THE PILGRIM’S PROGRESS
FROM THIS WORLD,
TO THAT WHICH IS TO COME
WEEK 6 - THURSDAY
Read and pray: "Such love has no fear, because perfect love drives out all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love." (1 Jn 4:18)
The pilgrims speak again with Ignorance (2)
Ignorance - Do you think I am so foolish as to suppose that God only sees what I see, or that I would dare to appear in His presence with my best works?
Christian - Well, if you don’t think that, then what do you think?
Ignorance - In a few words I will say it: I believe it is necessary to have faith in Christ to be justified.
Christian - How? Do you think you can have faith in Christ without seeing your need for Him, nor knowing your original and current weaknesses, while holding, about yourself and your deeds, such an opinion that clearly proves you have never recognized the need for Christ’s personal righteousness to justify you before God? How can you say, "I believe in Christ"?
Ignorance - I believe, and quite enough, despite all that.
Christian - And how do you believe?
Ignorance - I believe that Christ died for sinners, and that I will be justified before God and freed from the curse if He accepts my obedience to His law. In other words: Christ makes my religious duties acceptable to the Father, by virtue of His merits, and thus I am justified.
Christian - Allow me to oppose your profession of faith.
1st) You have an imaginary faith, because such a faith I find nowhere described in the Word of God.
2nd) You have a false faith, because you set aside justification by the personal righteousness of Christ and apply your own righteousness.
3rd) That faith makes Christ the one who justifies not your person but your actions, which is false.
4th) Finally, your faith is deceptive, leaving you under the wrath of the Most High God, because true faith, which justifies, makes the soul, convicted of its state of perdition by the law, seek refuge in the righteousness of Christ. This righteousness does not consist of a single act of grace, where your obedience is accepted by God for justification, but in Christ’s personal obedience to the law, in suffering for us what is required of us. This is the righteousness that true faith accepts, and that covers our soul under its mantle, so that it may appear spotless before God, being accepted and absolved from condemnation.
Ignorance - Do you then want us simply to trust in what Christ did, without adding the contribution of our own persons? Such a notion would give free rein to our lusts and allow us to live however we pleased: for what would our manner of life matter if we could be fully justified by Christ’s personal righteousness simply by having faith in it?
Christian - Ignorance is your name, and well you prove it by this answer. You are ignorant of what justifying righteousness is, and you are also ignorant of how you are to deliver your soul, by this faith, from the dreadful wrath of God. You are ignorant of the true effects of this saving faith in Christ’s righteousness, which are: to bend and win the heart to God in Christ, loving His name, His Word, His ways, and His people, and not as you, in your ignorance, imagine them.
Hopeful - Ask him if Christ has ever been revealed to him.
Ignorance - What? Are you one of those who believe in revelations? Well! It seems to me that what you say on that point is nothing more than the fruit of a disordered brain.
Hopeful - Man! Christ is in God in such an incomprehensible way to all flesh that no one can know Him in a saving way unless God the Father reveals Him.
Ignorance - That may be your belief, but not mine, since I do not doubt that mine is as good as yours, although my head is in better shape than yours.
Christian - Allow me to join the conversation. One must not speak so lightly on this subject, for I resolutely and categorically affirm that no one can know Jesus Christ except by the revelation of the Father. Furthermore: for faith to be right, it must be wrought by the surpassing greatness of His power (Matthew 11:27; 1 Corinthians 12:3; Ephesians 1:17-20).
I see, poor Ignorance, that you know nothing of this working of faith. Awake then, recognize your own misery, and turn to the Lord Jesus, and by His righteousness, which is the righteousness of God (for He Himself is God), you will be free from condemnation.
Ignorance - You go too fast! I cannot follow you at that pace. Go on ahead, I am in no hurry.
And he took leave of them.
Then Christian said to his companion: We are doing well, Hopeful. It is clear that we must go on again alone.
They quickened their pace, while Ignorance followed limping, and overheard them say:
Christian - I pity that poor lad!
Hopeful - Sadly, there are many in our city in the same condition, whole families, entire streets: and if there are so many in our city, where all are pilgrims, what must it be like in the land where Ignorance was born?
Christian - How true is the word: He has closed their eyes so that they cannot see...
Now, however, that we are alone again, tell me: What do you think of these men? Do you believe they ever had conviction of sin, and therefore fear the state of danger they are in?
Hopeful - To that question, none can answer better than you, for you are more competent than I.
Christian - I am of the opinion that it is possible they may feel it once or twice, but, as they are ignorant by nature, they do not understand that this conviction is profitable to them, and they seek to drown it in every way, continuing to flatter themselves in the way of their own hearts.
Hopeful - Indeed, I also believe, as you do, that fear serves greatly for the good of men and makes them go straight to the beginning of their pilgrimage.
Christian - We cannot doubt that it is good, for so says the Word: "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom" (Job 28:28; Psalms 111:10; Proverbs 1:7; 9:10).
Hopeful - How can one recognize the fear that is good¹?
Christian - Good fear is recognized by three things:
1st) By its origin: it is caused by saving convictions of sin;
2nd) It drives the soul to draw near to Christ for salvation;
3rd) It generates and maintains in the soul a great reverence for God, for His Word and His ways, keeping it steady and tender, and making it fear to turn aside from them to any other way, or to do anything that might dishonor God, disturb its peace, grieve the Holy Spirit, or give the enemy an advantage.
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¹ In this context the word "fear" should be understood as a feeling of reverence, awe, and respect. In the Bible, fear does not come from God and is presented as a sign of spiritual immaturity (1 John 4:18).
Enjoy more:
Hymn - Encouragement - "To Rest in the Lord"
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