What was Christian's burden and how did it come to be?

[DaveXR650]

So, you think Christian was saved while in the city of destruction, before the narrow gate, and before the cross?

Hey Austin. Good to see you still on here. I haven't been around in a while. That's a good question because as far as I could tell Christian wasn't saved until he made it to the celestial city. This confused me greatly - even more so when someone told me Bunyan was what they called a "Calvinist". When you read Pilgrim's Progress you can't help but get the feeling that each trial could have resulted in eternal destruction for Christian. By the way, regarding his burden, here is an interesting link - apparently Surgeon had some questions about that too.
Bunyan’s Wicket Gate

 

[AustinC]

Hey Austin. Good to see you still on here. I haven't been around in a while. That's a good question because as far as I could tell Christian wasn't saved until he made it to the celestial city. This confused me greatly - even more so when someone told me Bunyan was what they called a "Calvinist". When you read Pilgrim's Progress you can't help but get the feeling that each trial could have resulted in eternal destruction for Christian. By the way, regarding his burden, here is an interesting link - apparently Surgeon had some questions about that too.
Bunyan’s Wicket Gate

What an excellent article. I appreciate the fish wive's question and the subsequent discussion of others.

 

[kyredneck]

the feeling that each trial could have resulted in eternal destruction for Christian

Hell, hell, hell. Hell on the brain. The 'burden' of evangelicals.

 

[DaveXR650]

Hell, hell, hell. Hell on the brain. The 'burden' of evangelicals.

I'm honestly not sure what is meant by that.

 

[kyredneck]

I'm honestly not sure what is meant by that.

When you say 'eternal destruction', are you not referring to hell?

When you read Pilgrim's Progress you can't help but get the feeling that each trial could have resulted in eternal destruction for Christian.

 

[kyredneck]

someone told me Bunyan was what they called a "Calvinist".

He was a Puritan in the vein of 'Lordship Salvation' severity.

"Ferguson proposes that Bunyan emits a kind of legalistic preparationism detracting from the free offer of the gospel."

 

[DaveXR650]

OK. Thanks Ky. I think it was in reading Ferguson's papers on the Marrow controversy where I first came across discussion of the fishwife and Pilgrim's Progress. I tend to come down on the side of being against against any kind of "preparation" beyond recognizing a need to come. Yet I do believe that a persistent rejection of the Lordship of Christ is incompatible with being a Christian. The two things are different.

 

[Martin Marprelate]

He was a Puritan in the vein of 'Lordship Salvation' severity.

"Ferguson proposes that Bunyan emits a kind of legalistic preparationism detracting from the free offer of the gospel."

Ferguson is quite wrong then. If you have read Bunyan's, 'Come and Welcome to the Lord Jesus Christ,' or 'The Jereusalem Sinner Saved' you will be aware that he makes no artificial difficulty for sinners to come to Christ.
The Wicket Gate is the gate of repentance and faith. Everybody's experience of salvation is somewhat different, and some people find it more difficult to find the gate than others. I don't think we need make more of the matter than that.

I think that today, salvation is made so easy for people that many think they have found the gate when they have never repented of their sins. That was my personal experience at one point.

 

[DaveXR650]

Right at the 12 minute mark they talk about Christian and his burden. I have not read The Whole Christ but I have watched Ferguson's videos on the subject. I don't think Ferguson had a problem with Pilgrim's Progress. In fact, he seems to be a huge fan. (Martin. Don't watch this past the 21:30 point. That's where they start in on Englishmen.)

 

[Martin Marprelate]

Hey Austin. Good to see you still on here. I haven't been around in a while. That's a good question because as far as I could tell Christian wasn't saved until he made it to the celestial city. This confused me greatly - even more so when someone told me Bunyan was what they called a "Calvinist". When you read Pilgrim's Progress you can't help but get the feeling that each trial could have resulted in eternal destruction for Christian. By the way, regarding his burden, here is an interesting link - apparently Surgeon had some questions about that too.
Bunyan’s Wicket Gate

Haviing mis-quoted Bunyan earlier, I've been moved to read Pilgrim's Progress over again. What you will find is that everyone who goes through the gate and is found upon the road reaches the Celestial City, despite all the perils on the way. But there are those, like Formalist and Hypocrite, who tumble over the wall instead of going thtough the Gate, and Ignorance who came onto the Way by 'a little crooked road' either fail at the Hill of Difficulty, or are refused entry at the City itself.

