Pilgrim's Progress continued...
Christian continues on the road, eventually losing Faithful when the citizens of Vanity Fair murder him and throw Christian in prison for preaching the gospel.
Miraculously released, Christian meets up with Hopeful and pursues the road to the Celestial City. The pair meet another person who professes to be a true follower of The Way. But he says...
"...It is true we somewhat differ in religion from
those of the stricter sort, yet but in two small points: first,
we never strive against wind and tide; secondly, we are always most
zealous when Religion goes in his silver slippers; we love much
to walk with him in the street, if the sun shines, and the people
applaud him."
Then Christian stepped a little aside to his fellow, Hopeful,
saying, It runs in my mind that this is one By-ends of Fair-speech;
and if it be he, we have as very a knave in our company as dwelleth
in all these parts. Then said Hopeful, Ask him; methinks he should
not be ashamed of his name. So Christian came up with him again,
and said, "Sir, you talk as if you knew something more than all the
world doth; and if I take not my mark amiss, I deem I have half a
guess of you: Is not your name Mr. By-ends, of Fair-speech?"
By-ends: "This is not my name, but indeed it is a nick-name that is
given me by some that cannot abide me: and I must be content to
bear it as a reproach, as other good men have borne theirs before
me."
Christian: "But did you never give an occasion to men to call you
by this name?"
By-ends: "Never, never! The worst that ever I did to give them an
occasion to give me this name was, that I had always the luck to
jump in my judgment with the present way of the times (trans.
"Go with the tide of popular thought, changing constantly so as to be acceptable to the largest number or most affluent group of people"), whatever it was, and my
chance was to get thereby; but if things are thus cast upon me,
let me count them, a blessing; but let not the malicious load me
therefore with reproach."
Christian: "I thought, indeed, that you were the man that I heard
of; and to tell you what I think, I fear this name belongs to you
more properly than you are willing we should think it doth."
By-ends: "Well, if you will thus imagine, I cannot help it; you
shall find me a fair company-keeper, if you will still admit me
your associate."
Christian: "If you will go with us, you must go against wind and tide;
the which, I perceive, is against your opinion; you must also own (trans. "associate with")
religion in his rags, as well as when in his silver slippers; and
stand by him, too, when bound in irons, as well as when he walketh
the streets with applause.
By-ends: "You must not impose, nor lord it over my faith; leave me
to my liberty, and let me go with you."
Christian: "Not a step further, unless you will do in what I propound as
we."
Then said By-ends, "I shall never desert my old principles, since
they are harmless and profitable. If I may not go with you, I must
do as I did before you overtook me, even go by myself, until some
overtake me that will be glad of my company."
~ ~ ~
We will always know true believers from the false because of persecutions. When the tide of popularity rises against Christianity the look-a-likes leave or take back previous assertions, molding themselves to fit the times. They start saying things like "Don't judge me!" or "God is love, therefore He cannot really have invented such a place as Hell (see Mark 9:43-49)," or, "Hell is not an eternal punishment (see Matthew 18:8-9)."and "He wouldn't really send anyone there, not if He's truly merciful and loving." (Matthew 25:22-46, Romans 6:23, 2 Thess. 1, Jude 1:5-7, Revelation 19, 20, 21 [specifically: Rev.19:1-6, 19:11-16, 19:19-20:3, 20:7-15, 21:5-8, 21:21-27])
That is how many cults spring up. One or a bunch of people who were living their lives complacently under the delusion of pop christianity suddenly get confronted with God's justice and/or hatred of sin, in particular theirs.
They decide they're going to reinterpret the Bible and make it say what they want it to so that they can have their sin and still go to heaven.
Truth is, they're fooling themselves.
2 Thessalonians 1:3-12 (emphasis added)
"We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brethren, as is only fitting, because your faith is greatly enlarged, and the love of each one of you toward one another grows ever greater; therefore, we ourselves speak proudly of you among the churches of God for your perseverance and faith in the midst of all your persecutions and afflictions which you endure. This is a plain indication of God’s righteous judgment so that you will be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which indeed you are suffering. For after all it is only just for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to give relief to you who are afflicted and to us as well when the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, when He comes to be glorified in His saints on that day, and to be marveled at among all who have believed - for our testimony to you was believed.
To this end also we pray for you always, that our God will count you worthy of your calling, and fulfill every desire for goodness and the work of faith with power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ."
James 1:2-8 (this entire book is a short, but excellent read- I've merely chosen what I think are the most apt excerpts)
"Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.
And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind.
For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways."
James 1:12-17
"Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.
Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust.
Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.
Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.
Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow." (emphasis added)
James 1:21-27
"Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls.
