrument, the irresistibility of grace, the impotence of man, and the reality that salvation is the work of the Holy Spirit alone.
- The address concludes with an impassioned call to prayer drawn from Isaiah 63–64, urging the conference to stir themselves up to take hold of God and plead for an outpouring of the Spirit.
Sermon Q&A
Questions and Answers
What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones identify as the main reasons the church stopped thinking about revival after 1860?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones identifies several converging factors. First, the decline of Reformed theology under the pressure of theological liberalism, which gained rapid ground from the 1860s onward. Second, the enormous influence of Charles Finney, whose methods and writings replaced the instinct to pray for sovereign revival with the machinery of organised evangelistic campaigns. Third, the rise of theological seminaries, which — however well-intentioned — tended to produce learned, respectable, dignified men who found it increasingly difficult to maintain the simplicity and spiritual dependence that characterised earlier generations of preachers. These factors combined to produce a church that, when confronted with spiritual decline, reached for committees and programmes rather than confession and prayer.
Why does Dr. Lloyd-Jones argue that Reformed and Calvinistic believers should be the most interested in revival?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones presents several reasons grounded in the doctrines the Reformed faith holds most dear. Revival demonstrates the sovereignty of God — in its timing, its location, and the instruments God chooses to use. It displays the irresistibility of grace on a grand and unmistakable scale, as even those who come to mock are struck down and converted. It proves the impotence of man, showing that no amount of orthodoxy, apologetics, or human effort can accomplish what only the Spirit can do. And it vindicates the Reformed insistence that salvation is the work of the Holy Spirit, not the result of moral persuasion or rational argument. In short, revival is the lived demonstration of everything the Calvinist confesses in doctrine.
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones respond to the objection that the New Testament does not teach Christians to pray for revival?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones answers that the New Testament church was itself a church in the midst of revival — filled and baptised with the Spirit — and therefore had no occasion to pray for what it already experienced. He points to Paul's description of the gospel coming to the Thessalonians not in word only but in power, in the Holy Spirit, and with much assurance. He asks what turned the ancient world upside down, and answers that it was not mere correct doctrine but the mighty demonstration of the Spirit's power. The Book of Acts is itself the record of a great revival. Dr. Lloyd-Jones further appeals to Acts 3:19, where the apostle speaks of times of refreshing from the presence of the Lord, which both Buchanan and Smeaton interpret as references to recurring seasons of revival until the final restoration of all things.
What is Dr. Lloyd-Jones' answer to those who say reformation must come before revival?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones regards this position as a fundamental contradiction of Calvinistic principles. To insist that God cannot send revival until men have first corrected their doctrine is, he argues, to speak exactly like an Arminian — placing conditions upon the sovereign action of God. He points to the historical evidence: George Whitefield received his baptism of power in 1737 but did not embrace Calvinistic theology until approximately 1739. Howell Harris experienced the same sequence in Wales. God acted sovereignly in both cases, pouring out His Spirit upon men whose doctrinal understanding was still incomplete. Dr. Lloyd-Jones insists that a true Calvinist must believe that God can send revival whatever the state of the church — and that the eighteenth-century awakening, coming in the midst of deism, rationalism, and clerical corruption, is the supreme proof of precisely this truth.
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones conclude the address, and what does he urge upon his listeners?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones concludes by calling the conference to earnest, persistent prayer for revival. He quotes Smeaton's description of the apostolic church waiting with one accord in prayer and supplication between the Ascension and Pentecost, and urges that the church's posture today should be the same — praying in the Spirit and praying for the Spirit. He then turns to Isaiah 63–64, reading the prophet's cry for God to rend the heavens and come down, and asks pointedly how many of those present have stirred themselves up to take hold of God. The address closes with a prayer in which Dr. Lloyd-Jones pleads with God to arise, scatter His enemies, revive His church, and vindicate His own truth — confessing the coldness and failure of the church and casting the entire cause upon the sovereignty and mercy of God.
Puritan Conferences
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.