When living in an antagonistic world, the tendency is to turn the faith into nothing more than a higher law. Holiness becomes nothing more than an occupation. To what does this lead? It leads to a wrongful fear of God; a tormented view, seeing God as merely a distant law-giver. This doesn’t lead to a life of joy, but rather a spirit of bondage. In this sermon on spiritual bondage from Romans 8:15–17 titled “The Spirit of Bondage,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones addresses this issue through examining the doctrine of adoption. The Christian is invited to call God “abba.” A slave cannot call their taskmaster “father”––only a child can do this. Adoption means that God is not a distant law-giver, but a father who is near. Listen as Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that desire to live a holy life must not come not from an attempt to appease God. On the contrary, that desire to live a holy life is because He is the father and Christians are His children. And if children, then heirs; heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ. The moment this is realised, everything begins to change.
Up Next in Spiritual Depression
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That your joy may be full
In this sermon “That Your Joy May Be Full” from Ephesians 3:14–21, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones continues exploring the reasons for spiritual depression. One reason many fall into spiritual depression is that they fail to realize what they were meant to be, what is available for them, and what God inte...
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Dead to Sin
God forbid. Aided by their natural minds, some in Paul’s day made it a habit of using grace as a cloak for sin. Paul argues against this mindset as he refutes those who charged him with preaching antinomianism—the belief that the gospel absolves any obligation to keep moral law. In this sermon on...
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Alive Unto God
Unruly fears, anxieties, and worries lead the believer to spiritual depression. This need not be. In this sermon on Romans 6:5–8 titled “Alive Unto God,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones declares the believer’s sure hope: they are raised with Christ. What one believes must be driven by facts. The fact is t...
