A SMIDGEN OF RELIGION
In the City of Destruction, a man named “Graceless” gets renamed to “Christian” once he reads a book (likely the Bible) that informs him of his need for salvation. He decides to embark on a pilgrimage to the Celestial City (and a man named Evangelist gives him directions to the narrow Way).
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“The fear of God is a good motivator at the beginning of a pilgrimage to encourage people to do the right thing… For God’s Word says, ‘The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom’” (209).
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Christian can see a light in the distance, but he cannot see the Wicket Gate (which is his first checkpoint). But he decides to go anyway (despite not being able to entirely see how far he has to go or what lies ahead). Unfortunately, Christian’s wife, kids, and neighbors think that he’s crazy.
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“My wife was afraid of losing all the comforts and attractions of this world. And as for my children, they are completely absorbed with the foolish pleasures of youth. For one reason or another, they left me to wander, anxiously thinking about our fate” (77).
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Two of Christian’s neighbors (Obstinate and Pliable) have two different reactions:
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“Obstinate threw up his hands and quickly dismissed Christian. ‘Nonsense! Put away your foolish book. Are you coming back with us or not?’
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Christian shook his head. ‘No, I will not. I’ve put my hand to the plow and will not turn back.’
Obstinate motioned to Pliable. ‘Let’s go home without him, Pliable. There’s no convincing a fool once they believe themselves wiser than all their family and friends.’
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But Pliable did not move. Instead, he seemed to be considering Christian’s offer. ‘Let’s not be too quick to judge Christian,’ said Pliable. ‘If he’s telling the truth, then what he’s searching for is far more valuable than anything we have here. I think I’m inclined to go with him’” (17).
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However, sometimes we can’t make progress as fast as we want.
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As Christian tells Pliable about what heaven is like:
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“Pliable let out a sigh of relief. ‘This is very good news, Christian! Come on. Let’s pick up our pace and get there quicker.’
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‘I’m trying,’ said Christian, moving as fast as he could, ‘but this load on my back slows me down’” (20).
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After the two men fall into the muddy Swamp of Despair, Pliable gets discouraged from the struggle and decides to go back on his own.
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“Pliable angrily asked, ‘Is this the happiness that you’ve been telling me about all this time? If this is what happens at the beginning of our journey, I cannot imagine what we can expect to find at the end. If I can get out of this mess with my life, I’m going home, and you can travel to your noble country without me!’” (21).
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A man named Help pulls Christian out so that he could continue on.
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Next, Christian gets false counsel from Worldy Wiseman, who convinces Christian to veer off the narrow Way in pursuit for the City of Morality, where Mr. Legality (and his son, Civility) can remove the burden on Christian’s shoulders.
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Worldly Wiseman doesn’t have a high opinion of Evangelist, saying “He’s a terrible guide and has given you the most dangerous advice possible. It should be obvious to you. Just look at the mud from the Swamp of Despair on your clothes. Trust me, that swamp is just the beginning of your problems. I’m older and more experienced, and I guarantee that if you continue on this path, you’ll be met with pain, sadness, hunger, nakedness, lions, dragons, darkness, and, yes, the sword too. In a word — death” (25).
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But Christian later realizes that the City of Morality isn’t all that Worldy Wiseman cracked it up to be.
Evangelist finds him again, confused why he left the narrow Way. He also doesn’t have a high opinion of Worldy Wiseman: “There are three things in the man’s advice you must absolutely hate: first, his cunning ability to turn you away from the true path; secondly, his work in displaying the cross as unpleasant and repulsive; and finally, that he points you in a direction that ultimately leads to death” (31).
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“The fact is, no man has ever been able to get rid of his own burden nor can he expect the moral law will do so either. Mr. Worldly Wiseman is a liar, and Mr. Legality is a cheat. As for his son, Civility, he is just a hypocrite and no better. Believe me, there’s no substance in anything these foolish men say. Their only aim is to cheat you of your salvation and turn you from following the true way that I have told you about” (32).
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Next, Christian came upon three sleeping men with chains on their ankles: Simple, Lazy, and Arrogance. Christian warns them, “If a roaring lion should come by this way, you will certainly become prey!” (58).
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They didn’t listen, so Christian continued on, wishing he could’ve helped them.
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Simple didn’t see any danger and went back to sleep.
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Lazy thought more sleep would help.
