Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Encyclopedia
David Martyn Lloyd-Jones (20 December 1899 – 1 March 1981) was a Welsh Protestant minister, preacher
and medical doctor who was influential in the Reformed wing of the British
evangelical
movement in the 20th century. For almost 30 years, he was the minister of Westminster Chapel
in London
. Lloyd-Jones was strongly opposed to Liberal Christianity
, which had become a part of many Christian denominations; he regarded it as aberrant. He disagreed with the broad church
approach and encouraged evangelical Christians (particularly Anglicans) to leave their existing denominations. He believed that true Christian fellowship was possible only amongst those who shared common convictions regarding the nature of the faith.
and raised in Llangeitho
, Ceredigion
. Llangeitho is associated with the Welsh Methodist revival
, as it was the location of Daniel Rowland
's ministry. Attending a London grammar school
between 1914 and 1917 and then St Bartholomew's Hospital
as a medical student, in 1921 he started work as assistant to the Royal Physician(Feickus the 3rd), Sir Thomas Horder. After struggling for two years over what he sensed was a calling to preach, in 1927 Lloyd-Jones returned to Wales, having married Bethan Phillips (with whom he later had two children, Elizabeth and Ann), accepting an invitation to minister at a church in Aberavon
(Port Talbot
).
, working alongside G. Campbell Morgan
. The day before he was officially to be accepted into his new position, World War II
broke out in Europe. During the same year, he became the president of the Inter-Varsity Fellowship of Students (known today as the Universities and Colleges Christian Fellowship (UK)). During the war he and his family moved to Haslemere
, Surrey
. In 1943 Morgan retired, leaving Lloyd-Jones as the sole Pastor of Westminster Chapel.
Lloyd-Jones was well-known for his style of expository preaching
, and the Sunday morning and evening meetings at which he officiated drew crowds of several thousand, as did the Friday evening Bible
studies, which were, in effect, sermons in the same style. He would take many months, even years, to expound a chapter of the Bible verse by verse. His sermons would often be around fifty minutes to an hour in length, attracting many students from universities and colleges in London. His sermons were also transcribed and printed (virtually verbatim) in the weekly Westminster Record, which was read avidly by those who enjoyed his preaching.
, he called on all clergy of evangelical conviction to leave denominations that contained both liberal and evangelical congregations. This was interpreted as referring primarily to evangelicals within the Church of England
, although there is disagreement over whether this was his intention. As a significant figure to many in the free churches, Lloyd-Jones had hoped to encourage those Christians who held evangelical beliefs to withdraw from any churches where alternative views were present.
However, Lloyd-Jones was criticised by the leading Anglican evangelical John Stott
. Although Stott was not scheduled to speak, he used his position as chairman of the meeting to rebuke Lloyd-Jones publicly, stating that his opinion was against history and the Bible (though John Stott greatly admired Lloyd-Jones's work and would often quote him in Stott's own books). This open clash between the two elder statesmen of British evangelicalism was widely reported in the Christian press and caused considerable controversy.
The following year saw the first National Evangelical Anglican Congress
, which was held at Keele University
. At this conference, largely due to Stott's influence, evangelical Anglicans committed themselves to full participation in the Church of England, rejecting the separationist approach proposed by Lloyd-Jones.
These two conferences effectively fixed the direction of a large part of the British evangelical community. Although there is an ongoing debate as to the exact nature of Lloyd-Jones's views, they undoubtedly caused the two groupings to adopt diametrically opposed positions. These positions, and the resulting split, continue largely unchanged to this day.
book of the Letter to the Romans
in his Friday evening Bible study
exposition because he did not personally know enough about "joy in the Holy Spirit", which was to be his next sermon (based on Romans 14:17). For the rest of his life, he concentrated on editing his sermons to be published, counselling other ministers, answering letters and attending conferences. Perhaps his most famous publication is a 14 volume series of commentaries on the Epistle to the Romans, the first volume of which was published in 1970.
Despite spending most of his life living and ministering in England, Lloyd-Jones was proud of his roots in Wales. He best expressed his concern for his home country through his support of the Evangelical Movement of Wales
: he was a regular speaker at their conferences, preaching in both English
and Welsh
. Since his death, the movement has published various books, in English and Welsh, bringing together selections of his sermons and articles.
