David 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.
One down, thirteen to go! This is the main part of my reading goal for this year— to read through all 14 volumes of MLJ’s exposition of Romans. Pro tip: subscribe to the Martyn Lloyd-Jones podcast. The MLJ trust (www.mjjtrust.org) has converted all the audio recordings of his sermons to digital format. This basically allows you to make an audiobook out of this commentary. So every morning when I walk my dog I listen to a chapter. That is, I listen to one of his sermons.
How extraordinary they are! Preaching through Romans like MLJ did is one of those feats of strength and endurance that most people only read about. Like swimming the English Channel, or completing the Seven Summits. On October 7, 1955, MLJ began (on Friday nights, no less!) to teach through Romans. Thirteen years later, he concluded Chapter 14. The last word of the last sermon was “peace.”
After that, MLJ retired from his weekly pulpit duties because of illness. He did not complete the 16 chapters of Romans (slacker!) He spent the remaining years of his life editing the teaching notes and manuscripts that became this magnum opus.
Can you imagine a modern preacher doing that? He spent 29 weeks on the 32 verses of Romans 1, each sermon lasting almost 50 minutes. With no PowerPoint or video clips or LED lighting to set the mood or a worship leader to create the atmosphere.
Yet, to hear the sound of 1500 people rising to their feet for the closing prayer, on a Friday night, after this man spent fifty minutes on the phrase “called to be an apostle”— it is both a testimony to the power of God’s words spoken through a servant yielded to Him, as well as an indictment of how short our attention spans have grown in just half a century.
The sermons themselves are magnificent. As timely today in their critique of prosperity gospel and leader worship as they were in the decade immediately following WW2. If you read these, I can’t emphasize strongly enough how much it would benefit you to hear MLJ preach them. His style has been called “logic on fire,” and that is so apt. These are carefully constructed, systematic treatments of nearly every word of Romans, and the teaching leaps off the page. But then, you listen to the sermon! You hear Martyn Lloyd-Jones in his musical Welsh accent—with that epic rolling of the r’s—thunder about the r-r-r-rIGHTEOUSNESS of GOd! And the “grrrrrace of awr Lard Jesus Christ throughout our short uncertain pilgrimage.” Oh, if I could go back in time, it would be to London, on a Friday night in the early sixties. I would meet friends at a pub. We would have a pint of Guinness together. We’d walk to Westminster Chapel and settle in to our favorite wooden bench pew. Perhaps up in a corner of the horseshoe shaped balcony. And for the next hour, we would see and hear logic on fire, and come face to face with the righteousness of a holy God.
MLJ's sermons on Romans were a wonderful treat to a generation that did not know expository preaching. These books were based on his sermons, and were the first hid works that he wanted the new Banner of Truth to publish. How important books like this are today: readable, biblical, and sermonic! Not every commentary out there is accessible and helpful to all believers. But this set certainly is both accessible and very profitable for the soul. Highly recommended for every Christian.
Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Romans - An Exposition of Chapter 1: The Gospel of God. Carlisle: Banner of Truth, 1985. 394 pp. $28.00
This year, I set out to read all fourteen volumes of the Lloyd-Jones series on Romans. The first volume, Romans - An Exposition of Chapter 1: The Gospel of God is a theological feast for the soul. These messages are a part of a fourteen-year journey that Lloyd-Jones led his congregation through before his death in 1981.
The first volume guides readers through Romans 1:1 - 1:24, nearly four hundred pages - which should be a good sign for anyone who values solid exposition.
Anyone who knows Lloyd-Jones knows that his preaching was packed with gospel-centered, Christ-saturated teaching. This volume is no exception. A few citations should be enough to attract the attention of hungry followers of Christ:
"The business of the gospel is to make us righteous in the sight of God, to make us acceptable with a God, to enable us to stand in the presence of God."
“The business of the gospel is to bring people to God, and to reconcile them to God. Not to fill churches! Not to have good statistics! But to reconcile men to God - to save them from the wrath to come."
“If you do not see the wrath of God when you look at the cross of Calvary’s Hill, it is very certain that you do not see the love of God either."
“We must desire His glory and, therefore, we must desire to live for His glory. We must seek His will; we must desire to know His will. And our greatest endeavor always should be to do His will in all things and in all respects, whatever the consequences may be. That is godliness."
I stand with many others who consider Lloyd-Jones the finest expositor of the 20th century. May God raise a new generation of pastors and leaders who follow the lead of this zealous Welshman.
