The Witness of the Spirit (Remastered)

A Sermon on Romans 8.16 https://www.mljtrust.org/sermons/book-of-romans/the-witness-of-the-spirit-2/ "Suddenly the father takes hold of this child, picks him up and folds him in his arms and kisses him and loves him and pours his love forth upon him. Then he puts him down again, and they go on walking as before. It's what the father did at that point that explains Romans 8:16." - Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones Sermon Description When Satan tempts the Christian to despair or tells them that they are not a child of God, they can turn to the word of God and find an abundance of assurance based upon the promises of the Scriptures. In this sermon on Roman 8.16 titled “The Witness of the Spirit,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones does not discount the amount of assurance found by going to the Bible. He argues, however, that there is an even greater level of assurance that the believer can have. In Romans 8.16, the apostle Paul mentions the witness of the Spirit. This witness of the Spirit, says Dr. Lloyd-Jones, is the same as the baptism of the Spirit, or the sealing of the Spirit, found elsewhere in Scripture. While every Christian has the Spirit of adoption and is a child of God, not all have the witness of the Spirit. This is a second blessing that comes upon a believer for the purpose of assurance. Moreover, it illumines the believer’s understanding with respect to salvation. In essence, it is a special way the love of God is poured out on a particular believer in the quietness of the heart. Listen as Dr. Lloyd-Jones gives an extended teaching on the witness of the Spirit and breaks down the Scriptures in order to gain insight and understanding to this special work of the Holy Spirit. Sermon Breakdown * The verse being discussed is Romans 8.16 - "The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God." * This verse should not be interpreted as merely an exposition of verse 15. It is saying something much more special and wonderful. * To properly interpret this verse, we must follow two principles: * Interpret scripture with scripture by looking for parallel statements * Consider how church history and the experiences of believers can shed light on the meaning * Parallel statements that help us understand this verse include: * John 7.37-39 - Promise of the Spirit being given and believers having "rivers of living water" flow from them * Romans 5.5 - "The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us." * Acts 2 - The coming of the Spirit at Pentecost and the change in the disciples * Revelation 2.17 - Promise of the "hidden manna" and "white stone" with a "new name" given to believers * Revelation 2.28 - Promise of the "morning star" given to believers * Revelation 3.12 - Promise of believers being given the "name of my God" and "my new name" * The experiences of revival and certain believers throughout church history also shed light on this verse. During times of revival, many believers received an assurance of salvation they never had before. * The meaning of this verse is that the Spirit himself bears witness to our spirits in a direct and immediate way that we are children of God. This is the highest form of assurance and is part of the baptism of the Holy Spirit. * This witness of the Spirit is different from and goes beyond the "spirit of adoption" in verse 15. It is God telling us of his love for us through the Spirit. * Characteristics of this witness of the Spirit: * It gives an absolute certainty of our sonship * It is not merely a heightening of our understanding of the truth or a prompting toward sanctification * It is a secret and personal revelation from God * It is the highest form of assurance and certainty of salvation possible * It is not a deduction or the result of our reasoning but is given directly by the Spirit * Results of this witness of the Spirit: * Greater understanding of the truth * Greater love for God * Desire to please God and obey his commands * Power and boldness to witness for Christ * Possible accompanying gifts of the Spirit (though not always) * How this witness is given: * We cannot predict when or how it will be given as it is under the sovereign control of the Spirit * It does not come through an audible voice but through an inner witness * It often comes through Scripture - either in reading or a verse coming to mind * It can come through preaching as a word is applied directly by the Spirit * It does not always come through the Word but can be an inner consciousness imparted by the Spirit apart from the Word * Examples of it coming apart from the Word can be seen in the early church before the NT was completed and in the experiences of certain believers