Lloyd-Jones preached for the last time on 8 June 1980 at Barcombe
Baptist
Chapel. After a lifetime of work, he died peacefully in his sleep at Ealing
on 1 March 1981, St David's Day. He was buried at Newcastle Emlyn
, near Cardigan
, west Wales. A well-attended thanksgiving service was held at Westminster Chapel
on 6 April.
Since his death, there have been various publications regarding Lloyd-Jones and his work, most popularly a biography in two volumes by Iain Murray
.
. Respected by leaders of many churches associated with this movement, although not directly associated with them, he did teach the Baptism with the Holy Spirit
as a distinct experience rather than conversion and the regeneration
of the Holy Spirit. Indeed, towards the end of his life he urged his listeners to actively seek an experience of the Holy Spirit. For instance, in his exposition of Ephesians 6:10-13, published in 1976, he says, "Do you know anything of this fire? If you do not, confess it to God and acknowledge it. Repent, and ask Him to send the Spirit and His love into you until you are melted and moved, until you are filled with his love divine, and know His love to you, and rejoice in it as his child, and look forward to the hope of the coming glory. 'Quench not the Spirit', but rather 'be filled with the Spirit' and 'rejoice in Christ Jesus'".
Part of Lloyd-Jones' stress of the Christian's need of the baptism with the Holy Spirit was due to his belief that this provides an overwhelming assurance of God's love to the Christian, and thereby enables him to boldly witness for Christ to an unbelieving world.
Aside from his insistence that the baptism with the Spirit is a work of Jesus Christ distinct from regeneration, rather than the filling of the Holy Spirit, Lloyd-Jones also opposed cessationism
, claiming that the doctrine is not founded upon Scripture. In fact, he requested that Banner of Truth Trust
, the publishing company he co-founded, publish his works on the subject only after his death. He claimed that those who took a position such as B.B. Warfield's on cessationism were 'quenching the Spirit.'
He continued to proclaim the necessity of the active working of God in the world and the need for him to miraculously demonstrate his power so that Christian preachers (and all those who witness for Christ) might gain a hearing in a contemporary world that is hostile to the true God and to Christianity in general.
concerning the length of time in which he is allowed to preach. He recorded that he once asked a television executive who wanted him to preach on television, "What would happen to your programmes if the Holy Spirit suddenly descended upon the preacher and possessed him; what would happen to your programmes?"
Perhaps the greatest aspect of Lloyd-Jones' legacy has to do with his preaching. Lloyd-Jones was one of the most influential preachers of the twentieth century. Many volumes of his sermons have been published by Banner of Truth, as well as other publishing companies. In his book, Preaching and Preachers (Zondervan, 1971), Lloyd-Jones describes his views on preaching, or what might be called his doctrine of homiletics
.
In this book, he defines preaching as "Logic on fire." The meaning of this definition is demonstrated throughout the book in which he describes his own preaching style that had developed over his many years of ministry.
His preaching style may be summarized as 'logic on fire' for several reasons. First, he believed that the use of logic
was vital for the preacher. But his view of logic was not the same as that of the Enlightenment
. This is why he called it logic "on fire." The fire has to do with the activity and power of the Holy Spirit. He therefore believed that preaching was the logical demonstration of the truth of a given passage of Scripture with the aid, or unction, of the Holy Spirit.
This view manifested itself in the form of Lloyd-Jones' sermons. Lloyd-Jones believed that true preaching was always expository. This means he believed that the primary purpose of the sermon was to reveal and expand the primary teaching of the passage under consideration. Once the primary teaching was revealed, he would then logically expand this theme, demonstrating that it was a biblical doctrine by showing that it was taught in other passages in the Bible, and using logic in order to demonstrate its practical use and necessity for the hearer. With this being the case, he laboured in his book Preaching and Preachers to caution young preachers against what he deemed as "commentary-style" preaching as well as "topical
" preaching.
Lloyd-Jones' preaching style was therefore set apart by his sound exposition of biblical doctrine and his fire and passion in its delivery. He is thereby known as a preacher who continued in the Puritan
tradition of experimental preaching.
A famous quote on the effects of Lloyd-Jones' preaching is given by theologian and preacher
J.I. Packer, who wrote that he had "never heard such preaching." It came to him "with the force of electric shock, bringing to at least one of his listeners more of a sense of God than any other man".
Lloyd-Jones was also an avid supporter of the Evangelical Library
in London.
