I don’t have any tattoos, but when I did, one would image a person charging a gaggle of troopers, with this caption: “Set down my identify, Sir.” John Bunyan reveals us the scene in his traditional allegory, The Pilgrim’s Progress (33–34). I hope Bunyan will tattoo the phrase in your thoughts as effectively.
Earlier than Christian stood a palace, “a stately palace, lovely to behold.” Atop this citadel, the inhabitants walked, clad in gold. How did anybody enter that palace? Just a little distance from the door sat a scribe, prepared to write down down anybody’s identify who would try and enter. However Christian noticed that none dared to present their identify and strategy the door. Exterior the palace doorways, the truth is, stood an excellent firm of males who desired to enter however didn’t. Not one in every of these many males would give their names and advance.
Why not? Within the doorway of that palace stood a small military of troopers, able to batter and bludgeon any who drew close to. These had been “resolved to do the boys that may enter what harm and mischief they might.” The palace itself, any sane man would enter; the palace protected by a small military, solely a madman would try. After which we see it:
Finally, when each man began again for concern of the armed males, Christian noticed a person of a really stout countenance come as much as the person that sat there to write down, saying, “Set down my identify, Sir.”
Amongst his shrinking, retreating friends, one man amongst them seeks glory, honor, and immortality (Romans 2:6–7). He’ll go forth towards the foe, come what could. He tells the scribe, “Write down my identify, Sir. Signal me up.”
As soon as his identify was recorded, Christian “noticed the person draw his sword, and put a helmet upon his head, and rush towards the door upon the armed males, who laid upon him with lethal drive: however the man, by no means discouraged, fell to reducing and hacking most fiercely.” Opposed however undiscouraged, he cuts and hacks most fiercely.
After he had obtained and given many wounds to people who tried to maintain him out, he minimize his method by all of them, and pressed ahead into the palace, at which there was a pleasing voice heard from people who had been inside, even of people who walked upon the highest of the palace, saying —
“Are available, are available;
Everlasting glory thou shalt win.”So he went in, and was clothed with such clothes as they.
At this episode, Christian merely smiles and asks for no additional rationalization of the Interpreter; he is aware of the which means already.
Unused Weapons
This man of stout countenance captures a Christian’s holy warfare. It is a reprise of Jonathan storming the Philistines with solely his armor-bearer, Samson selecting up his jawbone towards a thousand males, David requesting to struggle the blaspheming large, Paul foretelling that persecution awaits him but declaring, “none of these items transfer me” (Acts 20:24 NKJV), and our Lord Jesus, dealing with a military within the backyard of Gethsemane, and, “understanding all that may occur to him, got here ahead and mentioned to them, ‘Whom do you search?’” (John 18:4).
“Church Militant, she has been known as in ages previous; what’s her identify now?”
In Christian’s smile, we see Bunyan’s — the person who himself wrote this scene from jail for refusing to stop preaching. For a lot of at the moment, Christianity is conceived of solely as a smooth affair, a delicate boat experience, a stroll by the meadow. We tour historical strongholds, however don’t mount them. Few mistake our self-discipline, zeal, or witness as having to do with a militant, advancing religion. Few would depict the best way to heaven as preventing by a gaggle of troopers.
Certainly, the elements for this are many. Maybe our swords have turned prematurely into plowshares, our arrows to bonfire sticks, as a result of now we have not confronted the persecution that despatched our forefathers to the entrance strains. Or maybe the “muscular Christianity” motion was onto one thing, and the feminization of our religion has come on the heels (or within the heels) of the Industrial Revolution. Possibly David Wells is correct to say now we have been blunted by a pluralistic society, abandoning a democratized religion — well mannered, not prophetic. Church Militant, she has been known as in ages previous; what’s her identify now?
Take Heaven by Drive
But for all of that, the Christian life is inescapably one in every of warfare. He who would set down his identify and lay siege to heaven should know he fees upon actual enemies who possess actual hatred, and take up actual weapons. The enemy undertakes to be your undertaker. At baptism, the Christian renounces the satan, and pledges whole allegiance to King Jesus. That’s, he declares warfare. You have to “minimize your method by all of them,” giving and receiving many wounds, to enter the actual glory. Within the phrases of Thomas Watson,
Heaven is inherited by the violent. Our life is navy. Christ is our Captain, the gospel is the banner, the graces are our non secular artillery, and heaven is barely taken in a forcible method. (Heaven Taken by Storm, 3)
Heaven should be fought for. Each women and men should be taught the masculine intuition to persevere to heaven. Paul doesn’t merely recommend it; he instructions it: “Be watchful, stand agency within the religion, act like males, be robust” (1 Corinthians 16:13). The entire church — filled with males, girls, and kids — should act like males and be robust.
