A Journey through Interpreter’s House: The Inextinguishable Blaze (Part 5)
The Grace of Christ Conquers the Assailed Heart
In this post, we are continuing to journey through the House of the Interpreter in the Pilgrim’s Progress. This is a project that I’ve neglected but look forward to finishing. This is the fourth scene in the Interpreter’s House. We previously considered the Portrait of a Minister (2 Parts), the Dusty Parlor, and Passion and Patience. These previous posts can be accessed at Thought Overflow. In the next post, we will consider The Persevering Pilgrim.
The Interpreter shows Christian 7 ‘excellent things’ that help him and every other Christian on their journey.
1.) The portrait of the godly pastor.
2.) The distinction between the law and the gospel.
3.) The virtue of patience contrasted with passion.
4.) The grace of Christ conquers the assailed heart.
5.) The persevering pilgrim.
6.) The despairing reprobate in the iron cage.
7.) The warning of the final day of judgment.
The Grace of Christ Conquers the Assailed Heart: The Inextinguishable Blaze.
The text reads,
Then I saw in my dream, that the Interpreter took Christian by the hand, and led him into a place where was a Fire burning against the wall, and one standing by it, always casting much water upon it, to quench it; yet did the Fire burn higher and hotter.
Then said Christian, What means this?
The Interpreter answered, This Fire is the Work of Grace that is wrought in the heart; he that casts water upon it, to extinguish and put it out, is the Devil; but in that thou seest the fire notwithstanding burn higher and hotter, thou shalt also see the reason of that. So he had him about to the backside of the wall, where he saw a man with a vessel of oil in his hand, of which he did also continually cast (but secretly) into the Fire.
Then said Christian, What means this?
The Interpreter answered, This is Christ, who continually with the oil of his grace maintains the work already begun in the heart: By the means of which, notwithstanding what the devil can do, the souls of his people prove gracious still. And in that thou sawest, that the man stood behind the wall to maintain the fire; this is to teach thee that it is hard for the tempted to see how this work of grace is maintained in the soul.
It may be helpful to see a picture of this scene on the front end of considering it. The details of the literary story are easy to distinguish. The Interpreter first shows Christian the devil on one side of the wall, seeking to extinguish the fire of grace in the heart of the believer. As Christian sees this scene, he is obviously perplexed because as satan vigorously strives to extinguish this blaze, the fire’s response is to burn hotter and hotter. With each bucket of water, the blaze heats up. But how can this be? “Then said Christian, What means this?”
The Interpreter answers Christian’s question by showing him Christ on the other side of the wall (left of the picture above), pouring a steady stream of oil upon the fire, overcoming the assailment of the evil one with His omnipotent sovereign sustaining grace. The work of Christ overcomes the vain attempts of the devil and the fire that burns in the heart of the believer burns even hotter and hotter.
This allegorical picture arises out of Bunyan’s own life experience with trials and temptations. He writes in Grace Abounding,
Then hath the tempter come upon me, also, with such discouragements as these: You are very hot for mercy, but I will cool you; this frame shall not last always; many have been as hot as you for a spirit, but I have quenched their zeal. And with this, such and such who were fallen off would be sent before mine eyes. Then I should be afraid that I should do so too; but, thought I, I am glad this comes into my mind. Well, I will watch, and take what heed I can. Though you do, said Satan, I shall be too hard for you; I will cool you insensibly, by degrees, little by little. What care I, saith he, though I be seven years in chilling your heart if I can do it at last? Continual rocking will lull a crying child asleep. I will ply it close, but will have my end accomplished. Though you be burning hot at present, yet if I can pull you from this fire, I shall have you cold before it be long.
This scene in the Interpreter’s House may be one of the sweetest allegorical pictures for the believer. It is important that we notice Christian is given this picture of God’s sustaining grace before he faces Apollyon (the devil) in the Valley of Humiliation and Giant Despair. This is instructive for the church today. So many pastors and evangelists offer the Gospel as if it is the means out of suffering. They offer the Christian life to unbelievers as a bed of roses. They mistakenly sell the gospel as a cure-all elixir. To do such a thing is abusive and dangerous because it will inevitably sow seeds of confusion, frustration, and discontentment when suffering and spiritual warfare are waged against these new Christians. They will begin to think that God has somehow failed them because He has not lived up to the promises of the evangelists who sold them a shallow and insufficient gospel tainted with promises of health, wealth, and prosperity.
