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Great Doctrines of the Bible—God the Father, God the Son/ Martyn Lloyd Jones

17. Adam’s Posterity and Original Sin 

The immediate consequences of the fall are stated in the following passages: 

a). Genesis 3:14-16, “he LORD God said to the serpent,/ ‘Because you have done this,/ cursed are you above all livestock/ and above all beasts of the field;/ on your belly you shall go,/ and dust you shall eat/ all the days of your life./ 15 I will put enmity between you and the woman,/ and between your offspring and her offspring;/ he shall bruise your head,/ and you shall bruise his heel./16 To the woman he said,/ I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing;/ in pain you shall bring forth children./ Your desire shall be for your husband,/ and he shall rule over you.” 

b). Genesis 3:19, “And to Adam he said,/ ‘Because you have listened to the voice of your wife/ and have eaten of the tree/ of which I commanded you,/ ‘You shall not eat of it,’/ cursed is the ground because of you;/ in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life;/ 18 thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you;/ and you shall eat the plants of the field.” 

c). Romans 8: 20, “For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope” 

The universality of sin is asserted throughout the Bible. (See Isaiah 53:6, Romans 3:10 & 3:19; 3:23, James 3:2, 1 John 1:8, 1 John 1:10). 

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Great Doctrines of the Bible—God the Father, God the Son/ Martyn Lloyd Jones

16. The Fall 

It is affirmed that what was written in the Bible concerning the fall of humans shall be taken as literal history. (See Job 31:33; Hosea 6:7; 1 Corinthians 11:3; 1 Timothy 2:14). 

Genesis tells us these: 

a). “[E]vil, sin and temptation came from the outside; they came from Satan, using the serpent. . . . and he had perfect free will to decide what to do with it” (182). 

b). The steps to the fall: the serpent attacked the woman, and she listened to the slanders of the devil against God. She “began to doubt God’s word and God’s love” and to “to look at the thing which God had prohibited” (183). She began to “desire it and to lust after it”; finally, it is humans’ “definite act of disobedience” (183). We cannot answer what made them do this, but the “most we can say is man’s moral constitution, his being made in the image of God, and his possession of free will, at any rate held the possibility of his disobedience” (183). (See the corresponding verse: 1 John 2:15-16). 

Great Doctrines of the Bible—God the Father, God the Son/ Martyn Lloyd Jones

15. The Divine Image in Man

Verses:

* Genesis 1:26-27, “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’27 So God created man in his own image,/ in the image of God he created him;/ male and female he created them.”
* Genesis 5:1-3, “This is the book of the generations of Adam. When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God. 2 Male and female he created them, and he blessed them and named them Man when they were created. 3 When Adam had lived 130 years, he fathered a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth.”
* Genesis 9:6, ““Whoever sheds the blood of man,/ by man shall his blood be shed,/ for God made man in his own image.”
* James 3:9, “With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God.”
* Ephesians 4:24, “and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.”
* Colossians 3:10, “and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.”

There are several points that need to be made:
* First, “It is generally agreed that there is no real difference of meaning between ‘image’ and ‘likeness’”; it is “the idea of a mirror and a reflection” (169). (See 2 Corinthians 3:18). So when we say man is made in the image of God, “we mean that God made us in such a way that we are some kind of a reflection of God” (169); that is to say, man was “a kind of reflector of something of the divine glory itself” (170).
* Second, “this term is used after the fall, as well as before the fall”; that is to say, “the image of God was not entirely lost when Adam and Eve sinned and fell” (170).
* Third, “it is something misleading to define the original image of God in man in terms of what we are about regenerate man”; that means “what happened in regeneration is not merely that we are restored to the condition that Adam was in before he fell, but we are advanced beyond that” (170).
* Fourth, “there is a difference between man as he was made at the beginning by God, and the manhood or the humanity of the Lord Jesus Christ” (171).

