ARE WE LOOKING FOR JESUS IN THE WRONG PLACES?

 

Part 18: The Hill Difficulty

“In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”
John 16:33

Christian has now come through the Wicket Gate, travelled to the Cross, and had the burden he carried removed. He is continuing on the road, but Bunyan does not allow us to think that coming to Christ means the rest of the journey will be easy. Christian now comes to a place called Hill Difficulty, and before him are three ways. Two appear to offer an easier journey, while the right way leads directly up the hill.

I think this is an important part of the journey because a message in Christianity today can leave people with the impression that if they come to Christ, their difficulties will somehow disappear. We hear about blessing, prosperity, success, and a life in which everything should begin to work out because we have chosen to follow Jesus. Yet when we turn to Scripture, we find something very different.

Jesus did not tell His disciples that following Him would make life easier. He told them plainly, “In the world ye shall have tribulation.” But He did not leave them with those words alone. He continued, “but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” The promise is not that we will avoid difficulty. The promise is that Christ has overcome the world.

Paul and Barnabas understood this when they strengthened the disciples and told them:

“we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.”
Acts 14:22

There is no suggestion here that suffering means we have somehow taken the wrong road. In fact, Scripture teaches us to expect suffering as part of following Christ. Peter speaks about it very clearly. He tells us that Christ suffered for us, leaving us an example to follow His steps. Later he says:

“But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.”
1 Peter 5:10

That changes how we view difficulty. We should not automatically assume that hardship means something has gone wrong. Sometimes the very thing we would rather remove is being used by God to accomplish His purpose in us.

Jesus also taught us about fruit and pruning. He said, “Ye shall know them by their fruits.” There should be evidence of a life belonging to Christ. Yet in John 15, Jesus explains that the Father prunes the branch that bears fruit so that it may bear more fruit. The presence of fruit does not mean the work is finished. There is still pruning along the way.

Pruning is not necessarily comfortable, and neither is climbing a hill. God deals with things in us that we might prefer to leave untouched. He exposes attitudes, desires, habits and ways of thinking that need to come under the authority of His Word. This is part of the Lord's work in a believer's life, and it is one reason why we must be careful not to judge our spiritual condition simply by how easy or difficult our circumstances are.

Paul gives us another important piece of the picture in Romans 8:

“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”
Romans 8:28

What is that good for? The very next verse tells us that we are to be “conformed to the image of his Son.” That is very different from being promised a comfortable life. God's purpose is not simply to improve our circumstances. He is working in us to make us more like the Lord Jesus Christ.

I know this is something I have had to learn for myself. There have been times when I have thought that if I am doing what God wants me to do, surely things should become easier. Yet Scripture has repeatedly brought me back to the truth that the Christian journey is not measured by the absence of difficulty. Sometimes obedience leads us directly into circumstances that test and strengthen our dependence on the Lord.

This is where diligence becomes so important. Christian is not climbing the hill to earn his salvation. His burden has already been dealt with at the Cross. He is climbing because he is continuing along the road he has entered. The danger is that when the road becomes difficult, we may start looking for an easier way, as Bunyan shows us with the other paths before Hill Difficulty.

This is why we need the Word of God. Our feelings cannot be our final authority. Neither can our circumstances. Nor can what other people tell us. His Word is our instructor and our ultimate authority. If the road becomes difficult, we must return to what God has said and allow His Word to instruct us, rather than letting difficulty determine what we believe.

Christian has already learned that there is no other way to the Celestial City than the way God has provided. Now he must learn that the right road is not necessarily the easiest road. Sometimes it goes up the hill, and the Lord calls us to keep going.

Signing off

Tyrone

Scripture References: John 16:33; Acts 14:22; 1 Peter 2:21; 1 Peter 4:1; 1 Peter 5:10; Matthew 7:16; John 15:2; Romans 8:28-29

ARE WE LOOKING FOR JESUS IN THE WRONG PLACES - part 17

 

Part 17: The Way We Enter

"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." John 14:6

As Christian continues his journey, Bunyan introduces us to two men named Formalist and Hypocrisy. They are travelling along the same road as Christian, but they have not entered it in the same way.

Christian asks them where they came from and how they entered the way. Their answer is simple. They climbed over the wall.

I think there is something important in that detail. Christian had entered through the Wicket Gate. Formalist and Hypocrisy had found another way onto the road. From the outside they may appear to be pilgrims travelling towards the same destination, but Bunyan wants us to notice that the way they entered matters.

This makes me think about how easily we can become familiar with Christianity without actually knowing the Lord Jesus Christ. We can become familiar with the language, the traditions and the outward practices of Christianity. We can attend church, read the Bible and even try to live a good life. Yet none of these things, by themselves, tell us whether we have truly come to Christ.

Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."

There is no ambiguity in what the Lord Jesus Christ said.

Bunyan's two travellers therefore make me think about religion and what we can place our confidence in. It is possible to build a religious life around what we do, what we know, how we were raised or what we believe we should be. We can become so familiar with the things surrounding faith that we stop asking where our confidence actually rests.

I have had to consider this in my own life. I know how easily I can fall back into trying to earn what I have already received by grace. I can find myself thinking that if I do enough, pray enough, read enough Scripture or live well enough, I will somehow become more acceptable to God. But the Cross has already shown me that my salvation does not rest upon my ability to make myself acceptable. It rests upon the Lord Jesus Christ and what He has done.

That is why the way we enter matters.

Formalist and Hypocrisy seem to be comfortable with the way they have come onto the road. They have an explanation for it, and they are confident enough to continue. Yet Christian knows that there was a gate he had to enter through. Bunyan is showing us the difference between following the way God has provided and deciding that another way will do.

Perhaps this is also why I have such a heart for the lost sheep and the wayward pilgrim. I know something of what it is to be in that condition myself. I have needed the Word of God to bring me back, to correct my thinking and to show me where I have been going wrong. So, when I write, I do not want to simply give people my opinion about Christianity. I want to keep pointing back to the Word because it is our instructor and our ultimate authority.

There are plenty of voices willing to tell us what Christianity should look like. Sometimes the answers can sound so convincing, and even so obvious, that we can accept them without stopping to ask whether they agree with Scripture. This is where I think diligence matters. We need to know the Word well enough to recognise when something that sounds right is not what God has said.

Paul tells us to examine ourselves to see whether we are in the faith. That is a serious instruction. It is not something we can do by comparing ourselves with other Christians or by looking at outward appearances. We have to allow the Word of God to examine us.

This brings me back to Formalist and Hypocrisy. They are not standing outside the road refusing to have anything to do with Christianity. They are travelling along it. That is what makes their example worth considering. They appear to be moving in the right direction, but the foundation of their journey is wrong.

I think there is a warning here for all of us, including me. We can become comfortable with being around the things of God and assume that this means we are walking with God. We can know the language, understand the customs and even have a great deal of knowledge, while the Lord Jesus Christ Himself is no longer at the centre of our confidence.

Bunyan does not allow Christian to simply accept that because these men are on the road, they must therefore be pilgrims in the same sense that he is. He asks where they came from and how they entered.

Perhaps that is something worth remembering when we listen to the many voices around us. We should not simply ask whether something sounds Christian. We should go back to the Word of God and ask what God has actually said.

Christian entered through the Wicket Gate and continued along the road. Formalist and Hypocrisy climbed over the wall. They may have been travelling in the same direction, but Bunyan has shown us that the beginning of the journey matters.

And for me, that brings everything back to the Lord Jesus Christ. He did not say that He would show us one possible way to the Father. He said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life."

The Christian journey begins and continues with Him. Not sacraments and the like, it’s a total commitment to Him who is the Word of God and the one who became flesh to take away the sins of the world. Every other voice is a lie and filled with deceit. You see it contradicts God Word. He said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” I hope you are getting the finality of what the Lord is emphasising? There is no other way that will get you to heaven…   

Signing off

Tyrone

Scripture References: John 14:6; Matthew 7:13-14; Proverbs 14:12; 2 Corinthians 13:5; Ephesians 2:8-9Top of FormBottom of Form

 

My Happy Place

 

It is 3:32 in the morning as I begin writing this, and I have been thinking about something stirring in my heart.

We all know what a date night is. It is something couples do because they understand that relationships need time. They deliberately set aside other things to spend time together. It might be dinner, a walk, watching a film, or simply sitting together and talking. The activity is not really the point. The point is that they have made time for one another.

That got me thinking about my relationship with Jesus.

If He truly is the love of my life, why should I not be intentional about spending time with Him? Why should I not make time to sit at His feet and simply be with Him?

There is a difference between doing something because we know we should and doing it because we genuinely want to. I can read my Bible because it is part of my Christian routine. I can pray because I know I should. But what happens when I simply want to spend time with Jesus because I love Him?

Think back to when you first fell in love. Do you remember that feeling when their name appeared on your phone and you couldn't help but smile? For those of us from another generation, perhaps it was seeing their handwriting on a letter that had arrived by post. There was something about knowing you were going to hear from them or see them again that stirred something inside you. You looked forward to those moments because you wanted to be with the person who had captured your heart.

There were butterflies.

When was the last time tears of joy flooded your eye ducts because you were overwhelmed by the thought of the One who loves you more than anyone ever could? When was the last time you sat at the feet of Jesus and simply marvelled that He wanted you there?