But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.
For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror;
for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was.
But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does.
If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man’s religion is worthless.
Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world."
1 John 5:19-21
"We know that we are of God, and that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.
And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us understanding so that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.
Little children, guard yourselves from idols."
True believers know that Jesus is God and is our only hope of salvation.
Jude 1
(emphasis added)
"Jude, a bond-servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James,
To those who are the called, beloved in God the Father, and kept for Jesus Christ:
May mercy and peace and love be multiplied to you.
Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints.
For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.
Now I desire to remind you, though you know all things once for all, that the Lord, after saving a people out of the land of Egypt, subsequently destroyed those who did not believe.
And angels who did not keep their own domain, but abandoned their proper abode, He has kept in eternal bonds under darkness for the judgment of the great day,
just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them, since they in the same way as these indulged in gross immorality and went after strange flesh, are exhibited as an example in undergoing the punishment of eternal fire.
Yet in the same way these men, also by dreaming, defile the flesh, and reject authority, and revile angelic majesties. But Michael the archangel, when he disputed with the devil and argued about the body of Moses, did not dare pronounce against him a railing judgment, but said, 'The Lord rebuke you!'
"But these men revile the things which they do not understand; and the things which they know by instinct, like unreasoning animals, by these things they are destroyed. Woe to them! For they have gone the way of Cain, and for pay they have rushed headlong into the error of Balaam, and perished in the rebellion of Korah.
These are the men who are hidden reefs in your love feasts when they feast with you without fear, caring for themselves; clouds without water, carried along by winds; autumn trees without fruit, doubly dead, uprooted; wild waves of the sea, casting up their own shame like foam; wandering stars, for whom the black darkness has been reserved forever.
It was also about these men that Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied, saying, 'Behold, the Lord came with many thousands of His holy ones, to execute judgment upon all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their ungodly deeds which they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.'
"These are grumblers, finding fault, following after their own lusts; they speak arrogantly, flattering people for the sake of gaining an advantage.
But you, beloved, ought to remember the words that were spoken beforehand by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, that they were saying to you, 'In the last time there will be mockers, following after their own ungodly lusts.'
"These are the ones who cause divisions, worldly-minded, devoid of the Spirit. But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life.
And have mercy on some, who are doubting;
save others, snatching them out of the fire; and on some have mercy with fear, hating even the garment polluted by the flesh.
Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy,
to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen."
Miraculously released, Christian meets up with Hopeful and pursues the road to the Celestial City. The pair meet another person who professes to be a true follower of The Way. But he says...
"...It is true we somewhat differ in religion from
those of the stricter sort, yet but in two small points: first,
we never strive against wind and tide; secondly, we are always most
zealous when Religion goes in his silver slippers; we love much
to walk with him in the street, if the sun shines, and the people
applaud him."
Then Christian stepped a little aside to his fellow, Hopeful,
saying, It runs in my mind that this is one By-ends of Fair-speech;
and if it be he, we have as very a knave in our company as dwelleth
in all these parts. Then said Hopeful, Ask him; methinks he should
not be ashamed of his name. So Christian came up with him again,
and said, "Sir, you talk as if you knew something more than all the
world doth; and if I take not my mark amiss, I deem I have half a
guess of you: Is not your name Mr. By-ends, of Fair-speech?"
By-ends: "This is not my name, but indeed it is a nick-name that is
given me by some that cannot abide me: and I must be content to
bear it as a reproach, as other good men have borne theirs before
me."
Christian: "But did you never give an occasion to men to call you
by this name?"
By-ends: "Never, never! The worst that ever I did to give them an
occasion to give me this name was, that I had always the luck to
jump in my judgment with the present way of the times (trans.
"Go with the tide of popular thought, changing constantly so as to be acceptable to the largest number or most affluent group of people"), whatever it was, and my
chance was to get thereby; but if things are thus cast upon me,
let me count them, a blessing; but let not the malicious load me
therefore with reproach."
Christian: "I thought, indeed, that you were the man that I heard
of; and to tell you what I think, I fear this name belongs to you
more properly than you are willing we should think it doth."
By-ends: "Well, if you will thus imagine, I cannot help it; you
shall find me a fair company-keeper, if you will still admit me
your associate."
Christian: "If you will go with us, you must go against wind and tide;
the which, I perceive, is against your opinion; you must also own (trans. "associate with")
religion in his rags, as well as when in his silver slippers; and
stand by him, too, when bound in irons, as well as when he walketh
the streets with applause.
By-ends: "You must not impose, nor lord it over my faith; leave me
to my liberty, and let me go with you."