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Great Doctrines of the Bible—God the Father, God the Son/ Martyn Lloyd Jones

14. The Creation of Man 

First of all, Lloyd Jones talks about the uniqueness of the creation of man.

a). In Genesis 1:26, “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’” It is quite clear that “the three Persons of the blessed Trinity held counsel together before man was created” (154). Besides, “there was a kind of pause” between the creation of other things and man (154).
b). When God created man, there is no such phrase “after their kind” (154).
c). God created man in a very peculiar and distinct way: “then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature” (Genesis 2:7); that is to say, “there is a distinction between the body and the spirit, the material and the immaterial parts” (154).
d). Man “was made Lord over the whole of creation, over all nature, over all creatures, and all the beasts” (155).

Great Doctrines of the Bible—God the Father, God the Son/ Martyn Lloyd Jones

13. Providence 

There are three powerful arguments for the doctrine of providence: 

a). The fact of prophecy: “Prophecy is not merely foreknowledge, it is a guarantee—that the prophesied events are going to happen because God is in control” (143). 

b). Answers to prayer: “If you did not believe that God controlled everything, there would be no point in praying” (143). 

c). Argument from miracles: “if it were not the case that God has His hand upon everything, and is controlling everything, then miracles simply could not take place at all” (143). 

Providence: “that continued exercise of the divine energy whereby the Creator upholds all his creatures, is operative in all that transpires in the world, and directs all things to their appointed end” (143). 

• And there are three aspects of providence: 

a). Preservation: “that continuous work of God by which He maintains the things which He has created, together with the properties and powers with which He has endowed them” (143); in other words, “He keeps everything in being” (144). (See Psalm 104: 28-30; Acts 17:28; Colossians 1:17; Hebrews 1:3). 

b). The governmental aspect of providence: “the continued activity of God whereby He rules all things to a definite end and object, and does so in order to secure the accomplishment of His own divine purpose” (144). (See Psalm 97:1; Psalm 103:19; Isaiah 40:15; Daniel 4:34-35). 

c). The aspect of concurrence: “the co-operation of God and His divine power with all the subordinate powers according to the pre-established laws of their operation, causing them to act and to act precisely as they do” (145); in other words, “God works through them. They have their own operations, but God is over all these operations” (145). (See Psalm 104:20-21; Psalm 104:30; Amos 3:6; Matthew 5:34). 

Great Doctrines of the Bible—God the Father, God the Son/ Martyn Lloyd Jones

12. the Creation of the World 

First of all, certain general points must be made: a). “we are not given a fully detailed account or philosophy of creation and yet we claim that the account which we are given is wholly accurate” (127); b). “God made everything out of nothing. The world has a distinct existence but it is always dependent upon God”; c). “The Bible does not give a reason for creation. It did not happen as the result of a need in God; there was no necessity for it. Neither was it because of His love. It was a free act according to His will and glory and, ultimately, we do not know the reason why” (128).

Lloyd Jones states, “creation was the work of the triune God”: “So it is the perfect work of the Three-in-One-out of the Father, through the Son and in the Holy Spirit. Or, as it has been expressed: the being is in the Father, the idea is in the Son and life is in the Spirit” (128). (See John 1:3; 1 Corinthian 8:6; Col. 1:16).

As for the “time” of creation, Lloyd Jones indicates that there is no time with God (128). Also, the words that are used in the Bible concerning creation are these:
a). bara: “calling into being without the aid of pre-existing material. . . describes divine activity”;
b). asah: this means “to prepare out of exiting material”;
c). yatsar: this means “to fashion out of pre-existing material” in Genesis 2:7(129).

What exactly happened at creation?
“Day 1: The creation of light.
Day 2: The creation of the expanse and the separation of the waters.
Day 3: The separation of water and dry land and the preparation of the earth as a habitation for man and beast
Day 4: The creation of light-bearers
Day 5: The creation of the birds of the air and fish of the sea
Day 6: The creation of the beasts of the field, cattle and creeping things and man” (130).