Do we look forward to spending time with Him? Do we anticipate those moments when we can shut out the noise around us and simply be with Him? Do we enjoy His presence, or has spending time with Jesus become another thing on our Christian checklist?

That brings me to faith. Where does our faith live? Is it simply in our minds, where we agree that God's Word is true, or does it reach our hearts so that we trust Him enough to act?

Jesus said, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” Matthew 7:7

Do we believe Him enough to knock? Do we long to knock because we believe there is Someone on the other side of the door?

This morning, when sleep vanished and eluded me, I realised I had an opportunity to spend time with Jesus. Rather than seeing being awake at 3:32 as an inconvenience, I could see it as an invitation to come and sit at the feet of my Saviour.

That thought took me back to Mary.

When Jesus came into their home, Martha was busy with everything that needed doing, while Mary sat at Jesus' feet and listened to Him. Martha was concerned about everything that needed her attention, but Mary chose to be where she wanted to be.

Jesus said that Mary had chosen the better part.

I think we can learn something from that. There will always be something to do. Another responsibility will always be waiting for us. If we wait until everything is finished before we make time for Jesus, we may never sit at His feet.

Perhaps being intentional simply means recognising that our relationship with Jesus matters enough to make time for Him. Just as a couple might protect an evening because their relationship matters to them, perhaps we need to protect time with Jesus because our relationship with Him matters to us. Not because we have to, but because we want to. Because He is the One we love.

This morning I was given one of those opportunities. Sleep had vanished, and instead of viewing those quiet hours as an inconvenience, I saw them as a chance to spend time with Jesus. It wasn't about the time on the clock, or about anyone else knowing what was happening. It was simply a chance to sit at the feet of my Saviour.

Perhaps we all have opportunities like that. Maybe it is not in the early hours of the morning. Maybe it is a few quiet minutes before the day begins, a lunch break, an evening when everything else is finally done, or simply a moment when we realise we have time. Do we recognise those moments for what they are? An opportunity to step away from the busyness of life and spend time with Jesus.

Perhaps being intentional is not about finding more time. Perhaps it is about recognising the time we already have and choosing to spend some of it with the One we love.

My happy place is sitting at the feet of Jesus.

Have you found your happy place?

Signing off

Tyrone

Scripture References: Matthew 6:1-6; Matthew 7:7; Luke 10:38-42.

ARE WE LOOKING FOR JESUS IN THE WRONG PLACES?

 

Part 16: Diligence on the Journey

"In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." John 16:33

Jesus could hardly have made it clearer. He did not promise His followers a life without hardship. He told them that in this world they would face tribulation. Yet He did not leave them with that warning alone. He also told them to be of good cheer, for He had overcome the world.

I think this is important as we continue Christian's journey in “Pilgrim's Progress.” He has reached the Cross, and his burden has been lifted, but Bunyan does not now place him on a road where everything becomes easy. The journey continues, and Christian must keep walking.

This is something we need to be careful about because there are promises made in the name of Christianity that Jesus never made. We can be told that following Christ will bring prosperity, comfort, success and an easier life. Yet Jesus told His disciples to expect tribulation. The promise is not that hardship will disappear. The promise is that Christ has overcome the world.

Bunyan seems to understand this as Christian continues along the road. He soon comes across three men asleep by the roadside. Their names are Simple, Sloth and Presumption.

Something is striking about this scene. Christian is moving forward while these three men have stopped. They are not far from the road. They lie beside it, close enough for Christian to see and speak to them, yet they are asleep.

Christian tries to wake them and warns them of the danger they are in. Their responses are revealing. Simple does not understand the danger. Sloth does not want to be disturbed. Presumption appears confident that everything will be alright.

Perhaps this is one reason I write. I have a heart for the lost sheep and the wayward pilgrim because I know something of what it means to be in that condition myself. I have needed someone to point me back to the Word of God, and I have come to understand that the Word must remain our ultimate authority. So, when I write, my desire is not simply to share my thoughts. It is to point to what God has said, because His Word is the authority by which we must examine ourselves.

Christian did not see these men and simply walk past them. He tried to wake them. Perhaps there is something for us in that. If we have been brought out of darkness, should we not have a concern for those who are still asleep?

Bunyan gives each of them a name, and I think there is something for us to consider in all three. We can become careless because we do not understand the danger around us. We can also become careless because we simply do not want to be bothered. We can become careless because we presume that everything will be alright regardless of how we live.

None of these attitudes will help us continue on the journey.

