The idea that someone might become a Christian and never deal with doubt, discouragement, depression, and suffering is unbiblical. It’s possible for genuine Christians to be miserable. While Satan cannot rob Christians of their salvation, he can make them miserable Christians. In this sermon on 1 Timothy 1:16, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones examines one particular strategy which Satan may use in depressing Christians: reminding them of past sin. Something one did, or said – “that one sin” – can haunt them years later. While this Christian certainly believes God saves sinners, they feel that that sin is in a different category; that the gravity or volume of past sin places them outside of God’s grace. Listen in as the Doctor explains that depression caused by looking at past sin stems from a poor understanding of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Jesus did not die for a certain kind of sinner–He died for the greatest of sinners. The grace required to save the most respectable person in society is the same grace which saves the least. As Satan tempts to despair, God’s chosen must look to the cross of Jesus Christ and see He who died for all of our sin.
Up Next in Spiritual Depression
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Vain Regrets
“If you can't do anything about a thing,” he argues, “stop thinking about it.” The Apostle Paul was a man whose past was filled with sin and his energies were devoted to harm and destroy the Christian message. Yet, with all of his past sin, Paul does not find misery in the present. His past does ...
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Fear of the Future
In this sermon on 2 Timothy 1:7, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones addresses fear of the future as a contributor to depression. Satan’s primary goal is to discredit Christ, and therefore, he attacks Christians. To do so, he tempts us to dwell on the future and then fear of the unknown becomes paralyzing and...
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Feelings
In this sermon on 2 Timothy 1:6 titled “Feelings,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones deals with the problem of feelings in the Christian life. Everybody wants to be happy. The problem is that no one can make themselves happy. The human is not a master of self and cannot produce feeling. Try as hard as one m...
