I finally finished John Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress tonight, an experience that will have lasted a year this May. There are countless things that I could reflect on about this book, but I wanted to mention one thing in particular the touched my heart.
One of the greatest things I look forward to in this life, if I am blessed to become a husband first, and then a father, is to catechize my children. Few things stir up more excitement for me than to share and instill the truth of the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ, King of Glory, with the ones who call will call me “Daddy”. I can’t really explain it, but my heart leaps for joy when I see things like what happened a few weeks ago with my pastor and his 5 year old son. We were eating at a Mexican food restaurant in town, and the 5 year old was asking his dad if he could play with another girl’s toy. His dad told him “No”, but the little boy asked again. And then my pastor asked his son, “What does Ephesians 6:2 and 3 say?” And with a defeated, but understanding look, his 5 year old replied, “Honor your father and mother, that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.” And with that, the little boy went back to eating his lunch. It’s was pretty amazing to see! And reminded me of what a testimony it can be to have your children ‘gather the golden kernels of Truth’ while they are young, so that when they are old they will not depart from them.
What reminded me of all this was this exchange in part II of Bunyan’s book:
“Because Prudence would see how Christiana had brought up her children, she asked leave of her to catechize them: so she gave her free consent. Then she began with the youngest whose names was James.
Prudence. And she said, Come, James, canst thou tell who made thee?
James. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost.
Prudence. Good boy. And canst thou tell who saves thee?
James. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost.
Prudence. Good boy still. But how doth God the Father save thee?
James. By his grace.
Prudence. How doth God the Son save thee?
James. By his righteousness, death, and blood, and life.
Prudence. And how doth God the Holy Ghost save thee?
James. By his illumination, by his renovation, and by his preservation.
Then said Prudent to Christiana, ‘You are to be commended for thus bringing up your children. I suppose I need not ask the rest these questions, since the youngest of them can answer them so well. I will therefore now apply myself to the youngest next.’
Prudence. Then she said, Come Joseph, will you let me catechize you?
Joseph. With all my heart.
Prudence. What is man?
Joseph. A reasonable creature, so made by God, as my brother said.
Prudence. What is supposed by this word saved?
Joseph. That man by sin has brought himself into a state of captivity and misery.
Prudence. What is supposed by his being saved by the Trinity?
Joseph. That sin is so great and mighty a tyrant that none can pull us out of its clutches but God, and that God is so good and loving to man as to pull him indeed out of this miserable state.
Prudence. What is God’s design in saving of poor men?
Joseph. The glorifying of his name, of his grace, and justice, etc. And the everlasting happiness of his creature.”
What beauty and what truth!
O’ hallelujah, what a Savior!
‘BH
6 Comments
March 24, 2008 at 12:41 am
Amen … few things stir the soul like seeing the fruit of your labor in the spiritual growth of another, particularly one from your own progeny.
March 25, 2008 at 10:40 pm
love that book. did you purposefully take that long to read it?
March 25, 2008 at 10:48 pm
Gunny – do y’all use a regular catechism or do you have your own? btw, are you going to T4G?
Jen – lol. definitely not. I got done with part 1, and then got busy. and i recently had to finish it for my spiritual disciplines class…hence the year. but i plan to read it again this summer…maybe…
March 27, 2008 at 9:09 am
with all your extra time between T4G, Na, a possible internship (that still up in the air?), and WGod…
March 27, 2008 at 12:28 pm
hahaha, yeah. plus a week of summer school, a two-week trip to Texas, a handful of weddings in Georgia, Texas, and who knows where else, selling my monster truck to get a gas efficient anything, playing in the church softball league, reading all the other books on my list, finding a place to live as I move off campus next fall, and a bunch of other exciting life things!
but I’ll be content with whatever happens! whether its on “the list” or not! Have you already decided I’m coming to WGod? lol. Can you get me a good deal?
March 27, 2008 at 1:01 pm
This was a nice post! I have not read the Pilgrims’s progress in its entirety but I’ve been told it’s so good that Christians used to be familiar with it long time ago.
I was gladly impressed by your pastor’s words to his son. That’s what I’d long to do always. To point people to the Savior, to His death and resurrection and to His word that brings us joy:
“These words I have spoken to you that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be full” (John 15:11)