Calling: The Middle Link

Sermons of Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Religion & Spirituality, Christianity

4.8 • 603 Ratings

🗓️ 26 November 2025

⏱️ 51 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Romans 8:28-30 — As Christians consider controversial topics such as predestination and election, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones reminds that one must beware of their prejudices. Christians have to keep their minds open to understand what the apostle Paul actually says and teaches, even if at the end they do not agree with him. In light of this reminder, Dr. Lloyd-Jones presses into the topic of predestination and argues that God has marked out His people for His particular purpose and end. Taking it a step further, he asks why does the “call” come as the middle link in Paul’s great chain in redemption? Why must it come before justification? He shares that it is because justification is by faith alone and God’s effectual call of the Christian must come before or there would be no movement of the person to trust in Christ. Were it not for the power of the Holy Spirit in calling the person to the Lord Jesus Christ, states Dr. Lloyd-Jones, no one would ever believe the gospel. He then elaborates the work of the Spirit by providing biblical evidence on the nature and character of the doctrine of the effectual call of God. Dr. Lloyd-Jones answers several practical objections to this sovereign work of the Spirit. Listen to this sermon on Romans 8:28–30 titled “Calling: the Middle Link” as he gives insight to what he calls the “middle link” – the effectual call of the Holy Spirit.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	I would like to call your attention once more to the teaching in the epistle to the Romans
0:09.0	that gives us the right to sing that kind of hymn.
0:13.0	It's in the eighth chapter, reading again verses 28, 29 and 30.
0:19.0	And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are
0:25.3	the called according to his purpose.
0:28.6	For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his
0:35.3	son, that he might be the first born among many brethren.
0:41.3	Moreover, whom he did predestinate, then he also called,
0:44.3	and whom he called them he also justified,
0:48.3	and whom he justified them he also glorified.
0:58.0	Now we are continuing our study of this great statement.
1:04.8	This statement, let me remind you again, and I propose to go on reminding you of this,
1:15.9	as long as we are dealing with this passage, statement which is primarily designed to give comfort and assurance and certainty of salvation to God's people.
1:19.4	We are not dealing with the theological textbook here.
1:22.6	We are dealing with a pastoral letter.
1:25.1	And the whole object and intent of this statement is to give us the highest
1:29.4	form of assurance of salvation that it is possible for Christian people to have. Now, then,
1:36.2	it's all based ultimately upon this eternal purpose of God. That's the background to everything.
1:43.5	God's purpose with respect to his people. And we've
1:47.8	reached the stage now at which we are considering the means or the methods by which God makes
1:55.7	this purpose effectual and real in the case of his people.
2:01.6	That's what we are dealing with.
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Martyn Lloyd-Jones, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Martyn Lloyd-Jones and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.