The Pilgrim’s Influence

Our tears to joy, our fears to faith
Are turned, as we see.

Twice I have read the first part of The Pilgrim’s Progress, but only now have I completed the entire book including the second part. 

The first part is the classic story. Christian escapes the City of Destruction by going through the narrow, wicket gate. While taking the King’s Highway, he faces many trials and temptations. He fights and overcomes Appolyon. He remains faithful at Vanity Fair, and he escapes destruction by Giant Despair. In the end, he wades through the River with his friend Hopeful, and the two are escorted into the Celestial City where trials are no more and only joy awaits them. There are few passages in all of un-inspired literature that compare with Christian wading through the River, almost losing sight of the Celestial City, and then crying out in triumph:

Oh, I see him again! And he tells me, “When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee, and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee.” Then they both took courage, and the enemy was after that as still as a stone, until they were gone over.

While the second part is about Christian’s wife and sons, it is equally about Christian’s influence. The story of Christian—of his trials, ultimate victory, and glorious state—have become almost legendary in the City of Destruction. These stories bring great guilt to Christian’s wife, who had rejected his pleas for her to join him. Christian’s faithfulness eventually compels Christiana to forsake all for the Celestial City. Christiana and her four sons are joined by their neighbor Mercy. Along the way, the pilgrim party grows to include a number of other characters: Mr. Honest, Mr. Ready-to-Halt, Mr. Feeble-Mind, Mr. Valiant-For-Truth, and Mr. Stand-Fast. The group is led by Mr. Great-Heart who symbolizes the ideal pastor. Mr. Great-Heart guides the group, protects them, slays the giants along their path, and finally encourages them as they pass through the River to the Celestial City.

All along their journey, the little church recounts the story of Christian, and as they arrive at various places they marvel, saying, “This is where Christian did such-and-such.” Were Bunyan not a Puritan Baptist, we might think that he was signifying the importance of pilgrimage to holy sites and veneration of the saints. However, knowing his theology, this cannot be the case. Instead, he is pointing out the incredible influence of a faithful life. The fruit of Christian’s faithfulness ripens in the lives of these people.

In my journey to the Celestial City, I often cannot see beyond my trials. I fight with Appolyon. I must pass between lions. I have been imprisoned by Giant Despair. I must remain faithful at Vanity Fair. While traveling through the pain, the disappointment, the temptations, and even the despair, we must not forget that even in these things we are moving closer to seeing our God face-to-face and also that God uses the faithfulness of his saints to influence others. God uses our faithfulness to convict sinners and to encourage other saints to press on.

As Christiana says, “The bitter must come before the sweet, and that also will make the sweet the sweeter.”