Focus

by D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

I want to emphasize that fact.
When the apostle Paul (our great example in this matter of preaching, teaching and evangelizing) went to Corinth, he reached a certain decision. Whatever his reason, Paul determined solemnly at Corinth ‘not to know anything among them, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified’, This was a deliberate decision, reinforced by strong determination on his part. In other words, Paul decided that he was not going to waste his time with them in arguing about presuppositions. He was not going to start with a preliminary philosophical argument and then gradually lead them on into the truth. No! He begins by proclaiming authoritatively the Lord Jesus Christ. And in Galatians iii. 1 he uses an even stronger term; for he reminds the Galatians that he ‘placarded’ Christ crucified before them. He was like a bill-poster, a man carrying a placard. There also he started with Jesus Christ.

I have an increasing feeling that we must come back to this. I am not sure that apologetics has not been the curse of evangelical Christianity for the last twenty to thirty years.* I am not saying that apologetics is not necessary. But I am suggesting that, with a kind of worldly wisdom, we have been approaching the world on the grounds of apologetics instead of (with the apostle Paul), determining not to know anything ‘save Christ crucified’. "We must become fools for Christ’s sake," says Paul. ‘If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise’ (1 Corinthians iii. 18).
*The lecture series was given in September 1957.
We assert Him, we proclaim Him, we start with Him, because He is the ultimate and the final Authority. We start with the fact of Jesus Christ, because He is really at the centre of the whole of our position and the whole of our case rests upon Him.

It is to me interesting and rather extraordinary that we ourselves as Evangelicals should ever seem to forget this. I suppose that one reason may be our familiarity with the Scriptures. We are guilty of ‘missing the wood because of the trees’. I am convinced that most of our troubles today are due to the fact that we have become so immersed in secondary details that we have lost the main picture. We are missing the whole, because of our interest in the parts. If we could but stand back and just look at the New Testament and the whole Bible with fresh eyes, I believe we would be rather amazed at the fact that the really big claim which is made in the whole of the New Testament, is for the supreme authority of the Lord Jesus Christ...
...

From the book: "Authority"
Banner of Truth edition 1984
Amazon.com
D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones 1899 - 1981
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