D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was hugely influential in the reformed wing of the British evangelical movement in the 20th century. For almost 30 years, he preached at the Westminster Chapel in London. Lloyd-Jones strongly opposed as unbiblical the liberal theology that had become a part of many denominations in Wales and England. He encouraged evangelical Christians (particularly Anglicans) to leave their existing denominations, because he believed that true Christian fellowship could only take place among those who shared the same views.

Lloyd-Jones was born in Cardiff, Wales. He attended school in London and after medical training became an assistant in 1921 to the Royal Physician Sir Thomas Horder. After struggling over the call to preach, in 1927 he accepted a call to a church in Aberavon, Wales. In 1939 he left Abervon to serve as co-pastor of London's Westminster Chapel, working alongside G. Campbell Morgan. In 1943 Morgan retired, leaving Jones as the sole pastor of Westminster Chapel.

Lloyd-Jones was well-known for his expository style of preaching, and the Sunday meetings he conducted drew crowds of several hundred, as did the Friday evening Bible studies, which were, in effect, sermons in the same style. His sermons were transcribed, printed, and read avidly.

Lloyd-Jones retired in 1968, following a major operation. He revealed his belief that God had stopped him from continuing to preach through Romans because he did not know enough about "joy in the Holy Spirit," which was to be his next sermon (based on Romans 14:17). (His teaching about the Holy Spirit is my main disagreement with him.) For the rest of his life he concentrated on editing his sermons to be published, counseling other ministers, answering letters and attending conferences. Perhaps his most famous publication is a series of commentaries on the Epistle to the Romans. Lloyd-Jones died in his sleep at Ealing on March 1, 1981.

Lloyd-Jones was one of the most influential preachers of the twentieth century. Many volumes of his sermons have been published by Banner of Truth, as well as other publishing companies. In his book, Preaching and Preachers, Lloyd-Jones describes his views on preaching, or what might be called his doctrine of homiletics. In this book, he defines preaching as "Logic on fire." The meaning of this definition is demonstrated throughout the book, in which he describes his own preaching style which had developed over his many years of ministry.

Lloyd-Jones' preaching style was therefore set apart by his sound exposition of biblical doctrine and his fire and passion in its delivery. He is thereby known as a preacher who continued on it the Puritan tradition of experimental preaching. A famous quote on the effects of Lloyd-Jones preaching is given by theologian and preacher J. I. Packer, who wrote that, upon his first hearing of Lloyd-Jones' preaching, he had, "never heard such preaching." It came to him "with the force of electric shock, bringing to at least one of his listeners more of a sense of God than any other man."

Studies in the Sermon on the Mount (1960) | damaged copy - great discount!