From the MLJ Archive con Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

James 4:1 — Does Christianity work? Many claim that Christianity is outdated and has no message for the modern world. They argue that if people would simply use their reason, then all the wars and conflicts would end, and there would be true peace. What is wrong with this solution to suffering? In this sermon on James 4:1 titled “From Whence Come Wars,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones proclaims that only the message of Christianity can bring peace, because only the message of Christianity deals with humanity’s most fundamental problem: sin. No one can save themselves through reason because they place reason as king, and yet it is often irrational. The best secular thinkers are unable to use their reason to live rightly; how then can all of humankind use reason to fix the world? The message of Christianity is hopeful because it calls for trust in Christ and not reason. Jesus died, not because all are irrational, but because all are sinners. They are irrational because all humans are born in sin, and it is this sin that blinds them all. This sermon offers the only message of hope, that Jesus has died for all who believe. God is gracious and forgiving to all who seek Him and repent of their sins.