John Bunyan
Former imprisoned pastor and author of
the classic book Pilgrim’s Progress
“Suddenly this sentence fell upon my
soul, ‘Thy righteousness is in heaven.’
And me thought, with awe, I saw, with the eyes of my soul, Jesus Christ
at God’s right hand; there, I say, was my righteousness; so that wherever I
was, or whatever I was doing, God could not say of me, He wants my
righteousness, for that was just before Him.
I also saw, moreover, that it was not my good frame of heart that made
my righteousness better, nor yet my bad frame that made my righteousness worse;
for my righteousness was Jesus Christ Himself, ‘the same yesterday,
today, and forever,’ (Hebrews 13:8).”
Forcefully and with finality the Holy
Spirit presented to Bunyan the reality of the risen Savior who “is made unto us
wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption.” Therefore with delight he could say:
“Oh! Me thought, Christ! Christ! there was nothing but Christ that was
before my eyes. I was not only looking
upon this and the other benefits of Christ apart, as of His blood, burial, or
resurrection; but considering Him as a whole Christ, as He in whom all these
and all other virtues, relations, offices, and operations met together, and
that He sat on the right hand of God in heaven.
It was glorious to me to see His exultation, and the worth and prevalency
of His benefits.”
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Thus, it was that Bunyan learned the wonderful reality of “the
life that is Christ.” Ephesians 5:30
became “a sweet word” to him: “For we
are members of His body, of His flesh, and of His bones.” He could say: “Further, the Lord did also lead me into
the mystery of union with the Son of God…By this also was my faith in Him, as
my righteousness, the more confirmed in me; for if He and I were one, then
His righteousness was mine, His merits mine, His victory also mine. “ |
“Now I could see myself in heaven and earth at
once; in heaven by my Christ, by my head, by my righteousness and life, though
on earth by my body or person.”
His neighbors and friends were aware of
a great change in his life, and urged him to preach the Word to them, and to
others. He was timid to do so but then
was persuaded that God had given him the ministry of preaching and
teaching. At first his message was
altogether about sin and the Savior.
Then his preaching took on more of an exaltation of “Jesus Christ in all
His offices, relations, and benefits unto the world.” Then, he began to teach “the mystery of the
union of Christ.”
After five years of fruitful ministry,
in which many found the Savior, John Bunyan was imprisoned [for
preaching]. However, during those jail
terms (1660-1672) he wrote the classic book Pilgrim’s Progress.