Preacher
Preacher is a term for someone who preaches sermons or gives homilies. A preacher is distinct from a theologian by focusing on the communication rather than the development of doctrine. Others see preaching and theology as being intertwined...
and medical doctor who was influential in the Reformed wing of the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
evangelical
Evangelicalism
Evangelicalism is a Protestant Christian movement which began in Great Britain in the 1730s and gained popularity in the United States during the series of Great Awakenings of the 18th and 19th century.Its key commitments are:...
movement in the 20th century. For almost 30 years, he was the minister of Westminster Chapel
Westminster Chapel
Westminster Chapel is an evangelical church that has been based in central London since 1840. Situated in Buckingham Gate, just from Buckingham Palace and just off Victoria Street, the chapel has long been a popular place of worship for Evangelical Christians. The current building, seating around...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. Lloyd-Jones was strongly opposed to Liberal Christianity
Liberal Christianity
Liberal Christianity, sometimes called liberal theology, is an umbrella term covering diverse, philosophically and biblically informed religious movements and ideas within Christianity from the late 18th century and onward...
, which had become a part of many Christian denominations; he regarded it as aberrant. He disagreed with the broad church
Broad church
Broad church is a term referring to latitudinarian churchmanship in the Church of England, in particular, and Anglicanism, in general. From this, the term is often used to refer to secular political organisations, meaning that they encompass a broad range of opinion.-Usage:After the terms high...
approach and encouraged evangelical Christians (particularly Anglicans) to leave their existing denominations. He believed that true Christian fellowship was possible only amongst those who shared common convictions regarding the nature of the faith.
Early life and ministry
Lloyd-Jones was born in CardiffCardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
and raised in Llangeitho
Llangeitho
Llangeitho is a village and community in Ceredigion, Wales situated on the upper river Aeron about 6 km due west of Tregaron and 11 km north of Lampeter. It has a population of 874....
, Ceredigion
Ceredigion
Ceredigion is a county and former kingdom in mid-west Wales. As Cardiganshire , it was created in 1282, and was reconstituted as a county under that name in 1996, reverting to Ceredigion a day later...
. Llangeitho is associated with the Welsh Methodist revival
Welsh Methodist revival
The Welsh Methodist revival was an evangelical revival that revitalised Christianity in Wales during the 18th century. Methodist preachers such as Griffith Jones, William Williams and Howell Harris were such powerful speakers that they converted thousands of people back to the church...
, as it was the location of Daniel Rowland
Daniel Rowland
Daniel Rowland —sometimes spelt as Rowlands—was one of the foremost leaders of the Welsh Calvinistic Methodist revival along with Howell Harris and William Williams. For most of his life he served as curate in the parishes of Nantcwnlle and Llangeitho, Ceredigion...
's ministry. Attending a London grammar school
Grammar school
A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and some other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching classical languages but more recently an academically-oriented secondary school.The original purpose of mediaeval...
between 1914 and 1917 and then St Bartholomew's Hospital
St Bartholomew's Hospital
St Bartholomew's Hospital, also known as Barts, is a hospital in Smithfield in the City of London, England.-Early history:It was founded in 1123 by Raherus or Rahere , a favourite courtier of King Henry I...
as a medical student, in 1921 he started work as assistant to the Royal Physician(Feickus the 3rd), Sir Thomas Horder. After struggling for two years over what he sensed was a calling to preach, in 1927 Lloyd-Jones returned to Wales, having married Bethan Phillips (with whom he later had two children, Elizabeth and Ann), accepting an invitation to minister at a church in Aberavon
Aberavon
Aberavon is a settlement in Neath Port Talbot county borough, Wales. The town derived its name from being near the mouth of the river Afan, which also gave its name to a medieval lordship. Today it is essentially a district of Port Talbot, covering the central and south western part of the town...
(Port Talbot
Port Talbot
Port Talbot is a town in Neath Port Talbot, Wales. It had a population of 35,633 in 2001.-History:Port Talbot grew out of the original small port and market town of Aberafan , which belonged to the medieval Lords of Afan. The area of the parish of Margam lying on the west bank of the lower Afan...
).
Westminster Chapel
After a decade ministering in Aberavon, in 1939 he went back to London, where he had been appointed as associate pastor of Westminster ChapelWestminster Chapel
Westminster Chapel is an evangelical church that has been based in central London since 1840. Situated in Buckingham Gate, just from Buckingham Palace and just off Victoria Street, the chapel has long been a popular place of worship for Evangelical Christians. The current building, seating around...
