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 2:8-9
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