This is where diligence becomes important. Christian is not walking to earn the forgiveness he received at the Cross. His burden has already been lifted. He is walking because he has been called to continue on the way. Yet I know how easily I can slip back into the habit of trying to earn what has already been given to me. Even if it happens subconsciously, I tend to think that if I do enough, pray enough, read enough Scripture, or live well enough, I can somehow make myself more acceptable to God. But salvation is not something I can earn, and neither can I make the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ any more sufficient by my own efforts. Diligence is not about earning salvation. It is about faithfully continuing the journey because I have already been saved by grace.

And the road is not always easy; in fact, quite the opposite.

The Parable of the Sower comes to mind here. Jesus tells us about those who receive the Word with joy, but when tribulation or persecution arises because of the Word, they stumble. The problem becomes evident when hardship comes.

That should prompt us to reflect on how we respond when following Christ costs us something. What happens when obedience brings difficulty rather than blessing? What happens when prayers seem unanswered, when people oppose us, or when doing what is right proves harder than we expected? At times like these, everyone seems to have an answer. Someone will tell us what we should do, what we should believe, or why things are happening. Sometimes the answer can even seem so obvious that we are tempted to accept it without returning to the Word of God. Yet this is precisely where diligence matters. When the road becomes difficult, we need to know where our authority rests. We must return to the Word and allow God to instruct us rather than letting the voices around us determine our direction.

Do we continue walking?

Peter tells us to be sober and vigilant because our adversary, the devil, walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Scripture does not tell us to sleep by the roadside and assume everything will take care of itself. We are repeatedly called to watchfulness, yet I think we can easily underplay it, since much of the Christian battle takes place in the unseen. We can see the difficulties of everyday life, but we cannot see the spiritual forces at work behind them. That can make the warning seem less immediate than a danger we can see.

Yet Scripture does not treat the unseen as unreal. Paul tells us that we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.

“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” Ephesians 6:12

This is why we must anchor ourselves in the Word of God. We may not be able to see the spiritual battle around us, but God has not left us without instruction. His Word is our teacher, showing us what is true, warning us of danger, and teaching us how to walk. We do not need to speculate about the unseen or create our own understanding of it. We have the Word of God, and we must take what it tells us seriously.

Christian has come through the Cross. His burden has been removed, and he keeps moving. The Cross is not the end of his journey. It is where his burden is dealt with, but there is still a road ahead of him.

Perhaps this is what makes those three men lying beside the road so uncomfortable. They are close to the path, but they are not moving along it. Christian is.

It makes me wonder whether there are times when we can become comfortable with being near the things of God without actually continuing to follow Him. We can hear the Word, know the language, attend the meetings and be familiar with Christian things, yet still become spiritually asleep.

Bunyan puts Simple, Sloth and Presumption beside the road immediately after Christian has come to the Cross. I don't think that is accidental. Coming to Christ does not mean that we can stop being watchful. If anything, the journey ahead gives us even more reason to remain diligent.

Jesus has already told us what to expect. There will be tribulation, but He also tells us to be of good cheer because He has overcome the world. Our confidence, therefore, is not in the promise of an easy journey, but in the One who has already overcome everything that stands against us.

Signing off

Tyrone

Scripture References: John 16:33; Matthew 13:20-21; 1 Peter 5:8; Ephesians 6:12; Hebrews 6:11-12; Proverbs 4:23.

ARE WE LOOKING FOR JESUS IN THE WRONG PLACES?

 

Part 15 — The Cross

"He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree." 1 Peter 2:24

Christian has now come to the place Bunyan has been preparing him for. He has been through the Interpreter's House and has been shown lesson after lesson about sin, grace, temptation and judgment. Yet through all of this, the burden is still upon his back.

Then he sees the Cross.

Bunyan tells us that as Christian looked upon the Cross, his burden loosened from his shoulders, fell from his back, rolled down the hill and disappeared into a sepulchre. Christian then says, "Blessed Cross! Blessed Sepulchre! Blessed rather be the Man that there was put to shame for me!"

I think Bunyan is being very deliberate here. Christian does not simply draw our attention to the Cross or the sepulchre. He draws our attention to the Man who was put to shame for him. That Man is the Lord Jesus Christ. The Cross cannot be separated from Christ, because it is Christ who bore the sinner's guilt and suffered in the sinner's place.

This also makes me think about how easily we can become caught up in the symbols of Christianity rather than the Person to whom those symbols point. A cross can be worn around the neck, a crucifix can become the focus of attention, and religious practices can become familiar, but none of these things is Jesus Christ. We can become so accustomed to the symbol that we lose sight of the Person.

I can say this because I have seen something of it in my own life. When I was in Mykonos, Greece, I bought a silver cross. Looking back, I realise I was unconsciously attaching a spiritual meaning to it. Somehow, I believed that buying the cross might help me become more religious. It was my way of acknowledging Jesus.