"Este Isus Cristos in prim-planul gandirii noastre, si a inimii noastre si a conversatiilor noastre?" pag. 33
"Esenta pacatului este incapacitatea omului de a-L glorifica pe Dumnezeu-"scopul suprem al omului", ne spune Catechismul, "este sa-L glorifice pe Dumnezeu si sa se bucure cu El vesnic"". pag.64
"Scriptura este autoritatea mea si niciodata n-am voie sa ies afara de aceasta. Niciodata n-am voie sa adaug ceva; niciodata n-am voie sa omit ceva din ea. Aceasta este intreaga revelatie a lui Dumnezeu pentru om si este singura autoritate." pag.91
"Credinta este ascultare de Cuvantul lui Dumnezeu." pag. 137
"Pavel a trait, a muncit si a murit pentru Numele lui. Faci tu la fel?" pag. 149
[...] Exista un singur raspuns- "Dar Dumnezeu!"[...]. pag.153
"Dumnezeu sa ne dea harul sa ne cercetam in lumina Cuvantului Sau." pag. 210
"Si apoi, mai presus de orice, credinta trebuie dovedita prin viata traita; trebuie sa duca la actiune, la o miscare, la o schimbare, la o marturisire, nu doar cu buzele, ci si cu viata nostra." pag.305
"Te-a facut dragostea lui Dumnezeu sa te intorci la Dumnezeu si sa traiesti pe deplin pentru gloria si lauda Sa?" pag. 311
"Daca nu vezi mania lui Dumnezeu cand te uiti la crucea de pe Calvar, e sigur ca nu vezi nici dragostea lui Dumnezeu." pag. 338
"S-au falit ca sunt intelepti si au innebunit." [...] Este aceasta intelepciune? Ei afirma ca nu pot crede in Dumnezeu, dar cred in evolutie si in toate contradictiile si monstruozitatile ei! Asa ceva pot crede si pot inghiti! Omaneii zic ca nu pot crede in Dumnezeu, dar uitati-va ce cred cand accepta teoria evolutiei! [...] Este aceasta intelepciune? [...] Ei nu se vor inchina Dumnezeului cerului; au impresia ca lucrul acesta este degradant; dar se vor inchina unui conducator de oameni. [...] Falindu-se ca sunt intelepti, Il resping pe Dumnezeului cerului, pe Fiinta glorioasa si vesnica, si iata ce fac in schimb. pag.376, 377
"Multumesc lui Dumnezeu pentru Romani 1:16 si 17 in lumina tutror acestor lucruri; "Caci mie nu mi-e rusine de Evanghelia lui Isus Cristos; fiindca este puterea lui Dumnezeu pentru mantuirea fiecaruia care crede. [...]". pag.381
In 1955, Lloyd-Jones began a series of sermons (on Friday nights!) through the book of Romans. It would take him more than a decade to conclude this study. Here, in this first volume, the Doctor examines the introductory arguments and foundations of Romans 1. In his inimitable yet highly accessible manner, the contents of this great epistle’s opening chapter are laid out with clarity and conviction. A tremendous resource, one worthy of careful thought and application.
This is the first of fourteen commentaries by D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones on the epistles to the Romans. All fourteen volumes are wonderful, amazing, expositional teachings from 1955-68, Westminster Chapel, London. I most highly recommend them.
Lloyd-Jones, with his masterful mind, sets up the greatest expositional series of his career. In Romans we read a great brain explaining the greatest writing of another great brain. Lloyd-Jones is brilliant here.
Only The Doctor could manage to spend 66 pages expounding Romans 1:1 and still make it edifying and helpful. I look forward to eventually reading his other 12 volumes on Romans.
This first volume of Dr Lloyd-Jones lectures on Romans covers the entirety of the first chapter. I will admit that it is front heavy. It slcenters around the first few verses and of course 16 and17. 18 and beyond are sped through. He does not spend much time on specific sins but in the sin nature. More than that the need for the Gospel as the remedy of sin is up front.
An incredible introduction to the Apostle Paul’s greatest letter. MLJ has a great ability to uncover deep meaning in not only every verse of the first chapter to the Romans, but almost every word. You can feel the authority of Paul through the commentary of MLJ. While a very pastoral sort of commentary, this also addresses some of the more complex exegetical elements of Paul’s letter. I am looking forward to continuing this commentary, chapter by chapter. Well worth your time.
As with many things by D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, this book, Volume 1 of 13 volumes covering most of Romans, was absolutely excellent. Jones does a wonderful job of going verse-by-verse through most of Romans 1, offering insight into specific words throughout the chapter and painting a Christ-exalting, gospel saturated picture of the opening to Paul's magnus opus. Jones is the master of taking theological truths that many find hard to understand and breaking them down into very understandable, manageable elements for the reader. I was greatly blessed and challenged by this volume and I look forward to reading more of this series.
I don't think many preachers does such clear exposition of God's word these days. Such a blessing just reading his sermonic messages in this book. I bought the whole Roman Series; moving on to the next book with anticipation!
Phenomenal book. Martyn Lloyd-Jones is simply amazing. 400 pages on the first chapter of Romans!!! And I feel like he thought he could go even deeper! What a great collection of sermons, I used it like a commentary to compliment my reading of Romans. Now on to volume 2!!! Highest recommendation
This is Lloyd-Jones at his very best. The beginning is a little slow, but he hits his stride as he gets to his exposition of the gospel in Romans 1:16ff.
Lloyd Jones may be the goat - he presents here a series of sermons on Romans chapter 1 - He will make you see just how much depth is not only in the Bible but in the Everest that the book of Romans is. He is a master expositor and I would recommend not only reading as a commentary but in general reading also.
Invaluable and comprehensive, Reformed, warm, and God-honouring. MLJ is characteristically on point and this is an essential text for studying or preaching through Romans