For Gregor, who is wondering how God forgives sin, from John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress.
One of the people Pilgrim met while on the way to the Heavenly City was Hope, who was beset by his fear of the sin in his life, and how God would never forgive him, and he and Pilgrim begin to converse;
HOPE: One day I was very sad, I think sadder than at any one time in my life; and this sadness was through a fresh sight of the greatnes and vileness of my sins. And as I was then looking for nothing but hell, and the everlasting damnation of my soul, suddenly, as I thought, I saw the Lord Jesus looking down from heaven upon me, and saying "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved." (Acts 16:31)
But I replied, Lord, I am a great, a very great sinner [as was John
Bunyan in his early life] and He answered, "My grace is sufficient for thee." Then I said, But Lord, what is believing? And then I saw
from that saying, "he that cometh to me shall never hunger, and he that believeth on me shall never thirst", that believing and coming
was all one; and that he that came, that is, that RAN out in his heart and affections after salvation BY CHrist, he indeed believed in
Christ.
Then the water stood in mine eyes, and I asked further, But, Lord, may such a great sinner as I am be indeed accepted of thee, and be saved by thee? And I heard him say, "And him that cometh to me,
I will in nowise cast out." (John 6:37) Then I said, but how, Lord,
may I consider of thee in my coming to thee that my faith may be placed aright UPON thee? Then He said: Christ Jesus came into
the world to save sinners l Tim.l:15. He is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believes. Rom.10:4, and Chap.4.
He died for our sins and rose for our justification Rom.4:25. He loved us, and WASHED us from our sins in his OWN BLOOD.
Rev.1:5.
He is Mediator between God and us. 1 Tim.2:5. He ever liveth to make intersession for us. Heb.7:25.
HOPE continues. For all which I gathered, that I must look for righteousness in his person, and satisfaction for my sins by his blood;
that what he did in obedience to his FATHER's law, and in submitting to the penalty thereof, was not for himself, but for him that will accept it for his salvation, and be thankful.
And now was my heart full of joy, mine eyess full of tears, and mine affections running over with love to the name, people, and
ways of Jesus Christ.
CHRISTIAN asks: This was a revelation of Christ to your soul
indeed. j But tell me particularly what effect this had upon your
spirit.
HOPE: It made me see that all the world, notwithstanding all the
righteousness thereof, is in a state of condemnation. It made me
see that God the Father, though He be just, can justly justify the
appraoching sinner. It made me greatly ashamed of the vileness
of my former life, and confounded me with the sense of mine own ignorance; for there never came a thought into my heart before now that showed me so the beauty of Jesus Christ.
It made me love a holy life, and long to do something for the honor and glory of the name of the Lord Jesus. Yea, I thought that had I now a thousand gallons of blood in my body, I could spill it all for the sake of the Lord Jesus.
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