The Pilgrim's Progress Quote

Mark and I are reading The Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan. It is an excellent read, an allegory about the Christian life. And, while it is penned in old English, it is still worth wading through. I cannot wait until Judah is old enough so that we can read it together.

One portion, in particular, on Sunday evening, really got to me. The character, Christian, was being shown a series of visions. One was of a man in a cage. The man in the cage was clearly in misery and telling Christian why he was in a cage. He noted that at one time, he did profess to believe in God and His Son, Jesus Christ, and that he was a sinner in need of forgiveness and salvation. But, he also notes that the things of the world, the joys therein, got the better of him, and soon, he found that he no longer professed to be a follower of Christ, and so would suffer eternal torment.

Here is a quote by the Man:

"I have crucified him to myself afresh (Heb 6:6); I have despised his person (Luke 19:14); I have despised his righteousness; I have counted his blood an unholy thing; I have done despite to the spirit of grace (Heb. 10:28,29): therefore I have shut myself out of all the promises, and there now remains to me nothing but threatenings, dreadful threatenings, fearful threatenings of certain judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour me as an adversary...For the lusts, pleasures, and profits of this world; in the enjoyment of which I did then promise myself much delight: but now every one of those things also bite me, and gnaw me like a burning worm" (p. 32).

I was moved so by this story of the "Man," because I have known many professing Christians in my lifetime, who neither observe the truths of God, nor practice them, after some time. And I became filled with fear at the prospect of eternity for them. My prayer is as strong as ever, that my friends and family members who do not know Jesus Christ personally, would no longer continue as if they are not in danger. The truth is, they are in more danger than they know. If they reject the Son of God in this lifetime, He will plainly reject them in the lifetime to come. And, perhaps they think that the truth of God is a lie- something that is completely false. But what could it hurt to at least gravely consider these things? Eternity is at stake.