In other words, the whole function of the Law is to define sin, to reveal its nature; and that is why we are without any excuse at all. The law is in our hearts; but that is not clear enough, so God made it explicit. He had defined it, He has underlined it, He has shown it plainly in the written Law give to the Jews.
. . . The Law was given to pinpoint sin, to define it, to bring it out of its hiding-place and to show its exceeding sinful character. . . Nothing so shows the exceeding sinfulness of sin as the Law itself does; and once a man has seen the real meaning of the Law he sees the foulness, the vileness of his own nature.
. . . The Law was never given to save man, but it was given as a "school-master" to bring him to the Savior. The whole object and purpose of the Law is to show man that he can never save himself. Once he has understood the Law and its spiritual meaning and content he knows that he cannot keep it. He is undone. . . What is the summary of the Law? It is: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and all thy soul, and all thy mind, and all thy strength; and thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." Has anyone done that and so kept the Law? No, "All have sinned and come short of the glory of God." That is what the Law says. It shows us our utter helplessness and hopelessness, and thereby it becomes "our schoolmaster to lead us to Christ," the only One Who by the grace of God can save us, and deliver us, and reconcile us to God, and make us safe for all eternity. Paul glories in the Gospel which proclaims that "the just shall live by faith," because "by the deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified in His sight, because by the law is the knowledge of sin" (Romans Exposition Chapters 3:20-4:24, pp 21-22).
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Martyn-Lloyd Jones (1899 - 1981)
Lloyd-Jones was well known for his style of expository preaching, and the Sunday morning and evening meetings at which he officiated drew crowds of several thousand, as did the Friday evening Bible studies, which were, in effect, sermons in the same style. He would take many months, even years, to expound a chapter of the Bible verse by verse. His sermons would often be around fifty minutes to an hour in length, attracting many students from universities and colleges in London. His sermons were also transcribed and printed (virtually verbatim) in the weekly Westminster Record, which was read avidly by those who enjoyed his preaching. The MLJ Trust now archives all his audio messages preached over the years, a staggering 1600 sermons.Lloyd-Jones retired from his ministry at Westminster Chapel in 1968, following a major operation. For the rest of his life, he concentrated on editing his sermons to be published, counselling other ministers, answering letters and attending conferences. Perhaps his most famous publication is a 14 volume series of commentaries on the Epistle to the Romans, the first volume of which was published in 1970.
This man of God was born in Wales and at the age of 13 moved to London in 1914. It was here that he as trained for a medical career and was associated with the famous Doctor Thomas Horder. During his medical years he was a much sought after physician and was well respected in his field.
He abandoned his medical career for the Gospel ministry, and served a pastor at the Presbyterian Church at Sandfields from 1927 to 1938. His teachings were respected by many including G. Campbell Morgan. He was offered and accepted the post as associate pastor under Dr. Morgan in 1938.
In 1943 when Dr. Morgan retired he succeeded him as Pastor of Westminster Chapel. His teaching attracted many and his lectures on Friday night where attended by a wide range of the populous. He was loved and admired for his dedication to the scriptures. Her retired in 1968, but was much sought after until his death.