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Romans #4
Romans: Assurance, Exposition of Chapter 5
Dr. Lloyd-Jones saw Romans 5 as a central chapter in the entire letter. Here is Paul's exposition of the blessings of justification by faith; but here too, the cosmic roots of our salvation are traced back to Christ.
370 pages, Hardcover
First published December 1, 1971
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174 people want to read
About the author
D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
344 books588 followersDavid Martyn Lloyd-Jones 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.
David Martyn Lloyd-Jones was married to Bethan Lloyd-Jones
Books about D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones: https://www.goodreads.com/characters/...
David Martyn Lloyd-Jones was married to Bethan Lloyd-Jones
Books about D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones: https://www.goodreads.com/characters/...
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
October 11, 2020
Classic Lloyd-Jones.
August 3, 2025
It is interesting that MLJ chose to summarize the 5th chapter of Romans with the word “assurance.” I’m not sure that is the word I would have used before reading this commentary. If I was attempting to give a one word summary of the chapter, I might offer justification, reconciliation, substitution, atonement, grace, or something along those lines. But as MLJ points out, if you mix all of those things in a blender, Romans 5 is going to give you a gospel of assurance. If God has justified us, reconciled us to the Father, through his substitutionary death, providing an atonement for sins, as an act of grace, then we should come away with an absolute assurance. Not just of our salvation but all the other promises found in Christ. This one is worth your time.
May 25, 2022
One of the best, if not the best, commentaries on the book of Romans 5
July 3, 2025
The best volume yet. Romans 5 is so rich.
“You stand in grace; you do not slink into it; you do not creep into it; you do not crawl into it! Christ justifies us and we walk into this grace, and we stand in it.”
“You stand in grace; you do not slink into it; you do not creep into it; you do not crawl into it! Christ justifies us and we walk into this grace, and we stand in it.”
December 13, 2022
I always consult Lloyd-Jones on the passage I’m preaching for the week. This volume was not quite as helpful as the previous ones, but still worthwhile nonetheless.
May 11, 2017
My only complaint with this book is that it's too in depth . You need to be a committed student of Scripture to read this one . Romans chapter 5 is one of my favorite bible sections , but this was incredibly thorough . The first 56 pages dealt with verses 1 & 2 ! Give yourself a a good month if you decide to pursue it .
May 19, 2023
Romans: Assurance: Exposition of Chapter 5 is another volume in the series of published sermons that David Martyn Lloyd-Jones preached at Westminster Chapel in London from 1955-1968. As such, I find that there are times when I resonate with his exposition of scripture and times when I lose patience and argue in the margins (especially when he is overly literal in interpretation on one page and ignores his own methodology to accept a symbolic exposition a few pages later). I found myself frustrated with his insistence upon a historical Adam (despite the fact that the use of the word Adam in the Bible is predominantly used for humankind in general) and his insistence that the doctrine of “election” negates authentic free will. In short, his Calvinism in this work is sometimes more Calvin than Calvin.
For those who wonder why I still like the book, despite such fundamental disagreements, I have to say that it is because most of it is good preaching. Even when I disagree with him, I understand the point from which he is coming and accept what he is trying to accomplish. And for this volume, particularly, Romans: Assurance: Exposition of Chapter 5, I very much enjoyed some of his illustrations. It didn’t seem like he used that many in the previous two volumes I read. So, let me share some of my favorites from this volume because it will certainly be more enjoyable than recapitulating the arguments in my book margins. For example, at one point he sees Adam as literal, but immediately jumps to Sin as personified (p. 193).
I appreciated Lloyd-Jones’ comparison of faith as being like a compass needle. He observed that magnetic interference may cause the needle to leave magnetic north temporarily, but “…it will find its place of rest in the north. It may know agitation, it may know a lot of violence, but it will go back to its centre, it always finds the place of rest, and the same thing is always true of faith.” (p. 23)
Again, he uses the idea of playing the piano as an illustration of the difference between a righteous and a good man. “A man may play the piano correctly, strike the right note every time and keep the right time, and yet all you can truthfully say about his playing is that it is correct. But there is another man who plays the piano, and plays the same piece; yet you realize at once that there is something more. He is an artist, he puts life into the performance, he does it in such a way that it moves you and it thrills you. The first man was quite correct, but he lacked this extra something that the second man has got. That is the kind of difference between a righteous man and a good man.” (p. 121)
At another point, Lloyd-Jones was making a point about how Christians should be full of hope, though secularists don’t really have hope. He quotes a woman who was on the Brain Trust television program. The question was raised as to whether philosophy could give comfort to people in need. Her answer was “No” because, being non-religious, she asserted, “There are just facts, but there is no comfort.” (p. 316)
Again, as I noted on a previous occasion, these volumes are useful to me, even though I cannot offer my wholesale assent to his arguments. I can, however, offer my wholesale assent to his assertion that Jesus is God’s perfect provision for both meaning of life and the expectation of life eternal.