, working alongside G. Campbell Morgan
G. Campbell Morgan
Reverend Doctor George Campbell Morgan D.D. was a British evangelist, preacher and a leading Bible scholar...
. The day before he was officially to be accepted into his new position, World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
broke out in Europe. During the same year, he became the president of the Inter-Varsity Fellowship of Students (known today as the Universities and Colleges Christian Fellowship (UK)). During the war he and his family moved to Haslemere
Haslemere
Haslemere is a town in Surrey, England, close to the border with both Hampshire and West Sussex. The major road between London and Portsmouth, the A3, lies to the west, and a branch of the River Wey to the south. Haslemere is approximately south-west of Guildford.Haslemere is surrounded by hills,...
, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
. In 1943 Morgan retired, leaving Lloyd-Jones as the sole Pastor of Westminster Chapel.
Lloyd-Jones was well-known for his style of expository preaching
Expository preaching
Expository preaching is a form of preaching that throws light upon the meaning of a particular text or passage of Scripture. As "throwing light," this term is more general than exegesis, which is used for more technical and grammatical exposition, a careful drawing out of the exact meaning of a...
, and the Sunday morning and evening meetings at which he officiated drew crowds of several thousand, as did the Friday evening Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
studies, which were, in effect, sermons in the same style. He would take many months, even years, to expound a chapter of the Bible verse by verse. His sermons would often be around fifty minutes to an hour in length, attracting many students from universities and colleges in London. His sermons were also transcribed and printed (virtually verbatim) in the weekly Westminster Record, which was read avidly by those who enjoyed his preaching.
The evangelical controversy
Lloyd-Jones provoked a major dispute in 1966 when, at the National Assembly of Evangelicals organised by the Evangelical AllianceEvangelical Alliance
The Evangelical Alliance is a London-based charitable organization founded in 1846. It has a claimed representation of over 1,000,000 evangelical Christians in the United Kingdom and is the oldest alliance of evangelical Christians in the world....
, he called on all clergy of evangelical conviction to leave denominations that contained both liberal and evangelical congregations. This was interpreted as referring primarily to evangelicals within the Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
, although there is disagreement over whether this was his intention. As a significant figure to many in the free churches, Lloyd-Jones had hoped to encourage those Christians who held evangelical beliefs to withdraw from any churches where alternative views were present.
However, Lloyd-Jones was criticised by the leading Anglican evangelical John Stott
John Stott
John Robert Walmsley Stott CBE was an English Christian leader and Anglican cleric who was noted as a leader of the worldwide Evangelical movement. He was one of the principal authors of the Lausanne Covenant in 1974...
. Although Stott was not scheduled to speak, he used his position as chairman of the meeting to rebuke Lloyd-Jones publicly, stating that his opinion was against history and the Bible (though John Stott greatly admired Lloyd-Jones's work and would often quote him in Stott's own books). This open clash between the two elder statesmen of British evangelicalism was widely reported in the Christian press and caused considerable controversy.
The following year saw the first National Evangelical Anglican Congress
National Evangelical Anglican Congress
The National Evangelical Anglican Congress is an infrequent conference for evangelicals in the Anglican Communion. All congresses to date have been held in England, but have attracted delegates from other countries. They have been notable events which have had significant implications for both the...
, which was held at Keele University
Keele University
Keele University is a campus university near Newcastle-under-Lyme in Staffordshire, England. Founded in 1949 as an experimental college dedicated to a broad curriculum and interdisciplinary study, Keele is most notable for pioneering the dual honours degree in Britain...
. At this conference, largely due to Stott's influence, evangelical Anglicans committed themselves to full participation in the Church of England, rejecting the separationist approach proposed by Lloyd-Jones.
These two conferences effectively fixed the direction of a large part of the British evangelical community. Although there is an ongoing debate as to the exact nature of Lloyd-Jones's views, they undoubtedly caused the two groupings to adopt diametrically opposed positions. These positions, and the resulting split, continue largely unchanged to this day.
Later life
Lloyd-Jones retired from his ministry at Westminster Chapel in 1968, following a major operation. He spoke of a belief that God had stopped him from continuing to preach through the New TestamentNew Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
book of the Letter to the Romans
Epistle to the Romans
The Epistle of Paul to the Romans, often shortened to Romans, is the sixth book in the New Testament. Biblical scholars agree that it was composed by the Apostle Paul to explain that Salvation is offered through the Gospel of Jesus Christ...
in his Friday evening Bible study
Bible study (Christian)
In Christianity, Bible study is the study of the Bible by ordinary people as a personal religious or spiritual practice. Some denominations may call this devotion or devotional acts; however in other denominations devotion has other meanings...
exposition because he did not personally know enough about "joy in the Holy Spirit", which was to be his next sermon (based on Romans 14:17). For the rest of his life, he concentrated on editing his sermons to be published, counselling other ministers, answering letters and attending conferences. Perhaps his most famous publication is a 14 volume series of commentaries on the Epistle to the Romans, the first volume of which was published in 1970.
Despite spending most of his life living and ministering in England, Lloyd-Jones was proud of his roots in Wales. He best expressed his concern for his home country through his support of the Evangelical Movement of Wales
Evangelical Movement of Wales
The Evangelical Movement of Wales was born in the 1940s, it came to light as a counter move by reformed Christians to the liberal theology which was gaining influence in to the Protestant denominations of Wales during the 20th century....
: he was a regular speaker at their conferences, preaching in both English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and Welsh
Welsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
. Since his death, the movement has published various books, in English and Welsh, bringing together selections of his sermons and articles.
Lloyd-Jones preached for the last time on 8 June 1980 at Barcombe
Barcombe
Barcombe is an East Sussex village lying some 4–5 miles north of Lewes. It is also the name of one of the civil parishes in the Lewes District of East Sussex...
Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
Chapel. After a lifetime of work, he died peacefully in his sleep at Ealing
Ealing
Ealing is a suburban area of west London, England and the administrative centre of the London Borough of Ealing. It is located west of Charing Cross and around from the City of London. It is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan. It was historically a rural village...
on 1 March 1981, St David's Day. He was buried at Newcastle Emlyn
Newcastle Emlyn
Newcastle Emlyn is a town straddling the counties of Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire in west Wales and lying on the River Teifi.Adpar is the part of the town that lies on the Ceredigion side of the River Teifi...
, near Cardigan
Cardigan, Ceredigion
Cardigan is a town in the county of Ceredigion in Mid Wales. It lies on the estuary of the River Teifi at the point where Ceredigion meets Pembrokeshire. It was the county town of the pre-1974 county of Cardiganshire. It is the second largest town in Ceredigion. The town's population was 4,203...
, west Wales. A well-attended thanksgiving service was held at Westminster Chapel
Westminster Chapel
Westminster Chapel is an evangelical church that has been based in central London since 1840. Situated in Buckingham Gate, just from Buckingham Palace and just off Victoria Street, the chapel has long been a popular place of worship for Evangelical Christians. The current building, seating around...
on 6 April.
Since his death, there have been various publications regarding Lloyd-Jones and his work, most popularly a biography in two volumes by Iain Murray
Iain Murray
Iain Hamish Murray was educated in the Isle of Man and at the University of Durham. He entered the Christian ministry in 1955. He served as assistant to Martyn Lloyd-Jones at Westminster Chapel and subsequently at Grove Chapel, London and St. Giles Presbyterian Church, Sydney, Australia,...
.
Charismatic Movement
Martyn Lloyd-Jones has admirers from many different denominations in the Christian Church today. One much-discussed aspect of his legacy is his relationship to the Charismatic MovementCharismatic movement
The term charismatic movement is used in varying senses to describe 20th century developments in various Christian denominations. It describes an ongoing international, cross-denominational/non-denominational Christian movement in which individual, historically mainstream congregations adopt...
. Respected by leaders of many churches associated with this movement, although not directly associated with them, he did teach the Baptism with the Holy Spirit
Baptism with the Holy Spirit
Baptism with the Holy Spirit in Christian theology is a term describing baptism in or with the Spirit of God...
as a distinct experience rather than conversion and the regeneration
Regeneration (theology)
Regeneration, while sometimes perceived to be a step in the Ordo salutis , is generally understood in Christian theology to be the objective work of God in a believer's life. Spiritually, it means that God brings Christians to new life from a previous state of subjection to the decay of death...
of the Holy Spirit. Indeed, towards the end of his life he urged his listeners to actively seek an experience of the Holy Spirit. For instance, in his exposition of Ephesians 6:10-13, published in 1976, he says, "Do you know anything of this fire? If you do not, confess it to God and acknowledge it. Repent, and ask Him to send the Spirit and His love into you until you are melted and moved, until you are filled with his love divine, and know His love to you, and rejoice in it as his child, and look forward to the hope of the coming glory. 'Quench not the Spirit', but rather 'be filled with the Spirit' and 'rejoice in Christ Jesus'".