Christian: "Not a step further, unless you will do in what I propound as
we."
Then said By-ends, "I shall never desert my old principles, since
they are harmless and profitable. If I may not go with you, I must
do as I did before you overtook me, even go by myself, until some
overtake me that will be glad of my company."
~ ~ ~
We will always know true believers from the false because of persecutions. When the tide of popularity rises against Christianity the look-a-likes leave or take back previous assertions, molding themselves to fit the times. They start saying things like "Don't judge me!" or "God is love, therefore He cannot really have invented such a place as Hell (see Mark 9:43-49)," or, "Hell is not an eternal punishment (see Matthew 18:8-9)."and "He wouldn't really send anyone there, not if He's truly merciful and loving." (Matthew 25:22-46, Romans 6:23, 2 Thess. 1, Jude 1:5-7, Revelation 19, 20, 21 [specifically: Rev.19:1-6, 19:11-16, 19:19-20:3, 20:7-15, 21:5-8, 21:21-27])
That is how many cults spring up. One or a bunch of people who were living their lives complacently under the delusion of pop christianity suddenly get confronted with God's justice and/or hatred of sin, in particular theirs.
They decide they're going to reinterpret the Bible and make it say what they want it to so that they can have their sin and still go to heaven.
Truth is, they're fooling themselves.
2 Thessalonians 1:3-12 (emphasis added)
"We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brethren, as is only fitting, because your faith is greatly enlarged, and the love of each one of you toward one another grows ever greater; therefore, we ourselves speak proudly of you among the churches of God for your perseverance and faith in the midst of all your persecutions and afflictions which you endure. This is a plain indication of God’s righteous judgment so that you will be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which indeed you are suffering. For after all it is only just for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to give relief to you who are afflicted and to us as well when the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, when He comes to be glorified in His saints on that day, and to be marveled at among all who have believed - for our testimony to you was believed.
To this end also we pray for you always, that our God will count you worthy of your calling, and fulfill every desire for goodness and the work of faith with power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ."
James 1:2-8 (this entire book is a short, but excellent read- I've merely chosen what I think are the most apt excerpts)
"Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.
And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind.
For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways."
James 1:12-17
"Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.
Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust.
Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.
Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.
Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow." (emphasis added)
James 1:21-27
"Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls.
But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.
For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror;
for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was.
But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does.
If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man’s religion is worthless.
Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world."
1 John 5:19-21
"We know that we are of God, and that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.
And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us understanding so that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.
Little children, guard yourselves from idols."
True believers know that Jesus is God and is our only hope of salvation.
Jude 1
(emphasis added)
"Jude, a bond-servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James,
To those who are the called, beloved in God the Father, and kept for Jesus Christ:
May mercy and peace and love be multiplied to you.
Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints.
For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.
Now I desire to remind you, though you know all things once for all, that the Lord, after saving a people out of the land of Egypt, subsequently destroyed those who did not believe.
And angels who did not keep their own domain, but abandoned their proper abode, He has kept in eternal bonds under darkness for the judgment of the great day,
just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them, since they in the same way as these indulged in gross immorality and went after strange flesh, are exhibited as an example in undergoing the punishment of eternal fire.
Yet in the same way these men, also by dreaming, defile the flesh, and reject authority, and revile angelic majesties. But Michael the archangel, when he disputed with the devil and argued about the body of Moses, did not dare pronounce against him a railing judgment, but said, 'The Lord rebuke you!'
"But these men revile the things which they do not understand; and the things which they know by instinct, like unreasoning animals, by these things they are destroyed. Woe to them! For they have gone the way of Cain, and for pay they have rushed headlong into the error of Balaam, and perished in the rebellion of Korah.
These are the men who are hidden reefs in your love feasts when they feast with you without fear, caring for themselves; clouds without water, carried along by winds; autumn trees without fruit, doubly dead, uprooted; wild waves of the sea, casting up their own shame like foam; wandering stars, for whom the black darkness has been reserved forever.
It was also about these men that Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied, saying, 'Behold, the Lord came with many thousands of His holy ones, to execute judgment upon all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their ungodly deeds which they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.'
"These are grumblers, finding fault, following after their own lusts; they speak arrogantly, flattering people for the sake of gaining an advantage.
But you, beloved, ought to remember the words that were spoken beforehand by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, that they were saying to you, 'In the last time there will be mockers, following after their own ungodly lusts.'
"These are the ones who cause divisions, worldly-minded, devoid of the Spirit. But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life.
And have mercy on some, who are doubting;
save others, snatching them out of the fire; and on some have mercy with fear, hating even the garment polluted by the flesh.
Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy,
to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen."