Crossway’s new edition of John Bunyan’s classic, The Pilgrim’s Progress tells the story of Christian as he journeys to the Celestial City. Through word and picture, readers will better understand the obstacles and encouragements they will face as they live out the Christian life this side of heaven.
In this short excerpt, Christian and Hopeful lament and discuss the backsliding of pilgrims in their journeys of faith.
On Back Sliders (pp 209-210)
“First of all, the backsliders resist all thoughts of God, death, and the judgment to come. Thus, to continue this resistance, they begin by degrees to cast off private duties such as closet prayer, curbing their lusts, watching their souls, grieving over their sin, and the like. They also begin to shun the company of lively and warm Christians.
After this mostly private resistance, they then grow cold to their public duties such as hearing God’s Word preached, reading the Bible, and assembling together with other Christians. They start to abandon the assembly of believers, finding fault with other Christians, often naming them hypocrites, in order to provide an excuse for leaving them.
Having abandoned the fellowship of the saints, they then begin to draw close to and associate themselves with fleshy, loose, greedy, lewd, and unruly men. This new company tempts them to give way to fleshly and lewd practices, at first in secret. They are glad if they can find any fault of sin in those they once considered honest, using them as an excuse and example to justify their own sins.
After this season of private sin, they begin to play with certain sins openly. Finally then, being hardened, they show themselves for what they are. Then they are launched again into the gulf of misery, and unless a miracle of grace prevents it, they perish forever in their own deceit.”
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