Be robust within the Lord and the power of his may, Christian. Resist the satan, and he’ll flee. Smother temptation in its crib. Whet your sword. Awaken the hunt for souls. Put together your thoughts for motion. Give up enjoying footsie with the world. Demise stays for the flippant. Don’t look so perplexed at tribulation as if one thing unusual had been taking place — however rebut, resign, defy, struggle again, following the risen Christ who break up the sepulcher asunder. Right here, unceasing warfare; there, unceasing relaxation. Right here, underneath siege; there, overjoyed. Right here, reducing and hacking; there, a crown and homeland.
Taking Names
The true Christ tells us to take up our crosses, minimize off limbs, die day by day, that we would rise and reign with him in a brand new world. Those that would gown in gold and stroll atop this palace enter by the doorway of many tribulations (Acts 14:22). “Certainly, all who want to stay a godly life in Christ Jesus will likely be persecuted” (2 Timothy 3:12). In the event that they hated him, they may hate us. Jesus tells us to rely the fee — of going and of not going.
We observe no squeamish soldier. Christ, within the truest sense, mentioned, “Father, set down my identify. I’ll cost the fray of devils, the furnace of wrath, for them.” His identify was the one that may be set down for sinners: “You shall name his identify Jesus, for he’ll save his individuals from their sins” (Matthew 1:21).
Watch him experience forth — alone. Down, down, down into an animal’s steady. Down, down, down into the muck of his ruined world. There, see him take off his helmet, lay down his sword, and cost forth into that nice hoard. Oh, with what lethal drive did they assail him! How they beat him past human semblance, how they mocked him who gave them tongues, how they chopped mercilessly on the stump of Jesse. Down, down, down into the grave.
However see how he minimize and hacked his method by. He slashed the throat of demise, crushed the serpent’s cranium, and returned with the pinnacle of that Goliath who mocked his Israel. He received a gold gown for himself and for others — all who would take up their swords, put on his armor, and observe after him.
The world wants this Christ, not the faux one in every of low expectations and groveling ideas.
Males are prepared for a Chief who will unhesitatingly declare the final ounce of his followers’ braveness and constancy. . . . That is no time to offer a diminished, milk-and-water faith. Far too usually the world has been introduced with a light and undemanding half-Christianity. The Gospel has been emasculated lengthy sufficient. Preach Christ at the moment within the whole problem of His excessive, imperious declare. Some will likely be scared, and a few offended: however some, they usually probably the most value successful, will kneel in homage at His toes. (James Stewart, Heralds of God, 26–27)
Enter the Fray
Women and men and kids, resolve now, God serving to you: “Set down my identify, sir!” Understanding the result of the battle, and that we’ll stay to partake of the spoils, how valiant ought to we be? Hear the tune on this day of grace:
Are available, are available;
Everlasting glory thou shalt win.
Then, stay as you’d should you may journey again to earth from heaven. Thomas Watson once more:
Contemplate then, critically, the extra violent we’re for heaven and the extra work we do for God, the better will likely be our reward. The warmer our zeal, the brighter our crown. May we hear the blessed souls departed talking to us from heaven, certain thus they’d say, “Had been we to go away heaven some time and to dwell on the earth once more, we’d do God a thousand occasions extra service than ever now we have finished. We’d pray with extra life, act with extra zeal; for now we see, the extra hath been our labor, the extra astonishing is our pleasure and the extra flourishing our crown. (78–79)
Heaven’s palace, any sane man would enter; heaven’s palace surrounded by a military of tribulations, solely a madman would try — other than grace. However all who struggle and die faithfully behind Christ will outlive the battle, and be exalted to excessive towers to shine with immortality within the kingdom of their Father. And such will sing the extra joyfully as a result of we knew what sorrow was. Brighter would be the Day, sweeter the remaining, larger the enjoyment as a result of we fell and fought and cried. The soldier’s warfare offers option to the soldier’s triumph. Brother and sister, set down your identify.