This is why I believe that ISAS, 'once saved, always saved,' is desperately misleading. Like all false teaching it has an element of truth in it, but Bunyan and the other Puritans believed in the Perseverance of the Saints. By His grace, God's people will all persevere to the end, but it is also necessary that they do persevere (Philippians 2:12-13).. Anyone who believes that the Christian life is any sort of cake-walk is a fool (Acts of the Apostles 14:22)

Through many dangers, toils and snares
I have already come.
'Tis God hath brough me safe thus far,
And He will lead me home.
John Newton

 

[DaveXR650]

What you will find is that everyone who goes through the gate and is found upon the road reaches the Celestial City, despite all the perils on the way. But there are those, like Formalist and Hypocrite, who tumble over the wall instead of going thtough the Gate, and Ignorance who came onto the Way by 'a little crooked road' either fail at the Hill of Difficulty, or are refused entry at the City itself.

That is very helpful. Thanks.

 

[AustinC]

Haviing mis-quoted Bunyan earlier, I've been moved to read Pilgrim's Progress over again. What you will find is that everyone who goes through the gate and is found upon the road reaches the Celestial City, despite all the perils on the way. But there are those, like Formalist and Hypocrite, who tumble over the wall instead of going thtough the Gate, and Ignorance who came onto the Way by 'a little crooked road' either fail at the Hill of Difficulty, or are refused entry at the City itself.

This is why I believe that ISAS, 'once saved, always saved,' is desperately misleading. Like all false teaching it has an element of truth in it, but Bunyan and the other Puritans believed in the Perseverance of the Saints. By His grace, God's people will all persevere to the end, but it is also necessary that they do persevere (Philippians 2:12-13).. Anyone who believes that the Christian life is any sort of cake-walk is a fool (Acts of the Apostles 14:22)

Through many dangers, toils and snares
I have already come.
'Tis God hath brough me safe thus far,
And He will lead me home.
John Newton

So, the wicket gate represents that there is only one way to the cross, to Christ, who removes our burdens. The others on the way attempt to join the road without taking the one way that leads to the cross. All who come in through the wicket gate persevere precisely because Jesus, the King, has given them a certificate and gifts to persevere and show their inheritance.

 

[Martin Marprelate]

@AustinC,
That is pretty much it, I think, though I have problems with the idea of 'Let go and let God' (not that you mentioned that). It is we ourselves who peresevere, but we do so by the grace of God and in the power of the Holy Spirit, and the Bible directs us to take some rather direct action (e.g. Colossians 3:5-6, 12-14).

 

[AustinC]

To my understanding, Christian receives his burden by reading the Bible. It is the Bible that tells him God exists, God is holy, God has laws for holy living, Christian has broken these laws of the King (as well as everyone else in his city), and Christians destruction is sure. The burden of his revealed sin, by reading the Bible, is what causes Christian to weep and which brings Evangelist to his aid. Evangelist points Christian to the one way that leads to the cross. It is why he sends Christian to the wicket gate first, before sending him to the cross first. The only way to the cross is Jesus and the only one who can remove our burden is Jesus. The only one who can free us from the dungeons is Jesus and the only one who opens the gates to the city is Jesus. It is all Jesus. He provides the resources and capacity for me to persevere. He sustains me along the path.

 

[tyndale1946]

To my understanding, Christian receives his burden by reading the Bible. It is the Bible that tells him God exists, God is holy, God has laws for holy living, Christian has broken these laws of the King (as well as everyone else in his city), and Christians destruction is sure. The burden of his revealed sin, by reading the Bible, is what causes Christian to weep and which brings Evangelist to his aid. Evangelist points Christian to the one way that leads to the cross. It is why he sends Christian to the wicket gate first, before sending him to the cross first. The only way to the cross is Jesus and the only one who can remove our burden is Jesus. The only one who can free us from the dungeons is Jesus and the only one who opens the gates to the city is Jesus. It is all Jesus. He provides the resources and capacity for me to persevere. He sustains me along the path.

I'm sure than many have read Pilgrims Progress on here and there are some who have not... I myself have read it over two times and maybe more but I thought that those who have read it might be interested and those who have not, might like to read a short story by a well known American Author who is well known, who also wrote The Scarlet Letter and The House of Seven Gables who also read Pilgrims Progress and this is his very short allegorical story on it... Brethren!... The Celestial Railroad!... Brother Glen

The Celestial Railroad