Part 6 – The Wicket Gate: God's Appointed Way

 

Are We Looking for Jesus in the Wrong Places?

Part 6 – The Wicket Gate: God's Appointed Way

"I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture." (John 10:9, ESV)

Having now encountered Mr Worldly Wiseman, Legality and Civility, and more recently Formalist and Hypocrisy, John Bunyan has carefully removed every false confidence upon which men naturally rely. Human wisdom cannot save. Morality cannot remove the burden of sin. Religious tradition cannot provide an entrance into the Kingdom of God. Having exposed these false hopes, Bunyan now brings Christian to one of the most significant moments in the entire pilgrimage—the Wicket Gate.

It is worth asking why Bunyan gives such prominence to what appears to be an ordinary gate. Why not simply allow Christian to continue on his journey? Why pause here and devote so much attention to the manner in which he enters? I believe the answer is found in the words of our Lord Himself.

"I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture." (John 10:9, ESV)

Notice that Jesus does not merely say that He points the way, or even that He knows the way. He declares that He Himself is the Door. The entrance into life is not found through a philosophy, a religious system, a moral code, or a tradition handed down from one generation to another. It is found in a Person.

This is precisely what Bunyan has been preparing us to understand.

Mr Worldly Wiseman offered another way. Legality and Civility promised that morality and good works could accomplish what only Christ could accomplish. Formalist and Hypocrisy assumed that entering by another route mattered very little provided they eventually found themselves upon the King's Highway. Each believed there was another entrance. Bunyan patiently removes each of these false hopes before finally directing our attention to the only entrance God has appointed.

Christian does not arrive at the Wicket Gate because he has earned the right to enter. He comes as a burdened sinner, convinced that he cannot save himself and entirely dependent upon the mercy of the One who waits within. That, surely, is the very heart of the Gospel. No one enters the Kingdom because he deserves to enter. Every sinner enters by grace through faith in Christ alone.

One detail in Bunyan's account is easily overlooked, yet it teaches an important lesson. As soon as Christian approaches the Gate, Goodwill reaches out and quickly draws him inside. Christian immediately asks why he acted with such urgency, and Goodwill explains that Beelzebub has established a nearby castle from which those approaching the Gate are often shot with arrows to prevent them from entering.

Why does Bunyan include this detail?

I believe he is reminding us that coming to Christ is not merely an intellectual decision. A spiritual battle is underway. Satan has no desire to see men and women enter by God's appointed way. Throughout this series, we have already seen his subtle methods. He first appealed through human reasoning in Mr Worldly Wiseman. He then offered confidence in morality through Legality and Civility. Later, he encouraged confidence in religious tradition through Formalist and Hypocrisy. Having failed to prevent Christian from reaching the Gate by deception, Bunyan now reminds us that there is an enemy who opposes all who seek to come to Christ.

Yet notice where Christian's safety is found. It is not found in his own strength, determination, or ability to avoid the arrows. His safety is found the moment Goodwill receives him. What a wonderful picture of the grace of God. Our security has never rested in our ability to hold on to Christ, but in Christ's willingness to receive all who come to Him.

Perhaps that is the lesson Bunyan wants us to remember above all else. Many voices invite us to choose another road, another entrance, or another means of acceptance before God. The Scriptures, however, continually direct us to Christ. He alone is the Door. He alone is God's appointed entrance to life. Every other way ultimately leaves the sinner outside.

In our next study, we shall accompany Christian to the place where the burden finally falls from his back. There Bunyan directs our attention to the Cross, where every burdened sinner discovers what only Jesus Christ could ever accomplish.

Signing off

Tyrone

Scripture References: John 10:9; John 14:6; Matthew 7:13–14; Acts 4:12; Ephesians 2:8–9; 1 Peter 5:8; Ephesians 6:10–18.