Great Doctrines of the Bible—God the Father, God the Son Martyn Lloyd Jones

11. The Devil and the Fallen Angels

First of all, Lloyd Jones talks about the names of the Devil: Satan (Adversary), the devil (slanderer), Beelzebub (he is the prince of the devils), Apollyon, the angel of the bottomless pit, the prince of this world, the god of this world, “the prince of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2:2), the dragon, a lion, Lucifer, that old serpent, the evil one. 

Secondly, the devil is a person (117). Please see the Gospels of the temptations of our Lords (Luke 4:1-13), and Satan in Job 1 and in Genesis. Lloyd Jones wants us to realise that “apart from the sin that is in us, and the evil of our nature as the result of the Fall, we are confronted by a person outside us who is tracking us down, a person who has a kingdom, of which he is the head, and which is highly organized, and his one great concern is to destroy the work of God” (118). In Ephesians, it warns us that “we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12).

Satan was created: “On the day that you were created/ they were prepared” (Ezekiel 28:13). And he is the highest form of being, the head of all created beings, and that his function is to worship God, and to present to Him the adoration of the entire universe: He was anointed guardian cherub (Ezekiel 28:14). He was blameless in his ways from the day he was created, till unrighteousness was found in him (Ezekiel 28:15). It is because his heart was proud due to his beauty (28:17). (See also Isaiah 14:12-15).

The power of Satan is even greater than the power of archangel and the power of man (See Jude 9; 2Peter 2:10-11). He is a “roaring lion” (1 Peter 5:8), “leviathan” (Isaiah 27:1), and “dragon.” Through reading the Book of Job, we also know that “the devil can affect and influence our bodies” (121). (See also 2 Corinthians 12:7).

Great Doctrines of the Bible—God the Father, God the Son/ Martyn Lloyd Jones

10. Good Angels

The term angel means “messenger” (103). Lloyd Jones begins the theme with this: “angels were in existence even before the creation of the world” (103). Angels are created beings, and they “have spiritual bodies. . . . as our Lord’s human frame became a spiritual body, a glorified body, after His resurrection” (104 & 105). Angels never die, and they are inferior to the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, but superior to man (105 & 106). (See Luke 20:36; Psalms 8:4-6). 

There are certain names of angels: spirit (Ephesians 1:21), holy angels (Luke 9:26), the elect angels (1Timothy 5:21), ministering angels (Hebrew 1:14), cherubim (Ps. 99:1; Ezek. 10:1-22), seraphim (Isa. 6:2), and living creatures or the beasts (Revelation 4).

Angels are “symbolic of our ultimate salvation and glorification, and of our eternal existence in the immediate presence of the glorious God” (107). The number of angels is countless (See Matthew 26:53; Luke 2:13); the Scripture tells us there are “myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands” (Revelation 5:11). 

There is a division both in status and in work among angels (108). Archangel, Michael, is the chiefest of all, the supreme (See 1 Thessalonians 4:16; Jude 1:9; Daniel 10: 13). Gabriel is the angel who “stands in the presence of God, waiting, as it were, to be given a message” (108). (See Luke 1:26; Luke 1:19).

Great Doctrines of the Bible—God the Father, God the Son/ Martyn Lloyd Jones

9. The Eternal Decrees of God 

The eternal decrees of God are “things which God determined and ordained before He had done anything at all” (93). The reasons for considering this difficult doctrine are these: a). “I must take my whole Bible,” b). “it will reveal to us fresh aspects of the glory of God Himself,” c). “it will save us from many errors,” d). “I know of nothing that gives me greater consolation than this particular doctrine” (94).

The methods for considering the doctrine are these: we must “get rid of your prejudices and any kind of party spirit,” and we “must not approach this subject philosophically”; in other words, we must approach the subject with humility and reverence; “we must approach it by faith, and with a ready admission of our own limits” (95).