Part of Lloyd-Jones' stress of the Christian's need of the baptism with the Holy Spirit was due to his belief that this provides an overwhelming assurance of God's love to the Christian, and thereby enables him to boldly witness for Christ to an unbelieving world.
Aside from his insistence that the baptism with the Spirit is a work of Jesus Christ distinct from regeneration, rather than the filling of the Holy Spirit, Lloyd-Jones also opposed cessationism
Cessationism
In Christian theology, Cessationism is the view that the miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit, such as tongues, prophecy and healing, ceased being practiced early on in Church history. The opposite of Cessationism is Continuationism...
, claiming that the doctrine is not founded upon Scripture. In fact, he requested that Banner of Truth Trust
Banner of Truth Trust
The Banner of Truth Trust is an evangelical and Reformed Christian non-profit publishing house, structured as a charitable trust and founded in London in 1957 by Iain Murray and Jack Cullum. Its offices are now in Edinburgh, Scotland with a key branch office and distribution point in Carlisle,...
, the publishing company he co-founded, publish his works on the subject only after his death. He claimed that those who took a position such as B.B. Warfield's on cessationism were 'quenching the Spirit.'
He continued to proclaim the necessity of the active working of God in the world and the need for him to miraculously demonstrate his power so that Christian preachers (and all those who witness for Christ) might gain a hearing in a contemporary world that is hostile to the true God and to Christianity in general.
Preaching
Lloyd-Jones seldom agreed to preach live on television, (the exact number of occasions is not known, but it was most likely only once or twice). His reasoning behind this decision was that this type of "controlled" preaching, preaching that is constrained by time limits, "militates against the freedom of the Spirit." In other words, he believed that the preacher should be free to follow the leading of the Holy SpiritHoly Spirit
Holy Spirit is a term introduced in English translations of the Hebrew Bible, but understood differently in the main Abrahamic religions.While the general concept of a "Spirit" that permeates the cosmos has been used in various religions Holy Spirit is a term introduced in English translations of...
concerning the length of time in which he is allowed to preach. He recorded that he once asked a television executive who wanted him to preach on television, "What would happen to your programmes if the Holy Spirit suddenly descended upon the preacher and possessed him; what would happen to your programmes?"
Perhaps the greatest aspect of Lloyd-Jones' legacy has to do with his preaching. Lloyd-Jones was one of the most influential preachers of the twentieth century. Many volumes of his sermons have been published by Banner of Truth, as well as other publishing companies. In his book, Preaching and Preachers (Zondervan, 1971), Lloyd-Jones describes his views on preaching, or what might be called his doctrine of homiletics
Homiletics
Homiletics , in theology the application of the general principles of rhetoric to the specific department of public preaching. The one who practices or studies homiletics is called a homilist....
.
In this book, he defines preaching as "Logic on fire." The meaning of this definition is demonstrated throughout the book in which he describes his own preaching style that had developed over his many years of ministry.
His preaching style may be summarized as 'logic on fire' for several reasons. First, he believed that the use of logic
Logic
In philosophy, Logic is the formal systematic study of the principles of valid inference and correct reasoning. Logic is used in most intellectual activities, but is studied primarily in the disciplines of philosophy, mathematics, semantics, and computer science...
was vital for the preacher. But his view of logic was not the same as that of the Enlightenment
Age of Enlightenment
The Age of Enlightenment was an elite cultural movement of intellectuals in 18th century Europe that sought to mobilize the power of reason in order to reform society and advance knowledge. It promoted intellectual interchange and opposed intolerance and abuses in church and state...
. This is why he called it logic "on fire." The fire has to do with the activity and power of the Holy Spirit. He therefore believed that preaching was the logical demonstration of the truth of a given passage of Scripture with the aid, or unction, of the Holy Spirit.
This view manifested itself in the form of Lloyd-Jones' sermons. Lloyd-Jones believed that true preaching was always expository. This means he believed that the primary purpose of the sermon was to reveal and expand the primary teaching of the passage under consideration. Once the primary teaching was revealed, he would then logically expand this theme, demonstrating that it was a biblical doctrine by showing that it was taught in other passages in the Bible, and using logic in order to demonstrate its practical use and necessity for the hearer. With this being the case, he laboured in his book Preaching and Preachers to caution young preachers against what he deemed as "commentary-style" preaching as well as "topical
Topical
In medicine, a topical medication is applied to body surfaces such as the skin or mucous membranes such as the vagina, anus, throat, eyes and ears.Many topical medications are epicutaneous, meaning that they are applied directly to the skin...