Another occasion made this even clearer. One day, while I was looking for fish with a speargun and snorkel, a fisherman's boat dropped me about two kilometres from the shore. As I swam, I came across a very deep channel. I couldn't see the bottom, and it was so deep that I remember thinking sharks may use this route. Almost instinctively, my hand went to the silver cross around my neck, as though it somehow had the power to keep me safe.

Looking back, that moment says something to me. I was reaching for an object because of what I believed it represented, but the silver itself had no power to protect me. It could not hear me, protect me or save me. If I was going to look to Christ, I needed to look beyond the object to the One the cross represents: the Lord Jesus Christ.

That is why Bunyan's wording matters. Christian does not stop at the Cross. He says, "Blessed rather be the Man that there was put to shame for me!" Bunyan turns our eyes from the symbol to the Person. The Cross points us to Christ, but Christ Himself saves.

Christian has carried this burden from the beginning of his journey. He knew it was there and that he needed to be rid of it, but he could not remove it himself. All the instruction he received could show him his condition, but none of it could take the burden from his back.

Now he comes to the Cross, and the burden falls away.

Peter tells us that Christ "bore our sins in his body on the tree."

(1 Peter 2:24).

Bunyan gives us a picture of that truth through Christian's experience. What Christian could never accomplish for himself has been accomplished by the Lord Jesus Christ.

And yet Christian has reached the Cross without understanding everything. He has learned much in the Interpreter's House, but he still has much to learn and a long pilgrimage ahead of him. Coming to the Cross does not mean that Christian suddenly understands everything about the Christian life.

I think we sometimes forget this. We do not understand everything at the beginning of our journey, nor do we understand everything when we come to the Cross. Christian certainly does not. Yet that does not prevent him from coming to Christ. He comes as a man who knows he is burdened and cannot save himself. But come we must…

Looking back on my life, I recognise something of this. There were changes in me before I understood why they were happening. Things that once seemed perfectly normal began to lose their appeal, and things that had once been easy to pursue became strangely difficult. At the time, I could not explain what was happening. I only knew that something was changing.

Only afterwards could I look back and begin to see that God had been dealing with me before I understood what He was doing. I know that God showed me a patience I did not deserve, and I continue to see that patience in my life.

Bunyan then introduces the three Shining Ones. One tells Christian that his sins are forgiven; another clothes him in a new suit of raiment; and the third marks his forehead and gives him a sealed roll.

Something has changed in Christian. His burden has been lifted, his sins have been forgiven, and he has been clothed. Bunyan’s warnings were not meant to leave Christian without hope. They were preparing him to understand the seriousness of his condition and why he needs the Lord Jesus Christ.

I can understand something of this from my own experience. I had already responded to an altar call, yet I was still carrying a burden. I remember wrestling with Scripture and asking myself, “What have I done?” There had been much back-and-forth with family and friends, but eventually I found myself alone, with my Bible open before me. I remember praying something like, “Father, I am not sure what I am doing, but I believe Jesus died for my sins, and you have forgiven me.”

And immediately the burden was lifted. I remember feeling as light as a feather in a gentle breeze. I had not suddenly understood everything. I had simply come to believe what Scripture told me about the Lord Jesus Christ and what He had done for me.

The seriousness of sin does not diminish the greatness of God's grace, nor does the abundance of God's grace make sin any less serious. At the Cross, we see both together, because Christ bore our sins and was put to shame for us.

There is a crucial fundamental that we must recognise: the seriousness of our sin when we stand at the foot of the Cross. Miss this, and we miss the magnitude of Christ's sacrifice.

Paul writes, "God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8).

Yet Christian still has a long road ahead of him. The Cross has removed his burden, but it has not removed the pilgrimage. There will still be temptation, suffering, false teaching and spiritual conflict. The Parable of the Sower comes to mind because Jesus shows us that hearing the Word is not the end of the matter. Some receive it with joy, but when tribulation or persecution arises because of the Word, they stumble.

Christian has reached the Cross, but he still has to continue. The burden has been lifted, his sins have been forgiven, and he has been clothed, yet the pilgrimage is only beginning. There will still be temptation, suffering, false teaching and spiritual conflict. The Parable of the Sower comes to mind because Jesus shows us that hearing the Word is not the end of the matter. Some receive it with joy, but when tribulation or persecution arises because of the Word, they stumble.

Christian still has much to learn, but he now knows where his hope rests. It does not rest in a symbol, in his own goodness or in his ability to save himself. His hope rests in Christ.

And the journey continues.

Signing off

Tyrone

Scripture References: John 3:14-16; Matthew 13:20-21; Romans 5:6-8; 1 Peter 2:24; Colossians 2:13-14; Galatians 6:14.

 

ARE WE LOOKING FOR JESUS IN THE WRONG PLACES?

