In John Bunyan’s classic book Pilgrim’s Progress, the protagonist, Christian, travels from the City of Destruction (representing the sinful world) to the Celestial City (heaven). Along the way, he encounters various difficulties and temptations. There are times when he is tempted to leave the way he has been directed to travel, either because of difficulties and obstacles, or because alternate paths provide an easier and nicer route.
Bunyan is spot-on in pointing out the reasons why Christians are tempted to leave the narrow way they have to travel. These have to do with Satan’s key methods to lead Christians astray, which are mirrored in the way the world often impedes our journey to heaven. Satan is a master in using either seduction or threats to get people off the King’s Highway to heaven.
In Pilgrim’s Progress, the pilgrims find themselves in a town called Vanity Fair, where all kinds of things are on sale: merchandise, pleasure, fame, amusements, and the like. The pilgrims are urged to buy what is on offer, but they decline, for which they are imprisoned, and one is even martyred. Eventually, Christian escapes the clutches of this wicked place to continue his journey.
Remember that Abraham was a tent-dweller for the rest of his life after God called him to leave his home in Ur. Even after arriving in the Promised Land, he still dwelt in his tents. The Bible says: “By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God” (Hebrews 11:9–10).
His ultimate goal was to reach God’s heaven; thus although he arrived at an earthly address, he never lost sight of the fact that he was in fact a foreigner and stranger on earth (Hebrews 11:13) until he reached the better country, “a heavenly one” (Hebrews 11:16).
Our permanent address is not on earth, but in heaven. We can never settle down anywhere in the world and consider it our ultimate destination. We may enjoy peace, comfort, and prosperity for a while, but these things should never lead us to ignore our real ongoing journey. We forget this at our peril.
If seduction does not work, then Satan will use threats to get us off the path that leads to true life. In Pilgrim’s Progress, Apollyon (Satan) blocks the path, commanding Christian to turn back or face his fury. Christian battles with Apollyon and is helped by God’s angels.
For centuries, Satan has been getting Christians to abandon the way of the Lord through both deception and danger, seduction and suffering.
He can appear as an “angel of light” to deceive (2 Corinthians 11:14) or a “roaring lion” to intimidate (1 Peter 5:8). In either case, we must take the faithful posture of “standing firm” (1 Peter 5:9; Ephesians 6:14). We must stand firm and let nothing move us (1 Corinthians 15:58)—not the seductions of the devil and the world, nor the threats from them. Instead, we must keep to the path if we are to reach God’s heaven.
Consider this:
Reflect on the two strategies that Satan uses to lead Christians off course. What is your own experience of facing these challenges and overcoming them?
Excerpted and adapted from Growing Old Gracefully by Robert Solomon. © 2019 by Robert Solomon. Used by permission of Discovery House. All rights reserved.