" preaching.
Lloyd-Jones' preaching style was therefore set apart by his sound exposition of biblical doctrine and his fire and passion in its delivery. He is thereby known as a preacher who continued in the Puritan
Puritan
The Puritans were a significant grouping of English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries. Puritanism in this sense was founded by some Marian exiles from the clergy shortly after the accession of Elizabeth I of England in 1558, as an activist movement within the Church of England...
tradition of experimental preaching.
A famous quote on the effects of Lloyd-Jones' preaching is given by theologian and preacher
Preacher
Preacher is a term for someone who preaches sermons or gives homilies. A preacher is distinct from a theologian by focusing on the communication rather than the development of doctrine. Others see preaching and theology as being intertwined...
J.I. Packer, who wrote that he had "never heard such preaching." It came to him "with the force of electric shock, bringing to at least one of his listeners more of a sense of God than any other man".
Lloyd-Jones was also an avid supporter of the Evangelical Library
Evangelical Library
The Evangelical Library 5-6 Gateway Mews, Ringway, Bounds Green, London, N11 2UT is a lending library for Christian ministers, students and other lay-persons. For many years the library was located on Chiltern Street in central London...
in London.
Recordings Trust
Shortly after his death, a charitable trust was established to continue Lloyd-Jones's ministry by making recordings of his sermons available. The organisation currently has 1600 talks available and also produces a weekly radio program using this material.Works
- Why Does God Allow War?: A General Justification of the Ways of God (Hodder & Stoughton, 1939)
- The Plight of Man and The Power of God (Abingdon, 1942)
- Truth Unchanged, Unchanging (Revell, 1951)
- From Fear to Faith: Studies in the Book of Habakkuk (IVP, 1953)
- Authority (IVP, 1958)
- Studies in the Sermon on the Mount (Eerdmans, 1958)
- Faith on Trial: Studies in Psalm 73 (IVP, 1963)
- Spiritual Depression: Its Causes and Cures (Eerdmans, 1964)
- Romans: An Exposition of Chapters 3:20-4:25 - Atonement and Justification (Banner of Truth, 1970)
- Preaching & Preachers (Hodder & Stoughton, 1971)
- Romans: An Exposition of Chapter 5 - Assurance (Banner of Truth, 1971)
- God's Way of Reconciliation: An Exposition of Ephesians 2 (Baker, 1972)
- Romans: An Exposition of Chapter 6 - The New Man (Banner of Truth, 1972)
- Life in the Spirit in Marriage, Home and Work: An Exposition of Ephesians 5:18-6:9 (Baker, 1973)
- Romans: An Exposition of Chapter 1 - The Gospel of God (Banner of Truth, 1973)
- Romans: An Exposition of Chapter 7:1-8:4 - The Law: Its Functions and Limits (Banner of Truth, 1974)
- Romans: An Exposition of Chapter 8:5-17 - The Sons of God (Banner of Truth, 1974)
- Romans: An Exposition of Chapter 8:17-39 - The Final Perseverance of the Saints (Banner of Truth, 1975)
- The Christian Warfare: An Exposition of Ephesians 6:10-13 (Baker, 1976)
- The Christian Soldier: An Exposition of Ephesians 6:10-20 (Baker, 1977)
- God's Ultimate Purpose: An Exposition of Ephesians 1 (Baker, 1978)
- The Unsearchable Riches of Christ: An Exposition of Ephesians 3 (Baker, 1979)
- Christian Unity: An Exposition of Ephesians 4:1-16 (Baker, 1980)
- Darkness and Light: An Exposition of Ephesians 4:17-5:17 (Baker, 1982)
- Evangelistic Sermons at Aberavon (Banner of Truth, 1983)
- Expository Sermons on 2 Peter (Banner of Truth, 1983)
- Joy Unspeakable: Power and Renewal in the Holy Spirit (Kingsway, 1984)
- The Cross: God's Way of Salvation (Crossway, 1986)