For those who wonder why I still like the book, despite such fundamental disagreements, I have to say that it is because most of it is good preaching. Even when I disagree with him, I understand the point from which he is coming and accept what he is trying to accomplish. And for this volume, particularly, Romans: Assurance: Exposition of Chapter 5, I very much enjoyed some of his illustrations. It didn’t seem like he used that many in the previous two volumes I read. So, let me share some of my favorites from this volume because it will certainly be more enjoyable than recapitulating the arguments in my book margins. For example, at one point he sees Adam as literal, but immediately jumps to Sin as personified (p. 193).
I appreciated Lloyd-Jones’ comparison of faith as being like a compass needle. He observed that magnetic interference may cause the needle to leave magnetic north temporarily, but “…it will find its place of rest in the north. It may know agitation, it may know a lot of violence, but it will go back to its centre, it always finds the place of rest, and the same thing is always true of faith.” (p. 23)
Again, he uses the idea of playing the piano as an illustration of the difference between a righteous and a good man. “A man may play the piano correctly, strike the right note every time and keep the right time, and yet all you can truthfully say about his playing is that it is correct. But there is another man who plays the piano, and plays the same piece; yet you realize at once that there is something more. He is an artist, he puts life into the performance, he does it in such a way that it moves you and it thrills you. The first man was quite correct, but he lacked this extra something that the second man has got. That is the kind of difference between a righteous man and a good man.” (p. 121)
At another point, Lloyd-Jones was making a point about how Christians should be full of hope, though secularists don’t really have hope. He quotes a woman who was on the Brain Trust television program. The question was raised as to whether philosophy could give comfort to people in need. Her answer was “No” because, being non-religious, she asserted, “There are just facts, but there is no comfort.” (p. 316)
Again, as I noted on a previous occasion, these volumes are useful to me, even though I cannot offer my wholesale assent to his arguments. I can, however, offer my wholesale assent to his assertion that Jesus is God’s perfect provision for both meaning of life and the expectation of life eternal.
June 27, 2024
This was the most encouraging commentary/book I have ever read on the topic of assurance. Jones takes you through chapter 5 of Romans verse by verse. I struggled with assurance a lot as a new believer, and I wish I had read this!
“We must be clear about this. I am constituted a righteous person - that is how God regards me. I am now in His family, I am now His child, and when I sin now I am not sinning against Law, I am sinning against Love. It is no longer the action of a criminal, it is the action of a child. It is in the relationship of love that we now fail. The whole situation is different.
I do not cease to be a righteous person when I sin; though I am an unworthy one, I am still a righteous person.
God has declared it.”
“We must be clear about this. I am constituted a righteous person - that is how God regards me. I am now in His family, I am now His child, and when I sin now I am not sinning against Law, I am sinning against Love. It is no longer the action of a criminal, it is the action of a child. It is in the relationship of love that we now fail. The whole situation is different.
I do not cease to be a righteous person when I sin; though I am an unworthy one, I am still a righteous person.
God has declared it.”
February 28, 2021
Where sin abounded, grace super-abounded! Grace not only fixes what we lost in Adam but gives us more than what we lost in him. Through Christ, we not only are made right with God, we are free from sin. Adam lost his righteousness when he sinned in the garden, but by the grace of God, we get Christ righteousness when we trust in Him!
The believer is no longer under the reign, power, and dominion of sin. Instead, he is under the reign of grace. Grace gives him the power to obey God! Praise God we are no longer slaves of sin but of righteousness.
The believer is no longer under the reign, power, and dominion of sin. Instead, he is under the reign of grace. Grace gives him the power to obey God! Praise God we are no longer slaves of sin but of righteousness.
January 19, 2018
Another masterful book!! Lloyd-Jones writing decades ago taught the full council of God and no matter the age of this book it is like he is writing today. Over 360 pages on 21 verses, and to be honest...I am seriously sad to have this book come to an end. This is the fourth book in his Romans series and it is the best yet! Highest recommendation
July 31, 2022
Excellent expositions on the believer's assurance of salvation and the magnificence of God's grace. This book was a pure delight to read. I feel I have gained a greater and deeper understanding of God's love for sinners such as myself. So many more books to read and many more wonderful truths yet to discover in this series on Paul's epistle to the Romans. I'll be starting the next right away!
August 5, 2021
The entire set is of course amazing. And given the source material (Rom 5) of course this volume stands out. MLJ on assurance is something that every Christian can profit from.
January 12, 2022
Dr Lloyd-Jones works through some quite technical texts of Romans 5, doing so as per his style, with a fine tooth comb. The main theme is 'Assurance' and is a very valuable study.
February 6, 2022
Might be my favorite book/set of lectures by MLJ. It is so encouraging and uplifting for believers.
April 8, 2019
The value of this exposition of Romans 5 cannot be overstated. Lloyd Jones meticulously goes verse-by-verse to explore the deep truths of justification by faith, reconciliation, assurance, adoption, the blood of Christ and sin. The discussion of my relationship to Adam and to Christ opened my eyes and helped me gain a greater appreciation for exactly what Jesus' death means to me and it showed me the awfulness of sin. If I ever struggled with my assurance of faith in Christ, my salvation; I struggle no more. What a blessing to read this book from cover to cover. The book was extremely edifying.
May 9, 2016
Few preachers expound Scripture in so vibrant a manner. Powerful, graceful.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews