Well here it is. Finally! Sorry it has taken so long. Then again, I'm not sure that anyone else is actually reading this book along with me. So, perhaps I have no need to appologize.
Today we have reached the Ninth Stage in our study of John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress. For more information regarding this study click HERE. Also, remember that we are going to discuss the book according to the various stages detailed HERE.
In this stage, Christian and Hopeful meet Ignorance and soon recognize that he has taken a different path to get to where he is. Christian warns that Ignorance will not be granted admittance to the Celestial City because he did not begin his journey by passing through the wicket-gate. Ignorance's reply is all to familiar to us today, "Be content to follow the religion of your country, and I will follow the religion of mind. I hope all will be well." We here this so often today. We are so often told that it doesn't matter what we believe. As long as we are sincere in our beliefs, whatever they are, we will all get to heaven in the end. Unfortunately, that is not what the Bible teaches. The Bible teaches that there is one way, the narrow way. This is the path of Christian and Hopeful. This is the path that we must follow. It is not a path of ease and comfort. But it is the path that leads to priceless treasure.
Later in this stage, Christian and Hopeful come across the Enchanted Ground and resolve to talk to each other so that they do not fall asleep on this dangerous ground. Christian then asks Hopeful to share what we might call his "salvation testimony." In doing so Hopeful gives a helpful illustration. "If a man runs a hundred pounds into the shopkeeper's debt, and after that shall pay for all that he shall fetch, yet his old debt stands still in the book uncrossed; for the which the shopkeeper may sue him, and cast him into prison till he shall pay the debt."
Some people today think that if we live good lives from now on then God will accept us into Heaven. The reality is that we have past debts which must be paid for. It is not good enough for us to do good from here on out. We must make amends for our past sins. The problem is that we cannot make amends. We are incapable of paying our sin debt. Only Christ can do that.
Hopeful understood all of this. He talks of what was taught to him by Faithful. "He (Faithful) told me (Hopeful) that unless I could obtain the righteousness of a man that never had sinned, neither mine own, nor all the righeousness of the world could save me." Praise God for our 'debt-payer.' Hallelujah what a Savior!
Well, we are reaching the end of this first part. Next time I will share my thoughts from the last stage.
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