* The first principle of the doctrine—the eternal decrees of God—is that “from eternity God has had an unchangeable plan with reference to His creatures” (96). (See Eph. 1:4; Gal. 4:4).

* Second, “the plan of God comprehends and determines all things and events of every kind that come to pass”; that is “all things are ultimately determined and decreed by Him” (96). All things must include “the free actions, the voluntary actions of free and voluntary agents” (97). (See Eph. 1:10-11; Proverbs 16:33; Matthew 10:29-30; Proverbs 21:1; Ephesians 2:10; Philippians 2:13). 

* Third, “even sinful actions are in the hands of God” (97). (See Acts 2:23; 4:27-28; Genesis 34:8; Genesis 50:20). Lloyd Jones explicates, “In view of what we have already agreed about the holiness of God, we must at once say this: God does not cause evil in any sense or in any degree. He does not approve of evil. But He permits the wicked agents to perform it and then He overrules it for His own and holy ends” (98).

* Fourth, “all the decrees of God are unconditional and sovereign” (98). To be more specific, God’s decrees are not dependent in any sense on human actions or by anything that people may or may not do, and not in the light of what He knows people are going to do. “They do not depend upon anything except God’s own will and God’s own holiness” (98). (See Daniel 4:35; Matthew 11:25-26; Eph. 1:5; Romans 9:11-14; 9:15-18).

a very special restaurant/ 黃莛予

I remember when I was 18 years old, my mom took me to a very special restaurant to celebrate my birthday, it is famous for it's building, it build like a castle so that the restaurant was very popular in my county, we must make reservation before we attend. After arriving, it really shocked me a lot,the beautiful decorate and the shining light just like I'm in the castle, until the hostess took us to the seats, we started to order. The appetizers and the aperitif amazed me a lot, the entrees was delicious too, not only their foods but also their entertainment, you can play table soccer after you finished eating, their concierge were also kind and courteous, thanks for my mom to give me such a wonderful dinner, I have a fabulous night.

Capsule Hotel/ 力丸莉江

I will introduce very unique hotel in Japan.

That is “Capsule hotel”. Capsule Hotel offer individuals small capsule. Just enough size to sleep inside. Capsule are stacked side by side in rows and a until on top of the other. Each capsule is equipped with a TV, light, ventilation, and an alarm clock, which are arranged so that users could operate while lying down. And some capsule hotels offer separate floors for men and women.

In a Hotel/ 尤祥富

Lots of hotels are located in resort areas. There are lots kind of hotel,such as boutique hotel, suite hotel or general hotel....

Besides,the room in the hotel is the most important for customers. There are also several forms of room that customers can select. There are single rooms, double rooms,deluxe single rooms,and superior room,etc.

People usually make a reservation before entering the hotel. As people come into the hotel,there is usually a desk clerk or a bellhop standing beside the entrance. Those who often welcome guests and help them with taking their luggage to the room which they reserved. Guests will check and sign the guest book. After checking in their reservation, they will get the room key. They can start to use their room and enjoy themselves during staying at hotel.

Resort/ 任熹

With the development of the economy, people are rich, so they always go to resort in the vacation. And they will book apposite hotels before them arrive. Hotels offer various rooms for travelers. In general, such as single room, double room and junior suite. If you want to enjoy a different feel, you can choose presidential suite, seaside view room and deluxe single. It will be an unforgettable experience. Firstly, bellhop will take your luggage. You can enjoy sauna,jacuzzi and a king-size bed inside you room. If you like, you can extend your stay  to 2 p.m. Buffet foods are delectable. Do not forget.You need to pay a lot of money.

Going to a new hotel/ 洪千賀

Going to a new hotel is always fun for me, I like to explore all the new decor, the room service menu, the bathroom and especially the bed. I'm always very excited about the bed, to see how soft it'll be and to sleep on it. But, that's not the best part yet, one of the things that defines a hotel's good or bad is their food. The food determines whether we will recommend our friends to come to this hotel in the future if they ever come visit the same place as we did. I've always preferred a room with the view, one time me and my family stayed in a room with an ocean view plus the best angle of the sunrise. Me and my brother woke up at five in the morning just to wait for the sunrise and it was amazing, absolutely worth it.

