Part 23: Christian Meets Faithful
“Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.” Proverbs 27:17
As we
continue our journey with Christian through The Pilgrim’s Progress, we find him
leaving the Valley of the Shadow of Death and heading towards the Celestial
City. He has endured difficult experiences, from the Cross, where his burden
was lifted, to the battle with Apollyon and the valley’s darkness. Yet the road
continues, and Christian is not finished yet.
As he
travels, Christian meets a man named Faithful, who is also on his way to the
Celestial City. They greet one another and set out together. Up to this point,
we have followed Christian through much of his journey alone. Now he has
someone alongside him with whom he can share his experiences.
What I find
interesting is that their experiences have not been the same. Christian has
faced Apollyon and struggled through the Valley of the Shadow of Death.
Faithful has his own story to tell, and as they walk together, he explains what
happened to him.
Seeing
Christian and Faithful walk together makes me reflect on my own walk with Jesus
Christ, my Lord. I know how easy it is to look at someone else's circumstances
and assume we understand what they are going through, when in fact we have not
walked in their shoes. I have had my own struggles, taken wrong turns, and
needed to return to the Word of God to correct my thinking. I cannot use my
experiences to measure another person's walk with the Lord. What I must do is
remain at the feet of Jesus, allowing His Word to teach and correct me first.
If I am to learn from another believer, I must be willing to listen, but I must
also be willing to examine what I hear in the light of Scripture. My
relationship with Jesus Christ, my Lord, must remain at the centre of all of
this, because it is His Word, not my experience or someone else's, that must
direct our steps.
As Faithful
recounts his journey, he tells Christian about the people and temptations he
encountered after leaving the City of Destruction. Bunyan offers several
examples that show how Faithful was tested along the way. His experiences
differed from Christian's, but he too had to decide whether to continue towards
the Celestial City.
This brings
me back to the verse from Proverbs. “Iron sharpens
iron, and one man sharpens another.” There is something important in the
way Christian and Faithful talk together. They share their experiences, and
their conversation helps us understand what each has encountered. Fellowship
gives us an opportunity to learn from one another, but we must still test what
we hear against the Word of God. Our experiences may help us understand certain
things, yet Scripture remains our authority.
It is
important that we allow Bunyan's account to speak for itself. We should not
assume that every Christian will face the same trials or learn the same lessons
in the same way. What matters is that we remain attentive to what God has said
and allow His Word to guide our steps.
As the two
men continue their journey, they encounter Talkative. At first, Christian is
impressed by Talkative's ability to discuss spiritual matters. Talkative
appears to know a great deal about religion and is more than willing to talk
about it. Christian and Faithful begin discussing him, and Christian explains
that there is more to Talkative than meets the eye.
This is
where Bunyan takes us to another part of the journey. We have followed
Christian through difficulties, temptation and spiritual battle. Now we meet a
man who speaks readily about the things of God. The question that arises is
whether his words reflect what is happening in his heart and life.
We will
examine Talkative more closely in our next study, as Bunyan has more to show us
about the difference between speaking about the things of God and living
according to His Word.
Signing off
Tyrone
Scripture References: Proverbs 27:17
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