Saved in Eternity: The Assurance of Our Salvation

The Assurance of Our Salvation: Studies in John 17 #1

by D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Hardcover with dust jacket. Previous owner's stamp and label on ffep. Otherwise pristine.

Genres: Theology, Christian, Nonfiction

187 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 1988

About the author

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.

David Martyn Lloyd-Jones was married to Bethan Lloyd-Jones

Books about D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones: https://www.goodreads.com/characters/...

Reviews

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is Dr. Lloyd Jones masterful exposition of John 17, The Prayer that Jesus Prays for His Own. Jesus gives us an example of how he prays for those who are His. "Jesus is our great Intercessor and the Father Himself is concerned about them. That is His object an praying this prayer audibly, that they may come to know, while he is still with them, the concern that he has about them, and will continue to have even though He is going to be out of their sight." These words begin a thorough examination of Jesus' High Priestly Prayer. He is preparing to leave His Disciples so He prays for them so they might know that He is still with them. Jesus reassures his Disciples that God is the One who has given them to Him and I guarded them that none of them should perish. What a great comfort to those listening disciples. He also confronts us with, "Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth." The author spends much time on sanctification and should make each of us examine ourselves to make sure we are truly His. This is a great book and one that should be read by every Christian and then every 1 or 2 years. What a blessing.

[Daniel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Doctrinally, these sermons were fairly good. But they did not really "work" in printed format. I imagine that they would have been great to listen to in person.

[scott d. smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great to be reminded of The relationship between Jesus and His Father. Several sermons from John 17:1-5.

[Jo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had mixed feelings about this book.

First a little history. I read Spiritual Depression by Lloyd-Jones and absolutely loved it. Believe me when I say that I think the man has some wonderful spiritual insights that have stuck with me for a long time. The same was true of this book. There were definitely flashes of insight that I have meditated on throughout the course of reading this book, and that I think I will continue to meditate on. However, there were also things that I didn't like.

1. Repetition. It felt like all of his sermons came back to the same themes. (Several themes, not just one.) But still, after a while it felt like I was reading the same points over and over.

2. His tendency to say "If you have not experienced [insert feeling/experience/etc.], I would question whether you are saved at all!" This type of statement was repeated about several different things in the book, and each time it gave me pause. For instance, on page 168 he says, "..if we are utter strangers to this and know nothing about it, even in the most elementary form, then it is time we asked ourselves whether we have received eternal life. Am I a Christian at all? Do I know anything about these things? Have I ever had a passing second in my life in which I have known something of God and realized his presence and known something of his astounding love?" His description of this "knowing" is sort of a special, feelings-based knowledge, beyond the mental to the experiential.

3. His explanation of the doctrine of election with the "faith position." In essence, on page 178-179, he describes this as saying, "I do not understand, but I am content not to understand. I believe the word of God and I rest myself and my whole position entirely upon it." In essence, Lloyd-Jones claims that our fallen minds cannot understand the mind of God, so when we come upon something that the Bible says that we do not understand, we need to just accept it. (I am putting it much more bluntly than he does.) In a way, I agree with him. There are things that I will not understand. But I see that as the end of the journey, not the beginning. In my mind, God has created us to wonder, and to want to know. We will never find the "integrating key to life" (which the Preacher in Ecclesiastes so desperately searched for), but we still desire to find it. There is no shame in thinking, and studying, and trying to understand. The end of the journey may be to say, (as Lloyd-Jones suggests) "I do not understand, but I am content not to understand." But I do not like to dismiss the process that brings us to that point, as Lloyd Jones seems to do.

Will I read more of D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones? Definitely. I think I need to give him a break for a while. Reading him is a lot of work for me. But it's definitely worth the effort it takes to "eat the orange and spit out the seeds."