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Great Doctrines of the Bible—God the Father, God the Son/ Martyn Lloyd Jones

8. The Names of God and the Holy Trinity 

Lloyd Jones says, “A name, stands for who the person really is; his character, his propensities, and perfections” (80). Through the names of God, we are able to know the character of Him. 

a). The first category of God’s names describes “God as a transcendent God, great and high and mighty and uplifted in His glory” (81). For instance: * El: “This means being first, being supreme. It carries the idea of strength and of power—mightiness” (80). * Elohim: it “is plural in form. This again carries the idea that God is someone who is to be feared as well as someone who is powerful, and this is the name that God generally uses when He is speaking of Himself in terms of creation” (80). * Elyon: it means “the high and exalted One. * Adonai: it means “the mighty Lord, the Ruler to whom everything is subject and to whom people are related as servants. . . . used by God when addressing the children of Israel” (81). 

b). The second category of God’s names is “designed to show the relationship of that exalted, eternal, almighty being to His creatures and His creation” (81). * Shaddai: “this describes God as possessing all power in heaven and in earth. . . . emphasises his great and mercy ” (81). * Yahweh (Jehovah): the best name of all; it means that “God describes Himself as I am that I am” or “I shall be what I shall be” (81). This describes God’s “unchangeableness, and especially His unchangeableness in His relationship to His people” and “God is the self-existence One” (81). This is “the great covenant name of God” (81). * Jehovah-sabaoth means “the Lord of hosts” (1 Sam. 1:3)—the angelic hosts (82). * Jehovah-jireh: “the Lord will provide” (Gen. 22:14). Jehovah-ropheh; the Lord that heals (Exod. 15:26). * Johovah-nissi: the Lord my banner (Exod. 17:15). * Jehovah-shalom: the God of peace (Judges 6:24). * Jehovah-ro’eh: the Lord my shepherd (Psalm 23). * Jehovah-tsidkenu: the Lord our Righteousness (Jeremiah 23:6). * Jehovah-shammah; the Lord is present: “the Lord is there” (Ezekiel 48:35). * Emmanuel: “the greatest name of all”; this means “God with us, the mighty ruler, the eternal God, who has come down among us and into time” (83). 

Great Doctrines of the Bible—God the Father, God the Son/ Martyn Lloyd Jones

7. The Moral Attributes of God

The moral attributes of God is also described as the communicable attributes of God (69). 

a). The first one is the holiness of God. The primarily meaning of holiness is “separation—separation from evil” (69); that is, God is absolutely pure and entirely “apart from sin” (69). God is utterly holy “that nothing but that awful death could make it possible for Him to forgive us. The cross is the supreme and the sublimest declaration and revelation of the holiness of God” (71). Due to the holiness of God, we should approach Him “with reverence and awe” (Hebrew 28:12). Moreover, unless we have a true conception of the holiness of God, we will never know we are a terrible sinner. God’s holiness does not only make us know our sin, but also shows “the absolute necessity of the atonement” (72). 

b). Second, it is the righteousness or the justice of God. It is “that quality in God which always reveals God as doing that which is right”; “[r]ighteousness and justice are the carrying out of God’s holiness and the expression of it in the government of the world” (72). Lloyd Jones clarifies, “righteousness is the demonstration of God’s legislative holiness”; justice is “God’s judicial holiness” (72). There is a further definition: “the righteousness of God is God’s love of holiness, and the justice of God is God’s abomination of sin” (72). These attributes are manifested in God’s wrath, God’s forgiving our sins, keeping of His word, His reward for the righteous, and His declaration of His own righteousness and absolute justice. Furthermore, God “declares us to be righteous in a legal or forensic sense. That is justification by faith. But He also makes us righteous. That is sanctification” (74).

