Letters of D Martyn Lloyd-Jones, 1919-1981

Iain H. Murray’s two volume record of the life of David Martyn Lloyd-Jones is one of the great Christian biographies of the twentieth century. It tells the remarkable story of an outstanding young physician’s call to the Christian ministry and the widespread lasting influence of his preaching and spiritual leadership, first in his native Wales and thereafter in London and throughout the world.

But a man’s letters tell the story of his pilgrimage from within, and here, in over one hundred of his personal letters, we encounter Martyn Lloyd-Jones first hand. Although he thought of himself as a ‘poor correspondent’, these pages tell a different story, unselfconsciously displaying the tender forcefulness of a personality which left an indelible impression on those who knew him personally.

Here we catch a glimpse of the rounded and balanced picture of the man: the physician and the preacher, the student of deep theology who was fascinated by agricultural life; the lover of books who cared about people; the ardent Welshman who devoted his years to Christian service in England and beyond.

In this attractive and fascinating volume, Iain Murray divides the correspondence in a way which gives insight into the different areas of Lloyd-Jones’ life (family, church, colleagues in the Christian service) but at the same time retains chronological sequence and development. Perfectly complementing the biography, The Letters of D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones reveals the heartbeat of his life: ‘Not what we have been, not what we have done, but the grace of God in Jesus Christ our Lord’.

Publisher: Banner of Truth
Type: Hardback
ISBN: 9780851516745

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Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981), minister of Westminster Chapel in London for 30 years, was one of the foremost preachers of his day. His many books have brought profound spiritual encouragement to millions around the world.

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Iain Murray says in his introduction to Banner’s collection of Lloyd-Jones’s letters that he hoped to convey the “everyday humanity” of the great preacher in his selection of letters. This, in my opinion, is the most rewarding feature of the book. I especially enjoyed Lloyd-Jones’s letters to his wife that report his travels and preaching engagements. His love for the beauty of nature comes through, but his reporting in general of the trips is also interesting. This collection, as intended, is a great companion to Murray’s biography and helps to add some color and fine detail to the picture he paints in that book. It is also a source of encouragement to pastors, not only to see how Lloyd-Jones exercised part of his pastoral ministry through letters, but also to see his comments on such issues as faith healing or the lives of severely handicapped babies. Still, the greatest encouragement to be found in the letters is perhaps the opportunity to be reminded that Lloyd-Jones—like all of us—was a man of “everyday humanity” and not some otherworldly personality who only was at home in the pulpit. Ben Franklin