What we should do is inform those who profess faith in Christ early on in their walk of the spiritual warfare they are embarking upon. We should warn them of the attacks of the devil that are surely to come upon them, we should warn them that they are now walking the path of suffering that their Savior walked, and we should instill in their hearts and minds that the road to glory is paved with sufferings. We should inform them that though the road will not be easy, Christ is ever with them, fanning the flames of grace in their hearts, interceding on their behalf, causing them to persevere to the end.
For the unbeliever, they are largely unaware that there is a spiritual warfare raging. They are spiritually dead. Their hearts, minds, and souls are held captive in bondage to sin and satan. There is no need for the devil to assault them because he is their father, and they are his children (John 8:44). Because they do not experience the raging of this battle, they perceive that they are at peace in the world. But once they are converted, once they are raised to spiritual new life, once they are redeemed from their bondage, and once they begin to cry out to God, “Abba Father,” the assaults of the evil one will come upon them. Satan will not let those whom he believes to be his abandon him so easily. We must inform the newly converted of what lies before them, and we must prepare them for battle. We must show them what Interpreter shows Christian, and we must show them early in their conversion.
As the apostle Peter tells us, 1 Peter 4:12-14—
Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.
We learn from this scene several theological truths:
1.) There has been a change in the heart of a genuinely converted believer
Through the prophet Ezekiel, God speaks,
I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.
In his conversation with Nicodemus, Jesus references this Ezekiel passage (John 3:5-8), implying that this hope is now being fulfilled in and through Christ.
The apostle Paul writes of the truly converted believer, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” (2 Corinthians 5:17)
What is initially fascinating in the scene that Christian sees is that there is a fire burning at all. The heart of the unbeliever is dead, lifeless, cold, and overpowered by darkness. The unbelieving heart is enslaved to the sinful lusts of the flesh, the desires of the world, and to satan himself (Ephesians 2:1-3). It is a place where no fire burns at all. It is a place that you would expect fire could never burn. However, now, upon conversion, there is a fire which burns. But it doesn’t only burn, it rages. It not only rages, it burns hotter and hotter. It not only increases in intensity, it is an inextinguishable blaze.
This transformation can only be attributed to the sovereign grace of God. It is God who sovereignly reaches into the chests of men removes the heart of stone and replaces it with a heart of flesh. It is God who causes lifeless, dead sinners to become a new creation. It is God who regenerates the dead hearts of men and causes them to believe the true Gospel. It is God who lights the fire of grace in the hearts of believers, which results in them seeing clearly and expressing faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
2.) Satan relentlessly assails the heart of the believer
In Revelation 12, satan, having failed to devour the child of promise (1-6) and having been defeated by Christ (7-12), then turns his rage and fury upon the woman who is the church and those who make up her membership (14-17). John tells us in 12:17, “ Then the dragon became furious with the woman and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.”
But just prior to that, John gives us the comforting reminder that God is sustaining, protecting, and nourishing the woman even while the dragon rages against her. Revelation 12:13-14, “And when the dragon saw that he had been thrown down to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. But the woman was given the two wings of the great eagle so that she might fly from the serpent into the wilderness, to the place where she is to be nourished for a time, and times, and half a time.”
The picture that John is given in Revelation 12 is similar to the picture that Christian is given in Interpreter’s House. Our adversary is a roaring lion roaming around, seeking whom he may devour. The devil will rage against us, but God will protect us, sustain us, and nourish us until we are called home to glory or Christ returns. So then, let us be encouraged to persevere, knowing that nothing, not even satan’s relentless assaults, will prevail in extinguishing the flame that God lit within us.
3.) Christ triumphs in causing the saints to persevere
The doctrine of the perseverance of the saints teaches us that those who are truly converted will persevere to the end, and only those who persevere to the end are truly converted. The question is, how is it possible that any of us persevere to the end? Surly, the moment that our salvation was left to our own power to keep would be the moment we lost it forever. We are weak and frail; one bucket of Satan’s water would quench our fire forever.
The secret to the perseverance of the saints is shown to Christian behind the wall. There, he sees the Christ ever standing, attending to the fire, continually pouring the oil of his grace upon the fire which he started. This is the sovereign, omnipotent grace that triumphs over Satan’s impotent attempts to destroy the faith and spiritual life of the believer.
We persevere because Christ triumphs over satan. We previously considered Revelation 12. The theme of the entire book of Revelation is that we are more than conquerors because we are united to the ultimate Victor, Jesus Christ.
Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death. (Revelation 2:10-11)
4.) We must always look to Christ Jesus
Knowing that we are constantly under assault, knowing that we are incapable of saving ourselves or keeping ourselves saved, we must always keep our eyes fixed upon Jesus Christ.
The author of Hebrews exhorts us,
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:1-2)
Let us rejoice in the sovereign sustaining grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
—Chase