Great Doctrines of the Bible—God the Father, God the Son/ Martyn Lloyd Jones

6. The Attributes of God’s Absolute Personality

We must understand what the Bible tells us about God so that our worship can be real. The attributes of God mean “some of the perfections of God” or, “some of the virtues of God” (59). Lloyd Jones classifies the attributes of God into two classifications: a). “the attributes of absolute personality which belong to God,” and b). “the moral attributes of God” (60). This chapter will focus on the first one.

a). The first great attribute is “the eternality of God, and with it the immutability of God”; this means, “God is without beginning and without ending. He is everlasting” (60). (See Psalms 90:2; James 1:17). However, somebody may want to ask a question: “Does not the Bible tell us that God repented of certain things?” (61). Jones’ answer is this: “God’s character never changes, but His dealings with people change” (61).

b). Next, God’s omnipresence. God is Spirit; He is everywhere. (See also Jeremiah 23:23-24; Psalm 139:7-10; Acts 17:28).

c). The third attribute is the omniscience of God: “God knows all things, and His knowledge is always absolute knowledge. It is perfect knowledge, a complete knowledge of everything” (63). (See Psalm 147:4-5; Proverbs 15:3; Matthew 10:29; Psalm 139:2-4; Exodus 3:7; Luke 12:7; Hebrews 4:13). God “knows everything from eternity to eternity” (64).

Great Doctrines of the Bible—God the Father, God the Son/ Martyn Lloyd Jones

5. The Existence of Being God

The Bible does not argue or prove the existence of God, but it declares it (48). There are a number of arguments about the proofs of the existence of God: cosmological argument. These arguments are "useful in a negative sense but they will never lead to faith" (49). 

The supreme end of studying the doctrines should be to know God himself; however, can He be known (50)? According to Matthew, "Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God" (Matthew 5:8). God is incomprehensible (Timothy 6:16; Romans 11:33; Isaiah 55:8-9); however, he is knowable. We have "partial knowledge of God": "but thought it is partial, it is nevertheless real; though it is not complete, it is a true knowledge, enough to lead us to glorify Him" (51). Moreover, the anthropomorphosis of God helps us to know something about him (52). 

Martyn Lloyd Jones wants us to bear in mind the above-mentioned conception, so that we can start to examine what the Bible tells us about the essential nature of God's being. The essential nature of God's being is infinity, spirituality, personality, and also God is one unity. Lloyd Jones concludes: "the glorious truth we have been trying to look at together is just this, that this infinite, absolute, sublime, transcendent, glorious, majestic, mighty, everlasting being who is Spirit, who is truth, who dwells in light no one can approach, this God has been graciously pleased that you and I should know Him, that we should talk to Him and that we should worship Him. And He is prepared to listen to us, to meet us, and receive our unworthy and poor worship, and our praise and adoration" (56).

At the Airport/ 李清揚

With the rapid development of the tourism and transportation industry, we've got more and more chances to travel by plane, so we often spend time on airport and the plane. When we prepare to board the plan, firstly we have to handle the boarding card and luggage tag on the check-in counter, then you can wait for the boarding time in the waiting room. If you have more time, you can spend time wandering around the duty-free store. And when you hear the notice sound like “Flight PW123 is now boarding”, it's time to go to the boarding gate. In general, the airplane cabin can be divided into economy-class, business-class and first-class. You can choose a seat you like, such as the window seat and the aisle seat, and all that sorts of stuff. When the airplane is taking off, please keep your seat in the upright position, do not put down your tray. In the cabin, there are airsickness bag, headset can be used, and the flight crew can provide different types of food. And when the plane landed,please go to the baggage claim area to pick up your luggage, do not foget to charge a commission. Then you can take a sedan to your hotel. Wish you have a nice trip.

