Does Christians Family Meet Him in Pilgrim's Progress

A Guide to John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress

Notes and Commentary on
The Pilgrim's Progress

by Ken Puls

44. Conversation with Charity

Then said Charity to Christian, Have y'all a family unit? Are you a married man?

Christian: I have a married woman and 4 small children.

Charity: And why did you non bring them along with yous?

Christian: Then Christian wept, and said, Oh, how willingly would I take washed information technology! But they were all of them utterly averse to my going on pilgrimage.

Clemency: Only yous should have talked to them, and have endeavored to testify them the danger of being behind.

Christian: Then I did; and told them also of what God had shown to me of the destruction of our city; "but I seemed to them equally one that mocked," and they did not believe me.

Charity: And did y'all pray to God that he would bless your counsel to them?

Christian: Yep, and that with much affection. For you lot must recollect that my wife and poor children were very dear unto me.

Charity: But did you tell them of your own sorrow, and fear of destruction? For I suppose that destruction was visible enough to you.

Christian: Yes, over, and over, and over. They might also come across my fears in my countenance, in my tears, and also in my trembling under the apprehension of the judgment that did hang over our heads; but all was not sufficient to prevail with them to come with me.

Charity: But what could they say for themselves, why they did not come?

Christian: Why, my wife was afraid of losing this world, and my children were given to the foolish delights of youth. So what by one matter, and what by another, they left me to wander in this manner alone.

Charity: But did you not, with your vain life, clammy all that you by words used by way of persuasion to bring them away with you lot?

Christian: Indeed, I cannot commend my life; for I am conscious to myself of many failings therein; I know besides that a human being by his chat may soon overthrow what past argument or persuasion he does labor to spike upon others for their good. Nevertheless this I tin can say, I was very wary of giving them occasion, by any unseemly action, to make them averse to going on pilgrimage. Yea, for this very affair they would tell me I was also precise, and that I denied myself of things, for their sakes, in which they saw no evil. Nay, I think I may say, that if what they saw in me did hinder them, information technology was my great tenderness in sinning against God, or of doing any wrong to my neighbor.

Charity: Indeed Cain hated his brother, "because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous." And if your wife and children have been offended with you for this, they thereby show themselves to be implacable to proficient, and "you have delivered your soul from their blood."

Notes and Commentary

Charity now joins in the conversation and she begins to question Christian most his home and family. Charity represents our compassion and love for others. She is highly commended in Scripture. Paul teaches:

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am get as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal (1 Corinthians 13:1, KJV).

And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these iii; merely the greatest of these is charity (1 Corinthians thirteen:thirteen, KJV).

Christian arrived at Business firm Beautiful lone and Charity voices her concern for his married woman and sons. Christian tells her that his family unit was opposed to him going on a pilgrimage. Though he warned them "over and over and over" and tried to tell them of the danger of staying behind, they would not listen. Though he was crestfallen, they rejected his pleas and mock his efforts to persuade them. Christian quotes from Genesis nineteen:fourteen, comparing the response of his family unit to that of Lot'due south family when he warned them to abscond Sodom:

So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who had married his daughters, and said, "Get upwardly, get out of this place; for the LORD will destroy this city!" Only to his sons-in-police he seemed to be joking (Genesis 19:14).

In the dialog between Clemency and Christian, Bunyan offers some helpful lessons in how we should respond to loved-ones who refuse the gospel and become offended with united states who then desperately desire to see them come to Christ.

i. We must pray for and plead with those we love to come up to Christ, knowing that God alone can alter their hearts.

Christiana was afraid of losing this globe. The children were ensnared by the foolish delights of youth. Though Christian loved them, nothing he did could convince them to join him and escape Devastation. In their rejection we see the blindness and darkness of existence "expressionless in trespasses and sins" (Ephesians two:ane). They walked, as Paul describes, "in the futility of their mind, having their understanding darkened, beingness alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their centre (Ephesians 4:17-eighteen). Christian told them the gospel. He prayed for them. He lived before them. They could run into his fears and tears for their sake, however none of these prevailed. Their blindness was like that of State of israel in the Erstwhile Testament. Israel saw the hand of God bring them out of Egypt. They saw Pharaoh'southward army crushed in the bounding main. They saw the pillar of cloud past mean solar day and fire by night, yet many died in unbelief. Even in the days when Jesus walked the earth, many heard the Savior teach and saw Him work miracles. They saw Him crucified, yet did non believe.

Our all-time efforts cannot break through the hardness and oppression of sin. As Bonar reminds united states in the hymn Non What My Hands Have Washed, "all my prayers and sighs and tears" volition avail nix without divine forcefulness and power. Nosotros can strongly desire the conservancy of those we love, but only God tin modify their hearts. Paul reminds us that information technology is God in love who triumphs over expiry and brings life.

Just God, who is rich in mercy, because of His bang-up dear with which He loved us, even when we were expressionless in trespasses, made u.s.a. alive together with Christ (by grace you lot have been saved), and raised us upwards together, and made us sit down together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast (Ephesians ii:4-9).

And then, we must pray and plead, as Charity compels usa, looking to God that He would do what nosotros cannot do—that He would reach downwards and graciously save.

two. Equally we pray and plead, nosotros must live before others in a way that commends the gospel and does not discredit it.

We must live the gospel ourselves. Nosotros must show love and be quick to repent and ready to forgive. Too easily our own sin trips us up and threatens to undo others effectually united states of america. Our sin can dampen our testimony and our efforts to bring the gospel to others.

Charity asks: "But did yous not, with your vain life, damp all that you past words used by way of persuasion to bring them away with you lot?" A hundred sound words and wise instructions tin be washed abroad in one slip where we do not heed teaching and follow wisdom ourselves, and fail to live the gospel past repenting and asking forgiveness. Nosotros will never live before others perfectly in this life. Only even our failings can strengthen our testimony when we reply to sin in right means: confessing and owning our sin, repenting and seeking reconciliation, and loving and forgiving those who sin confronting u.s..

3. We must never surrender praying for and pleading with those we honey to come to Christ.

Charity commends Christian for following Christ and doing what was right, even though it made him offensive in the optics of his loved-ones. Charity quotes from 1 John 3:12, comparing their response to that of Cain who was ensnared past "the wicked i and murdered his blood brother." Christian did what was right and followed Christ, though it ready him at odds with his family. The world is at enmity with God, fifty-fifty when that world is spring upward in the hearts of those we love. Though Christian'due south family was dear to him, he did not concur back his honey to God in order to keep their approval. Rather, he did what was virtually compassionate and loving toward them. Their souls were in danger of Destruction, and then he connected to warn them and plead with them to go with him.

Charity concludes with a quote from Ezekiel iii:nineteen reminding u.s.a. of the role of a watchman:

All the same, if you warn the wicked, and he does non plow from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you lot have delivered your soul (Ezekiel 3:19).

Nosotros must stay at the wall and sound the alarm, whether our warnings are heeded or not. Nosotros must not surrender, not step down, not keep quiet so not to cause offense. If the danger is real—and it is—we must go along to plead and to pray. Nosotros exercise not know how or when God may choose to employ our testimony and answer our prayers.

Concerning Christian'southward wife and sons, Bunyan relates the residuum of the story in Part 2 of The Pilgrim's Progress. Though Christian came to the end of his journey and died without seeing his family repent and come up to Christ, his testimony remained. His family remembered his faith in Christ and his honey for them. His prayers were, in God's time, answered. In Role two Christiana and her four sons are convicted by their sin and how badly they treated Christian. They flee Devastation to follow Christ and make their own pilgrimage to the Celestial City.

Continue reading 45. Supper at Palace Beautiful
Return to 43. Conversation with Prudence

Read and Follow "A Guide to John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress" on the blog: Conversation with Charity

The text for The Pilgrim's Progress
and images used are public domain
Notes and Commentary ©2014 Ken Puls

"A Guide to John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress"
was originally published from January 1993 to December 1997
in "The Vocalization of Heritage," a monthly newsletter
of Heritage Baptist Church in Mansfield, Texas

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from
the New King James Version (NKJV) ©1982 past Thomas Nelson, Inc.

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