Season 5 Podcast 88 John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, Episode 25 Chapter 5 D, “The Natural Man vs The Spiritual Man.”

A New Voice of Freedom

Season 5 Podcast 88 John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, Episode 25 Chapter 5 D, “The Natural Man vs The Spiritual Man.”

In last week’s episode, Faithful recounts his encounter with Moses, the Law Giver, who beat him to the ground for his sins. However, he was redeemed through Christ. In this week’s episode, Christian criticizes Faithful for not stopping at the Palace. In the Palace at the top of Hill difficulty Faith would have been taught by Discretion, Piety, Prudence, and Charity. Speaking of the Porter, Christian said,

Chris. He told me, indeed, that he saw you go by; but I wished you had called at the house, for they would have showed you so many rarities, that you would scarce have forgot them to the day of your death. But pray tell me, did you meet nobody in the Valley of Humility?

In the Valley of Humility Christian met three great demons: Apollyon, Satan, and Abaddon, who symbolized destruction or doom. We learned of those demons from Christian. Faithful met quite a different challenge.

Faith. Yes, I met with one Discontent, who would willingly have persuaded me to go back again with him: his reason was, for that the valley was altogether without honor. He told me, moreover, that there to go was the way to disoblige all my friends, as Pride, Arrogancy, Self-Conceit, Worldly-Glory, with others, who he knew, as he said, would be very much offended if I made such a fool of myself as to wade through this valley.

Chris. Well, and how did you answer him?

Not only do Christian and Faithful have to overcome Satan and his angels, they must also overcome the natural man. Above we read of Pride, Arrogancy, Self-Conceit, and Worldly Glory. Earlier we read where Christian had met Obstinate, Pliable, Worldly Wiseman, Mr. Legality, Civility, the Man of Despair, Simple, Sloth, Presumption, Formalist, Hypocrisy, Timorous, and Mistrust. Here Faithful meets Discontent. They all represent the natural man who is always at war with the spiritual man. Bunyan is teaching us that Satan fights the war against man on two fronts. One, he tempts the spiritual man to worship him and turn against God. Two, he tempts the natural man who is subject to the lusts of the flesh. Earlier, Faithful was held up on his journey by Wanton, and then he was met by Adam the First who wanted him to marry his three daughters: Lust of the Flesh, Lust of the Eyes, and Pride of Life. The three daughters echo the words of John.

1 John 2:16

“For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.”

Faithful continues his narrative.

Faith. I told him that, although all these that he named might claim kindred of me, and that rightly (for, indeed, they were my relations according to the flesh), yet, since I became a pilgrim, they have disowned me, as I also have rejected them; and therefore they were to me now no more than if they had never been of my lineage. I told him, moreover, that as to this valley, he had quite misrepresented the thing; for before honor is humility, and a haughty spirit before a fall. "Therefore," said I, "I had rather go through this valley to the honor that was so accounted by the wisest, than choose that which he esteemed most worthy of our affections."

It is clear why the pilgrim is called Faithful. Indeed, he follows the words of Peter, “As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance.” (1 Peter 1:14) It was the apostle Paul who said.

Galatians 5:17

“For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.”