I've been to quite a few countries/ 洪千賀

So, I've been to quite a few countries since I was little. I've been to Canada, America, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, and Italy. Before boarding the plane, you'll always have to check in, weigh the luggage, get your boarding pass, through the metal detector and then finally wait for you turn to board the plan in the waiting lounge. I used to hate airplanes taking off, cause my ears would pop so hard that I want to chop them off of my head. But once I'm in the air, I'm good. I've never had any problems with my flights to all those countries that I've been to, so, yeah, I love traveling and I hope I get to visit more places in the future.

Great Doctrines of the Bible—God the Father, God the Son/ Martyn Lloyd Jones

4. How to Find the Doctrines 

The first thing we must do is “agree to grasp the Bible as our full and final authority in all matters of revelation” (36). We shall avoid the “temptation to mix philosophy with revelation,” and “never allow ourselves to be governed by our own logic or by our own desire to have a perfect system” (39). What we need to do is to “submit ourselves not only to the authority of the book, but also to the guidance, the inspiration and the illumination of the Holy Spirit” (39), and therefore we should “start always by asking God by the Holy Spirit to enlighten me, to illumine me, to keep me from error and subtle dangers and to lead me into all truth” (40). Any doctrine that we believe from the Bible “must be capable of demonstration from the Bible”; it “must always be clearly found in the Bible” (40). Secondly, it must be “exclusively scriptural” (41). Thirdly, it must be “plain and clear” (42).

Great Doctrines of the Bible—God the Father, God the Son/ Martyn Lloyd Jones

3. The Authority of the Bible 

Revelation and inspiration are not the same: “Revelation means God's unfolding of Himself"; inspiration “means that the writer has been controlled by the Holy Spirit of God in such a way that he cannot be guilty of error in what he writes” (24). Therefore, “Everything that is in the Bible is not revelation but everything in the Bible is inspired” (23). 

The crucial passage from the Bible is this: “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3: 16). The Bible is God-breathed: “God breathed these messages into men and through them, and these Scriptures are the result of that divine action”; in other words, it means everything in the Bible is “given by God to man” (24). One thing essential is this: verbal inspiration. It “means that the Holy spirit has thus overruled and controlled and guided these men, even in the choice of particular words, in such a way as to prevent any error, and above all to produce the result that was originally intended by God” (25). There are a great many passages in the Bible tell that the Lord Jesus Christ Himself “obviously accepted the Old Testament in toto as authoritative, final and supreme” (31). Therefore, one thing needs to be affirmed is that the Bible is infallible and inerrant. However, “you cannot prove to anyone that the Bible is uniquely and divinely inspired” because “people have to be enlightened by the Holy Spirit” (32).

Great Doctrines of the Bible—God the Father, God the Son/ Martyn Lloyd Jones

2. Revelation 

Due to the “particular nature of God” and the sinful state of humans, those who believe that we can find God by our own efforts and seeking are doomed to failure (13 & 12); as it is said in the Bible, the “world by wisdom knew not God” (1Cor. 1: 21). Martyn Lloyd Jones believes, “our only hope of knowing God truly is that he should be graciously pleased to reveal Himself to us, and the Christian teaching is that God has done that” (13). 

What is revelation? “Revelation is the act by which God communicates to humans beings the truth concerning Himself, His nature, works, will or purpose, and it also includes the unveiling of all this—the drawing back of the veil that conceals this, in order that we may see it” (13). And there are “general revelation” and “special revelation.” 

General revelation includes a) Creation and Nature—“Everything that has been made is in itself a revelation of God” (14), b). Providence—“the ordering of things in this world, their maintenance, their sustenance, and the fact that everything keeps on going and continues in life” (14), c). History. General revelation ought to be enough because Paul says, “They are without excuse” (Romans 1.20). However, that has not been enough because of “sin” (14). 

Special revelation includes a). theophany, b). “direct speech,” c). “miracles and signs and wonders,” d). “visions and dreams,” e). “inspiration.”