Posted by
ValiantForTruth on Friday, February 29, 2008 1:46:45 PM
When I was in high school the reading of Pilgrim’s Progress was part of the study of English literature. I remember the teacher saying that the gospel lessons given to Christian by the Interpreter in House Beautiful was considered as among the best examples of English literature extant. I remember thinking to myself, ‘What is she talking about? This stuff means nothing to me.’ I could not even appreciate Bunyan’s skill in painting word pictures much less understand his meaning.
What a difference grace makes. Those things that were once darkness and confusion are now in the light. Bunyan’s words are now appreciated as testimony to sovereign grace. Grace gave life to an ignorant man who could not write his own name and raised him up to be a giant in Christ’s Church ministering to saints of all denominations. The same grace gives life to men to understand what is written and expounded by the faithful men Christ gives as gifts to His Church.
The previous article on the judgment of the original sin caused me to reread Bunyan’s exposition of the promise of grace given by God directly after His judgments…’Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them’ [Genesis 3:21].
These words rank with the word pictures in House Beautiful for they give us a picture of the gospel in its most primitive presentation. I will post them under the heading: God preaches grace to Adam and his wife.