 

Part 14 — The Day of Judgment

"For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil." 2 Corinthians 5:10 (ESV)

Christian has just witnessed the man in the iron cage, and what he has heard has clearly troubled him. He asks the Interpreter if it is now time for him to continue his journey, but the Interpreter tells him to stay because there is still one more thing he wants Christian to see before he continues on his way.

Christian is taken into another room, where he sees a man getting out of bed, shaking and trembling. The Interpreter tells him to speak with the man, who explains that he had a dream that night. What follows is one of the most frightening scenes Christian has yet witnessed.

The man saw the heavens grow exceedingly black. There was thunder and lightning, followed by the sound of a great trumpet. He then saw a man seated on a cloud, attended by thousands from heaven. The dead were raised, the books were opened, and all mankind stood before the Judge. There was then a separation, with some gathered to safety while others were taken away to destruction. The man in the dream saw others welcomed, but he himself was left behind. His sins rushed into his mind, and his conscience accused him. Then he awoke trembling.

Bunyan has moved Christian from the man in the iron cage to the Day of Judgment. That progression is difficult to miss. First, Christian is shown what can happen when a man grows careless with the light he has received, and now he is shown the end towards which every human life is moving.

Judgment.

Paul writes, "For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God." Romans 14:10 (ESV)

This is not something we can postpone forever. There will come a day when every one of us will stand before God, and Bunyan wants Christian to understand that reality before he leaves the Interpreter's House.

The man's dream is particularly disturbing because he does not simply witness judgment; he sees himself standing on the wrong side of it. His conscience suddenly brings everything back to him. There is nowhere to hide and no opportunity to pretend that the life he lived was something other than what it was.

This takes us back through the lessons Christian has already received. The dusty room revealed to him the corruption that can lie beneath the surface. Passion and Patience showed him the difference between temporary pleasure and eternal treasure. The fire showed him that God's work continues even when there appears to be opposition. The palace showed him that those who seek Christ will face resistance. The man in the iron cage then showed him the terrible consequences of hardening the heart.

Now Christian is shown judgment.

Perhaps Bunyan is ensuring that Christian understands why these lessons matter. The Christian pilgrimage is not simply about redirecting our lives towards a better earthly existence. Eternity is involved. The condition of the soul matters because there is a destination beyond this life.

Jesus Himself spoke of this coming separation. He said that those in the tombs would hear His voice and come out, some to the resurrection of life and others to the resurrection of judgment. John 5:28-29 (ESV)

Bunyan is therefore not simply frightening Christian with an imaginative story. He is taking biblical truth and presenting it to him in a form he cannot easily forget.

Yet there is something particularly interesting about where Bunyan places this lesson. Christian has still not reached the Cross, and the burden remains on his back. The Interpreter is showing him the reality of judgement before Christian reaches the place where that burden will finally be removed.

I do not think we should overlook that. Christian is being taught to understand the seriousness of his condition before he experiences the fullness of his deliverance.

Perhaps this is one reason the Gospel is such wonderful news. If we never understand the seriousness of sin and judgment, we will never properly appreciate the grace that God has provided through Jesus Christ.

Paul puts it beautifully: "but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8 (ESV)

The judgment Christian is being shown is not the end of the story. The Cross is still ahead of him.

That is important to remember because Christian does not yet understand everything. He knows that he is lost. He knows that he needs deliverance. He knows that the burden on his back must somehow be lifted. But he does not yet understand the full answer to his problem.

I can relate to that part of Christian's journey. Looking back over my own life, I can see that God was dealing with me long before I understood what He was doing. There were things changing around me that I could not explain at the time. Things I had once pursued began to lose their grip, yet I had no idea why. Only afterwards could I see that God had been moving me towards something I could not yet see.

That makes me wonder whether Bunyan is showing us something important in Christian. He is being taught before he fully understands. He is being prepared before he knows exactly what he is being prepared for. The Interpreter is opening his eyes to realities that will become increasingly important as he continues on his journey.

The man's dream should therefore cause us to think carefully about our own pilgrimage. Not because Bunyan has given us permission to decide exactly who will be saved and who will be lost, but because he has put the reality of judgment directly in front of us.

The man woke trembling because he had seen something he could not escape. Christian has now seen it too, though from the safety of the Interpreter's House. Bunyan wants Christian to carry that lesson with him.

And there is a remarkable balance here. The warning is severe, yet Christian is not abandoned to fear. The Interpreter is preparing him for the road ahead. He will soon leave the house and head towards the Cross, and ultimately towards the Celestial City.

Christian is learning that God's grace should never be taken lightly, that sin has consequences and that eternity is real. Yet he is also being drawn towards the One who alone can remove the burden from his back.

The Interpreter's House has not given Christian every answer, but it has given him enough understanding to continue.