- The Puritans: Their Origins and Successors (Banner of Truth, 1987)
- Revival (Crossway, 1987)
- Knowing the Times: Addresses Delivered on Various Occasions, 1942-77 (Banner of Truth, 1989)
- Romans: An Exposition of Chapter 2:1-3:20 - The Righteous Judgment of God (Banner of Truth, 1989)
- What Is an Evangelical? (Banner of Truth, 1992)
- Life in Christ: Studies in 1 John, vol. 1 - Fellowship with God (Crossway, 1993)
- Life in Christ: Studies in 1 John, vol. 2 - Walking with God (Crossway, 1993)
- D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones Letters:1919-1981 (Banner of Truth, 1994)
- Life in Christ: Studies in 1 John, vol. 3 - Children of God (Crossway, 1994)
- Life in Christ: Studies in 1 John, vol. 4 - The Love of God (Crossway, 1994)
- Life in Christ: Studies in 1 John, vol. 5 - Life of God (Crossway, 1994)
- Out of the Depths: Restoring Fellowship with God (Crossway, 1995)
- Great Doctrines of the Bible, vol. 1: God the Father, God the Son (Crossway, 1996)
- Old Testament Evangelistic Sermons (Banner of Truth, 1996)
- Great Doctrines of the Bible, vol. 2: God the Holy Spirit (Crossway, 1997)
- Romans: An Exposition Of Chapter 10 - Saving Faith (Banner of Truth, 1997)
- True Happiness: An Exposition of Psalm One (Bryntirion, 1997)
- Great Doctrines of the Bible, vol. 3: The Church and the Last Things (Crossway, 1998)
- Authentic Christianity: Sermons on the Acts of the Apostles, vol. 1: Acts 1-3 (Banner of Truth, 1999)
- God's Way Not Ours: Sermons on Isaiah 1:1-18 (Banner of Truth, 1999)
- Let Everybody Praise the Lord: An Exposition of Psalm 107 (Bryntirion, 1999)
- Romans: An Exposition of Chapter 11 - To God's Glory (Banner of Truth, 1999)
- The Assurance of Our Salvation: Exploring the Depth of Jesus Prayer for His Own (Studies in John 17) (Crossway, 2000)
- Studies in the Book of Acts, vol. 1: Authentic Christianity (Crossway, 2000)
- Heirs of Salvation: Studies in Biblical Assurance (Bryntirion, 2000)
- Romans: An Exposition of Chapter 12 - Christian Conduct (Banner of Truth, 2000)
- Authentic Christianity: Sermons on the Acts of the Apostles, vol. 2: Acts 4-5 (Banner of Truth, 2001)
- Studies in the Book of Acts, vol. 2: Courageous Christianity (Crossway, 2001)
- True Happiness: Psalms 1 and 107 (Crossway, 2001)
- Life in Christ: Studies in 1 John (The Original Five Volumes in One) (Crossway, 2002)
- Authentic Christianity: Sermons on the Acts of the Apostles, vol. 3: Acts 5:17-6:8 (Banner of Truth, 2003)
- Great Doctrines of the Bible, vols. 1-3 (Crossway, 2003)
- Romans: An Exposition Of Chapter 13 - Life in Two Kingdoms (Banner of Truth, 2003)
- Romans: An Exposition Of Chapter 14:1-17 - Liberty And Conscience (Banner of Truth, 2003)
- Studies in the Book of Acts, vol. 3: Victorious Christianity (Crossway, 2003)
- Authentic Christianity: Sermons on the Acts of the Apostles, vol. 4: Acts 7:1-29 (Banner of Truth, 2004)
- Studies in the Book of Acts, vol. 4: Glorious Christianity (Crossway, 2004)
- The All-Sufficient God: Sermons on Isaiah 40 (Banner of Truth, 2005)
- Seeking the Face of God: Nine Reflections on the Psalms (Crossway, 2005)
- Authentic Christianity: Sermons on the Acts of the Apostles, vol. 5: Acts 7:30-60 (Banner of Truth, 2006)
- Authentic Christianity: Sermons on the Acts of the Apostles, vol. 6: Acts 8:1-35 (Banner of Truth, 2006)
- Raising Children God's Way (Banner of Truth, 2007)
- The Christian in an Age of Terror: Sermons for a Time of War (Kregel, 2008)
- The Gospel in Genesis: From Fig Leaves to Faith (Crossway, 2009)
- Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled (Crossway, 2009)
- Living Water: Studies in John 4 (Crossway, 2009)
- The Kingdom of God (Crossway, 2010)
- Out of the Depths: Psalm 51 (Christian Focus, 2011)