Are We Looking for Jesus in the Wrong Places - part 5

 

Are We Looking for Jesus in the Wrong Places?

Part 5 – Formalist and Hypocrisy

"Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few." Matthew 7:13–14 (ESV)

Having entered through the Wicket Gate, Christian continues on his journey towards the Celestial City. It is here that John Bunyan introduces two men whose appearance would have given every impression that they too were genuine pilgrims. They spoke the same language, travelled the same road, and claimed to be pursuing the same destination. Yet before Christian considered where they were going, he asked a far more important question.

How had they entered the Way?

The answer immediately exposed the difference between them. Unlike Christian, they had not entered through the Gate at all. They had climbed over the wall, explaining that this had long been the custom in their country and that countless others had entered the same way before them. In their minds, it mattered little how one entered the King's Highway, provided he was now travelling upon it.

At first glance, their argument appears difficult to refute. After all, if they were walking the same road, seeking the same destination, what difference could the point of entry possibly make? Surely what mattered was that they were now on the journey.

Bunyan knew exactly what he was doing.

He was exposing one of the oldest assumptions in the human heart—that sincerity is enough, that tradition is sufficient, and that if enough people have followed a particular path, it must surely be acceptable to God. Formalism and hypocrisy did not deny the existence of the King, nor did they reject the King's Highway. Their error lay in believing they could approach the King's Highway on their own terms.

Has anything really changed?

Many today would argue that it matters little how a person comes to God, provided they are sincere. Others rest their confidence in religious tradition, assuming that because generations before them believed a particular way, it must therefore be true. Some trust their denomination, others their baptism, their confirmation, their family heritage, or simply the fact that they have always called themselves Christians.

Yet throughout the Scriptures, God never calls His people to examine tradition by tradition. He continually calls them back to His revealed Word.

The Bereans offer us a remarkable example of this. Although they received Paul's preaching eagerly, they did not simply accept his teaching because of who he was. Luke tells us that they searched the Scriptures daily to determine whether these things were so. Their confidence rested not in the reputation of the preacher but in the authority of God's Word.

That principle is as necessary today as it was then.

Every church has traditions. Every denomination has practices that have developed over time. Some are helpful and honour God. Others may simply be customs that have been repeated for generations. The question is never whether something is old or widely accepted. The question is whether it agrees with the Scriptures that testify of Christ.

This is precisely why the Bible must remain our final authority in all matters of faith and practice. Every doctrine, every tradition, every opinion, and every spiritual claim must ultimately be tested by the written Word of God. We are not free to reshape the Scriptures to fit our traditions; rather, our traditions must continually be examined in the light of the Scriptures.

Formalist and Hypocrisy were content because they looked like pilgrims. Christian, however, understood that appearances could never replace obedience. The issue was not whether these men looked sincere. The issue was whether they had entered in the way the King Himself had appointed.

That same question confronts every generation.

Are we following Christ according to the Scriptures, or according to traditions we have never stopped to examine? Have we accepted certain beliefs simply because they have always been taught, or have we searched the Scriptures to see whether these things are so?

Bunyan reminds us that the Christian life is never built upon appearances, custom, or religious tradition. It is built upon God's revealed truth. That truth always directs us, not to ourselves or to our traditions, but to Jesus Christ, who alone is the object of our faith and the fulfilment of all that the Scriptures proclaim.

In our next study, we shall continue with Christian's journey as Bunyan begins to unfold the significance of the narrow way and the dangers that still lie ahead for every pilgrim.

Signing off

Tyrone

Scripture References: Matthew 7:13–14; Acts 17:10–12; John 5:39; 2 Timothy 3:16–17; Colossians 2:8.