Lessons To Me From The Pilgrim’s Progress

I recently finished reading The Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan. It’s a book that I have begun many times but because of the pressures of school deadlines never finished until this week. Four items impacted me in particular.

1.

The blessing of Evangelist’s periodic company. It was Evangelist who directed Christian to flee from the wrath-for-sin which is to come, by way of the wicket gate and toward the celestial city. But, the reader finds that Evangelist visits Christian throughout his progress. I think this is significant. Jesus’ instruction to go and make disciples included a responsibility to teach them also what He commanded. I have found that there is great benefit (and Biblical precedent in Paul’s life) in cold-turkey evangelism. But, in all evangelism, there ought to be a willingness to be a lifetime resource to any fruit, and even a pursuant resource. During Christian’s journey, Evangelist finds him doing well. Christian greets Evangelist at one time, “Welcome, welcome, my good Evangelist, the sight of thy countenance brings to my remembrance thy ancient kindness and unwearied labouring for my eternal good.” And at other times, Evangelist’s presence is a reproof: “And now he[Christian] began to be sorry that he had taken Mr. Worldly Wiseman's counsel. And with that he saw Evangelist coming to meet him; at the sight also of whom he began to blush for shame.” In both circumstances, there is opportunity for ministry. In the first case, to thank God for His working and in the second to exhort (Evan. What dost thou here[off the narrow path], Christian?). The character of Evangelist was a lesson to me:

“Evan. Then said Evangelist, How hath it fared with you, my friends, since the time of our last parting? What have you met with, and how have you behaved yourselves?”

2.

The assistance of Hopeful’s companionship. Throughout reading the first half of the story, I kept wondering, “Where would Christian be without Hopeful?” I think Hopeful’s presence provides two lessons. First, the Christian life is filled with struggles and is come through better with Christian fellowship (by fellowship I mean “spurring-on, together burdern-bearing” not “Christians-coffee-crackers-card playing”). This is a great purpose of the Church (Heb. 10:24-25) and worth pursuing (Psa. 133:1), and a Christian marriage the arena for the greatest expression of this type of companionship.
Second, that the character of this Hopeful is meant to be the Christian’s companion. The Christian life is meant to be assisted by ever-present hope [a hope that does not disappoint (Rom. 5:5); a hope that is unseen but real (Rom. 8:25)}. This hope is provided through God’s promises in Scripture (Rom. 15:4) and in the person of Christ himself (Rom. 15:12).

“Hopeful added this word, Be of good cheer, Jesus Christ maketh thee whole; and with that Christian brake out with a loud voice, Oh, I see him again! and he tells me, When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee, and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee.”

3.

The support provided by the testimony of Christian to Christiana, Mercy, the children, Honest, and those who joined them. Throughout their journey they were met by other pilgrims who found encouragement to carry on by thinking about Christian’s coming through trial. This is also seen in Mr. Great-Heart’s bringing to their memory the events of Christian’s pilgrimage as they themselves came to the places of their happening. How they were encouraged by his victories and warned by his chastenings.
I have found in recent years some of the greatest help in living the Christian life can be found in the biographies and diaries of those in the past. Recently, I was given a C.D. with John Piper’s messages on the lives of men whom the world was not worthy—How I was impacted by his account of the life of John Paton. I have listened to it over and over again since finishing the rest of the messages. Concerning this lesson, I think of a song from my growing up and the line “May all who come behind us find us faithful.”

4.

The representation of the discipline of the Lord in the book. Many of you know that I have spent significant time seeking to understand that discipline in the Scripture, accompanied with many griefs, which the Lord employs to keep the believer unto his final salvation. My work on this subject, I believe, may be life-long but an introductory paper (introductory, not exactly brief, 130 pages at present) is nearing final completion. How Christian was disciplined by Evangelist’s question, “What dost thou here, Christian?”; by his necessary return to the arbor to retrieve his scroll, lost during his sleep, and the confrontation of coming to the path surrounded by lions in the dark instead of day; etc.

Perhaps, a short note on the discipline of Christian’s stay in Doubting Castle may be a good representation of to what I speak. It happened as Hopeful and Christian traveled that they were discouraged by the sharpness of the ground. Seeing the softness of a parallel (as they perceived) path, they reasoned it would be little harm to walk the alternate path a little way. However, seeing that at the appropriate time, they could not transcend between the paths when they desired and at that time being caught in storm, they took shelter for the night off the path. In the morning, they were discovered by the Giant Despair, master of Doubting Castle who locked them up, beat them daily, and brought suggestion that they ought to kill themselves. But remembering the gift of a key, called Promise, which would unlock any door in Doubting Castle (the account of which is quite humorous in context, particularly Hopeful’s words: “Now, a little before it was day, good Christian, as one half amazed, brake out in this passionate speech: -- What a fool, quoth he, am I, thus to lie in a stinking dungeon, when I may as well walk at liberty! I have a key in my bosom, called Promise, that will, I am persuaded, open any lock in Doubting Castle. Then said Hopeful, That is good news, good brother; pluck it out of thy bosom, and try.”), they were delivered from the coming doom, being more resolved to stick to the path regardless of its discomforts.

It was through this nearness to death that Hopeful and Christian saw clearly their fault of character, which brought them out of the way. How they were chided with their exchange of small temporary discomfort for extreme necessity to exercise faith.

The Scripture also has much to say about the Christian’s response to discipline. One aspect, I believe can be seen in Bunyan’s story in this situation:
“Then I saw that they had them to the top of another mountain, and the name of that is Caution, and bid them look afar off; which, when they did, they perceived, as they thought, several men walking up and down among the tombs that were there; and they perceived that the men were blind, because they stumbled sometimes upon the tombs, and because they could not get out from among them. Then said Christian, What means this? The Shepherds then answered, Did you not see a little below these mountains a stile, that led into a meadow, on the left hand of this way? They answered, Yes. Then said the Shepherds, From that stile there goes a path that leads directly to Doubting Castle, which is kept by Giant Despair, and these, pointing to them among the tombs, came once on pilgrimage, as you do now, even till they came to that same stile; and because the right way was rough in that place, they chose to go out of it into that meadow, and there were taken by Giant Despair, and cast into Doubting Castle; where, after they had been a while kept in the dungeon, he at last did put out their eyes, and led them among those tombs, where he has left them to wander to this very day, that the saying of the wise man might be fulfilled, He that wandereth out of the way of understanding, shall remain in the congregation of the dead.

"Then Christian and Hopeful looked upon one another, with tears gushing out, but yet said nothing to the Shepherds."

The discipline of the Lord is to be returned by thankfulness to the Lord. First, that He chose to discipline the sinner, the occasion of which is only for the believer, and gives evidence that he is the son of a heavenly Father. Second, that He was not more severe in the means He chose to apply the discipline. In the making of men to share His holiness, throughout redemption history, God has cast from paradise, removed eyes, removed temporarily from the fellowship of His church, made some paraplegics, and brought some to death. Upon my study, I have learned to be thankful when He chooses to discipline me with a hard word from a friend or small discomfort, which efficaciously brought me to exercise faith and repentance. See how God’s choice discipline of prison stay (and not blind-tomb-wandering) caused Hopeful and Christian to gush tears, being overwhelmed with the merciful choice of a loving Master.


I would highly recommend the book, believing that there may be different lessons gained by each reader. It has been widely published and can be found for purchase almost anywhere. A free version can be found easily at CCEL.org or from a Google search, just make sure you are getting the whole version, not abridged, containing both parts (parts 1 and 2) of the work.