Perhaps that is the lesson for us as well. We will not understand everything at the beginning of our pilgrimage, and we certainly will not understand everything when we first come to the Cross. But when God opens our eyes to something, we should not take it lightly.

Christian has seen the iron cage. Now he has witnessed the judgment. The Cross still lies ahead, and the journey continues.

Signing off

Tyrone

Scripture References: John 5:28-29; Romans 5:8; Romans 14:10; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Hebrews 9:27; Matthew 25:31-46; Revelation 20:11-15.

Tongues: What Does the Bible Actually Say?

 

There has been so much debate about speaking in tongues that sometimes I think we have forgotten to simply read what Paul actually wrote. Some say every Christian should speak in tongues, while others say tongues were only for the early church and have no place today. But what happens when we set those arguments aside for a moment and simply follow Paul's teaching in 1 Corinthians 12, 13 and 14?

Paul clearly identifies tongues as a gift of the Spirit. In 1 Corinthians 12:10, he says that the Spirit gives to one person various kinds of tongues and to another the interpretation of tongues. So, there is no question that Paul regarded tongues as a genuine spiritual gift.

But then he asks something very important:

“Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret?” 1 Corinthians 12:30

The answer is obviously no. Paul has already explained that the Spirit distributes the gifts as He wills, and not everyone receives the same gift. That undermines the teaching that every Christian must speak in tongues as evidence of having received the Holy Spirit. Paul doesn't say that. In fact, his question seems to suggest the opposite. If all believers were supposed to speak in tongues, why would Paul ask, “Do all speak with tongues?”

So, we can establish something quite simply from the text. Tongues are a gift of the Spirit, but they are not a gift given to everybody.

Then we come to 1 Corinthians 14, where the subject becomes even more interesting.

Paul says:

“For one who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men but to God; for no one understands him, but he utters mysteries in the Spirit.”
1 Corinthians 14:2

Then, just two verses later, he says:

“The one who speaks in a tongue builds up himself, but the one who prophesies builds up the church.” 1 Corinthians 14:4

I think we sometimes overlook that because we have already decided what we believe about tongues. Paul says the person who speaks in a tongue builds up himself. That is personal edification, and Paul doesn't present it as something bad or meaningless. He doesn't say that the person is wasting his time. He says that he is building himself up.

And that makes another statement Paul makes very interesting:

“I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you.”

1 Corinthians 14:18

Why would Paul say this?

If speaking in tongues had no personal spiritual value, why would Paul thank God that he did it more than all of them?

We have already seen what Paul said. The person who speaks in a tongue builds himself up. So perhaps we should take Paul at his word. A personal strengthening was taking place, and Paul tells us that he himself spoke in tongues more than all of them. We could describe that as becoming stronger in his walk with God and better able to stand, although Paul simply says he was being built up.

But I also understand the objection that can be raised to this. Where is the fruit? If someone tells me that speaking in tongues is building them up spiritually, then surely, I should be able to see some evidence of that spiritual strengthening in the way they live. Paul himself gives us the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22–23, and that fruit cannot simply be ignored because somebody has a particular spiritual gift.

The Corinthians themselves show us why we need to make that distinction. They had spiritual gifts, including tongues, but Paul still had to correct them for their divisions, jealousy, pride and disorder. So having a gift does not automatically mean that a person is spiritually mature.

That does not mean we should reject Paul's statement that speaking in a tongue builds up the individual. It means we shouldn't confuse the gift with the fruit. Paul says the gift can build the individual, but the evidence of a life being governed by the Spirit is seen in the fruit that follows.

That is why he says:

“Nevertheless, in church I would rather speak five words with my mind in order to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue.” 1 Corinthians 14:19

Why? Because when the church comes together, other people matter. If I speak in a tongue and nobody understands what I am saying, I may be strengthened personally, but what has the person sitting next to me received? That is Paul's concern.

And this is where Paul's statement in verse 5 also needs to be understood:

“Now I want you all to speak in tongues, but even more to prophesy.”1 Corinthians 14:5

How can Paul say that he wants them all to speak in tongues when he has already asked, “Do all speak with tongues?”

I don't believe there is a contradiction here. Paul can express a desire that everyone might speak in tongues without saying that everyone has been given the gift. We do this ourselves in ordinary conversation. I could say that I want everyone to be able to speak another language without believing that everyone already speaks one.

Paul's greater concern in chapter 14 is what happens when the church comes together. He says that the person who prophesies is greater than the person who speaks in a tongue unless someone interprets, so that the church may be built up. That is where we begin to see the balance in Paul's teaching. Tongues can build up the individual, while interpretation allows what is spoken to become something the church can also benefit from.

I think this is where we need to be careful with the arguments we have built around this subject. We can become so focused on whether tongues are real or whether they are for today that we miss what Paul is actually teaching about their purpose. Paul clearly regards tongues as a gift of the Spirit. He tells us that the person speaking in a tongue builds himself up, and he tells us plainly that he himself speaks in tongues. But he also makes it equally clear that not everyone speaks in tongues, and nowhere does he tell us that speaking in tongues is the evidence that proves someone has the Holy Spirit.

Another verse is often brought into the discussion.

Paul says:

“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.” 1 Corinthians 13:1

Some use this verse to argue that there is a special heavenly language called the tongues of angels. But is Paul actually teaching that here?

Look at the way the whole passage is written. He says, “If I speak...” Then, “If I have prophetic powers...” Then, “If I understand all mysteries and all knowledge...” Then, “If I have all faith...” Then, “If I give away all I have...” and “If I deliver up my body...”

Paul is taking the argument to extremes to make one point. Even if I could do all these extraordinary things, without love I am nothing.

That is why I don't think we should take “tongues of angels” as Paul establishing a doctrine that there is an angelic language which Christians can speak. The point he makes in 1 Corinthians 13 is about love. We don't need verse 1 to establish that tongues are a gift, because Paul has already told us that in chapter 12 and then spends chapter 14 explaining how the gift is to be used.

And perhaps that is where we need to return to the simplicity of what Paul actually wrote. Tongues are a gift of the Spirit; not everyone has the same gift, and the person speaking in a tongue can be strengthened. But when the church gathers, there must also be concern for the strengthening of the whole body. That is why Paul places such importance on interpretation and on understandable speech.

It seems very different from some of the arguments we hear today. It is also very different from simply dismissing tongues altogether. Paul doesn't do either. He doesn't say everyone must speak in tongues, and he doesn't tell the church to forget about tongues.

In fact, at the end of his instructions he says:

“Do not forbid speaking in tongues.” 1 Corinthians 14:39

That seems pretty clear to me. We shouldn't forbid something that Paul himself recognised as a gift of the Spirit. But at the same time, we shouldn't make it the measure of everybody's spirituality either. Use the gifts God gives. If the gift strengthens the individual, there is a place for that. If the gift is used publicly, then Paul wants the church to be strengthened as well.

In fact, another thought comes to mind when I think about the gifts God gives us. Jesus told the parable of the talents in Matthew 25:14 to 30. The master entrusted different amounts to his servants, and two of them went and used what they had been given. The third servant took what his master had entrusted to him and buried it in the ground. He was afraid and did nothing with what had been given to him, and that is the warning in the parable. What God gives us is not meant to be buried simply because we don't know what to do with it or because we are afraid of using it.

That does not mean every gift will look the same, as Paul has already made clear. Not everyone is an apostle, not everyone is a prophet, not everyone is a teacher, not everyone works miracles, and not everyone speaks in tongues. We don't all have the same gift. But if God has entrusted something to us, perhaps the question is not why we don't have someone else's gift. Perhaps the question is what we are doing with the one He has given us.

And that brings me back to tongues. Paul does not tell us that everyone must speak in tongues. He doesn't make tongues the evidence that someone has the Holy Spirit. But neither does he tell those who have the gift to bury it. After everything he has said about how tongues should be used, Paul has made his position clear. There is something very simple about that. Don't make the gift into something it isn't, but don't bury it either. Use what God has given you according to His Word, with love, with order, and with consideration for the body of Christ.

And above all of this, we have to remember what sits between Paul's teaching on the gifts in chapter 12 and his instructions concerning them in chapter 14.

Love.

That is not an accident.

We can argue about tongues until the cows come home. We can argue about whether they are for today, whether everyone should speak in tongues, what exactly Paul meant by tongues, and whether what we see happening today is the same thing Paul was describing. But Paul puts the whole discussion into perspective.

Whatever gift we have, whatever experience we have, and whatever ability God has given us, without love it amounts to nothing. The gift is important, but it is not the giver. The strengthening of the individual matters, and the strengthening of the church matters, but neither should become more important than Christ Himself.

Perhaps the question isn't simply whether we speak in tongues. Perhaps the better question is what we are doing with whatever God has given us. Are we using it to build ourselves up and, where appropriate, to build up the body of Christ? Are we allowing the gift to remain a gift, or have we turned it into a measure of spirituality?

Because Paul seems to leave us with a very simple principle. Whatever God gives us, it must never become more important than the One who gave it.

Signing off, Tyrone

Scripture References: 1 Corinthians 12:10 to 30; 1 Corinthians 13:1 to 3; 1 Corinthians 14:2 to 5; 1 Corinthians 14:18 to 19; 1 Corinthians 14:39; Galatians 5:22 to 23; Matthew 25:14 to 30