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Arrogance said that each man should fend for himself and also went back to sleep.
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Christian finally reaches the Wicket Gate, which Evangelist said would give further instructions. The Wicket Gate is opened to those who knock.
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Goodwill answers, lets Christian into the House of the Interpreter, and explains, “Look straight ahead… Do you see that narrow Way? The path was constructed by the patriarchs, the prophets, Christ, and even His apostles. It’s as straight as an arrow and the way you must go… There are many farther down the path. Some are crooked and some wide, but you’ll be able to distinguish the right from the wrong because the right path is straight and narrow… As for your burden, you must bear it until you come to the place of Deliverance. There it will fall off your back all by itself” (37-38).
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Before Christian leaves the House of the Interpreter, he is taken through a series of rooms that have symbolic lessons.
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For example:
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In the Dusty Room:“The parlor is the heart of a man that was never declared holy by the sweet grace of the Gospel. The dust is his original sin and inward corruptions that have defiled the whole man. The man with the broom is the law, but the gracious young lady who brought water and sprinkled the room is the Gospel. As the man with the broom began to sweep, the dust filled the room; it became more difficult to clean, and you almost choked to death. This is to show how the law, instead of cleansing the heart from sin, revives sin, giving it strength to grow and develop in the soul. You can see that the law can both discover and condemn sin, but it has no power to control it. In contrast, the gracious young lady you saw sprinkle the room with water cleansed it easily. This is to show you that the Gospel comes with sweet and precious influences, cleansing the heart and making it livable. Just as you saw the woman settle the dust by sprinkling the floor with water, this is a picture of sin brought under control and the soul made clean through faith, making the heart fit for the King of Glory to inhabit” (43).
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In the room with the Fireplace: A man (the Devil) tries to put out fire (our passion/faith in our hearts) with water. Another man (Christ) secretly supplies more oil (grace) to keep it burning.
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After leaving the House of the Interpreter, he sees the crucifix (which causes his burden to fall off his shoulders). Then, angels dress him in new clothes, place a mark on his forehead, and give him a certificate.
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Christian continues on a highway that is fenced on both sides with the Wall of Salvation. However, he sees two men (Formalism and Hypocrisy) taking a shortcut by climbing over the Wall (instead of going through the Wicket Gate). They explain to Christian, “Our countrymen have all agreed that this entrance, or Wicket Gate as you call it, is unnecessary and just too far away. We prefer to take this shortcut right here by climbing over the wall” (61).
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Because they don’t think that it makes any difference how they enter Salvation (especially since their countrymen have had the tradition of climbing the wall for thousands of years), Christian explains, “I walk by the rule of my Master, but you walk by the rude workings of your own desires. I have no doubt that the Lord will surely declare you deceitful thieves when you arrive at the end of the Way. You came in by yourselves without His direction, and you will go out by yourselves without His mercy… I would not be counting on laws and ordinances to save you since you did not come in by the Wicket Gate. And as fir the coat I’m wearing, it was given to me by the Lord of the Celestial City, as you say, to cover my nakedness. I consider it a token of His kindness to me since I previously had nothing but rags. Besides, it brings me comfort as I travel on the Way. I have no doubt that when I arrive at the gate of the Celestial City, the Lord will know me since I’m wearing the coat that He freely gave me on the day He stripped me of my rags. And what’s more, perhaps you have noticed this mark on my forehead. It was placed there by one of His shining angels the day my burden fell off my back. In addition to all of this, I was given this sealed certificate to read for comfort as I go along the Way. I was told to return it once I arrived at the gate of the Celestial City as a token of my authorization to enter. However, I doubt that you’re concerned about any of these things since you did not enter at the Wicket Gate” (61-62).
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The three men come to a fork in the road that gives the temptation for “easier” paths (which ultimately lead to destruction).
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The middle path (which Christian takes) leads up a steep hill.
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Formality and Hypocrisy take the left and right paths, which they assume would circle around to where the middle path meets the back end of the hill. However, these side paths lead to a forest and mountains, where Formality and Hypocrisy get lost.
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As Christian continues on his own, he gets frightened when he sees Nervousness and Mistrust running the opposite way. They warn Christian of the lions and other dangers ahead. But Christian decides, “If I turn back now, I will certainly die. If I go forward, I might experience the fear of death but with the assurance of everlasting life” (65).
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When the sun began to set, Christian spotted the Palace Beautiful, which was built by Christ (the “King of the Hill”) for the purpose of providing refuge to pilgrims. However, the path that leads there has the two lions on either side that Nervousness and Mistrust warned him about. He didn’t realize at first that they were chained and could not harm him (as long as he didn’t veer off).
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“The porter at the palace lodge, whose name was Watchman, noticed Christian was thinking of retreating, so he cried out to him, ‘Is your strength and courage so small? Don’t be afraid of the lions, because they are chained. They are placed there on your journey as a trial of faith and to reveal those that have no faith. Just stay in the middle of the Way, and you will not be harmed’” (69).
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Once Christian made it past the lions, the Watchman took him to see a maiden called Discretion. Discretion asked Christian where he came from, where he was going, how he got on the path, and what he had encountered on the path. Once she realized that his intentions were pure, she invited him to stay at the palace, eat supper, and meet her family, Piety, Prudence, and Charity.
As supper was being prepared, they ask Christian what keeps him going when times get tough and he’s tempted to go back to bad habits. He answers: “When I think about what I saw at the cross, that will do it. When I look upon my embroidered coat, that will do it. When I look at the certificate that I carry in my chest pocket, that will do it. And when I think about going to the Celestial City, that will do it” (75).
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Christian sleeps in a bedroom named Peace. When it’s time to leave, he gets dressed in armor to prepare for upcoming assaults in the Valley of Humiliation and the Valley of the Shadow of Death.
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In these places: “As far as it stretched, there was a very deep ditch on the right-hand side — the same ditch in which the blind have led the blind throughout time and have both perished miserably there” (93).
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Christian meets an old neighbor, Faithful, who embarked on the journey after Christian. Faithful says that after Christian left, there was a lot of talk in the City of Destruction about impending doom, but many people still did not believe that it would actually happen. Faithful also shares his own experiences on pilgrimage so far (which included meeting a woman named Promiscuous, who tried to seduce Faithful away from the narrow Way).
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Christian and Faithful meet a man named Talkative, who seemed knowledgeable at first.
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However: “Words and actions are two different things… On the Day of Judgement, men will be judged according to their fruit. No one will say then, ‘Did you believe?’ but rather, ‘Were you doers or talkers only?’ and then they will be judged accordingly” (114).
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At the Vanity Fair, Christian and Faithful get arrested for causing a commotion. Faithful gets killed as a martyr (and his soul goes straight to the Celestial City). Christian escapes and journeys with a new companion, Hopeful.
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Christian and Hopeful meet Atheist, who laughs at their desire to find the Celestial City. Atheist says that he’s been looking for that place longer than they have and that he hasn’t found it yet (so it must not exist).
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“You’ve committed yourself to a very tiring journey and will likely have nothing to show for it except pain… There’s no such place in all the world that you are dreaming about” (186).
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“When I was at home in my own country, I also heard about this place you’re talking about… so I went out to investigate it myself and have spent 20 years looking for this city. But from the day that I first left home until now, I’ve found no such place” (187)
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Nevertheless, Christian and Hopeful still believe that the place indeed exists in the world to come.
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Next, Christian and Hopeful encounter Ignorance. Ignorance doesn’t understand that we aren’t justified by our own righteousness (but rather by Christ’s righteousness) and that we must see our need for Christ in order to be saved.
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Christian explains: “As God’s Word passes judgment on our hearts, so it also passes judgment on our actions. When the thoughts of our hearts and our actions agree with the truth found in God’s Word, then both are good” (203).
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When discussing the backsliding of Temporary, Christian and Hopeful agree that salvation requires true repentance. Repentance is a change of mind, not a mere apology.
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“At the root, is a backslider’s inability to truly change their mind and will. They are like a criminal that stands scared and trembling before the judge. He appears to repent with all his heart, but his motivation is his fear of the noose, not any true remorse for his crime. This is evident once he’s set free and returns to a life of thievery and dishonesty. However, if his mind and heart were truly changed, he would live differently” (213).
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Christian and Hopeful must cross a river to get to the gate of the Celestial City as a final trial.
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“These troubles and distresses that you’re experiencing in these waters are not indicating that God has abandoned you. Rather, they are sent to test you to see whether or not you will recall the promises of God and rely on Him in your present trial” (220).
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Christian and Hopeful get admitted, but because Ignorance didn’t have a certificate, he couldn’t come in.