Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners: A Brief Account of God’s Exceeding Mercy through Christ to His Poor Servant, John Bunyan (Bunyan Updated Classics Book 5)

by John Bunyan

Notwithstanding the change in his behavior, there had been no change of heart. He was still in need of the regeneration of the Holy Spirit.

Amendment of the life is not renewal of the nature. However admirable in itself, it is insufficient for salvation. To man at his best, the oracles of God declare, You must be born again (John 3:7).

The grounds for his consolation in Christ was not his feelings, but the divine assurance that Christ had put away his sins by the sacrifice of Himself.

He could neither specify the moment nor define the act of his transition into life, but he really was alive unto God.

Deliverance from his sufferings would have overjoyed him, for he often groaned, being burdened, but he would not purchase his freedom by disloyalty to Christ.

God did not utterly leave me though. He followed me still – now not with convictions, but with judgments; yet even then His judgments were mixed with mercy. Once I fell into a creek by the sea and barely escaped drowning. Another time I fell out of a boat into the Bedford river, but mercy preserved me alive once again. Another time I was in the field with one of my friends, and a venomous snake passed over the road; so I, having a stick in my hand, struck it on the back. The snake was stunned, and I forced its mouth open with my stick and plucked her fangs out with my fingers. If God had not been merciful to me, I might have brought myself to my end by that act.

I started to read my Bible and to enjoy reading it – especially the historical parts. As for Paul’s epistles and biblical writings of that nature, I could not understand them, as I was yet ignorant both of the corruption of my nature and of the importance and necessity of having Jesus Christ save me.

I was proud of my godliness, and indeed I did all that I did either to be seen by others or to be spoken well of by them. I continued in this way for about a year.

I began to look into the Bible with new eyes and read as I never did before. The epistles of the apostle Paul were especially sweet and pleasant to me, and indeed, I was never then out of the Bible, either by reading or meditation. I was crying out to God that I might know the truth and the way to heaven and glory. As I continued to read, I came upon that passage, For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, and to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:8-9). And though, as I have since seen, that by these verses the Holy Spirit intends extraordinary and special things, I was convicted by these verses that I lacked even the basic things – even that understanding and wisdom that other Christians had.

He urged us to take special care that we did not accept the teaching from anyone upon trust – but to cry mightily to God that He would convince us of the reality of the truth of His holy Word and cause us to learn by His own Spirit. Mr. Gifford said that if we accept the teachings of men without being certain that they are from God’s Word, then when temptations come, we will lack that help and strength from God’s Word to resist those temptations that we thought we had.

I could not escape his hand: It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God (Hebrews 10:31). But blessed be His grace, that scripture at these times would call out as if it were running after me, I have wiped out your transgressions like a thick cloud and your sins like a heavy mist. Return to Me, for I have redeemed you (Isaiah 44:22). This would come into my mind when I was fleeing from the face of God, for I did flee from His face; that is, my mind and spirit fled before Him. By reason of His greatness, I could not endure; then would the text cry, Return to Me. It would cry aloud with a very loud voice, Return to Me, for I have redeemed you.

Being now ready to sink with fear, suddenly, as if it had rushed in at the window, I heard the noise of wind upon me, but very pleasant. I heard a voice ask, “Did you ever refuse to be justified by the blood of Christ?” I considered my entire past life, which was opened to me in a moment, and I saw that I had never refused to be justified by the blood of Jesus. My heart emotionally answered no, and then that word of God fell upon me powerfully, See to it that you do not refuse Him who is speaking (Hebrews 12:25).

If I must die in this way, I wanted to die at the foot of Christ in prayer.

The word was fulfilled on me, and I was also refreshed by it, that I would be ashamed and never open your mouth anymore because of your humiliation, when I have forgiven you for all that you have done, the Lord GOD declares (Ezekiel 16:63).

At last, when I was quite worn out with fear, the words He is able suddenly sounded within my heart. It seemed as if the word able was spoken very loudly to me and seemed as if I had seen it as having been written in large letters. It gave a jolt to my fear and doubt – for that day, at least – such as I never had in all my life, either before or after that. Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them (Hebrews 7:25).

One day I was in a meeting of God’s people, but I was full of sadness and terror, for my fears were again strong upon me. I was now thinking that my soul was never better, but my situation remained most sad and fearful, when the following words broke in upon me with great power: My grace is sufficient for you. My grace is sufficient for you. My grace is sufficient for you. Three times together, and oh, I thought that every word was as a mighty word unto me – My and grace and sufficient and for you. They were then, and sometimes still are to me, far bigger words than many others are.

I would answer Satan that there is no exception here in God’s Word, but the one who comes, HE, any he; the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out. And this I still remember well, that of all the tricks that Satan used to try take this verse from me, he never asked me if I was coming to Jesus the right way.

Blessed be God for His unsearchable grace.

I saw that it was not the good state of my heart that made my righteousness better, nor the bad state that made my righteousness worse, for my righteousness was Jesus Christ Himself, the same yesterday and today and forever (Hebrews 13:8).

I was set free from my affliction and shackles, and my temptations also fled away. From that time on, those dreadful verses of God no longer troubled me.

Oh, I thought, Christ! Christ! There was nothing but Christ before my eyes. I was not focusing upon individual benefits of Christ, such as His blood, burial, or resurrection, but I considered Him as the whole Christ! I did not just see what makes up Christ, such as His virtues, relations, offices, and workings, but I saw Him – He who sits on the right hand of God in heaven.

It is all because of Jesus. We fulfilled the law in Him, died in Him, rose from the dead in Him, and got the victory over sin, death, the devil, and hell in Him. When He died, we died; and so with His resurrection.

I have often been tempted to pride and the lifting up of my heart, and though I dare not say that I have not been infected with this, yet truly the Lord, in His precious mercy, has so helped me, that for the most part I have not much given way to such a thing. This is because it has been my portion every day to glimpse the evil of my own heart and to see such a multitude of corruptions and infirmities still therein that it has caused my head to hang down under my gifts and attainments. I have felt this thorn in the flesh to be the very mercy of God to me (2 Corinthians 12:7-9).

I came to understand that though natural gifts in and of themselves are beneficial for the purpose for which they are designed – for the edification of others – yet they are empty and without power to save the soul of him who has the gift, if the person himself is empty of the grace of God. Neither are these gifts a sign of a person’s potential to be happy, for they are only a dispensation of God to some, of whose improvement or non-improvement they must soon give an account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.

he who has gifts needs to see the nature of them – that they do not save him or mean that he is saved. He must be certain not to trust in these natural gifts and talents and so fall short of the grace of God.

Let all men therefore add to their gifts the fear of the Lord; gifts indeed are desirable, but great grace and small gifts are better than great gifts and no grace.

These three or four other verses also have been of great refreshment to me while I was in this condition: Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also. And you know the way where I am going. (John 14:1-4) These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world. (John 16:33) For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory. (Colossians 3:3-4) But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks better than the blood of Abel. (Hebrews 12:22-24)

I have found Him to be always near me. When fears presented themselves, so have comforts and encouragements.

When you pray, it is better to let your heart be without words than to let your words be without heart.

You might hear sermons often and do well in practicing what you hear, but you must not expect someone in the pulpit to tell you all that you ought to do. Rather, be studious in searching the Scriptures and reading good books. What you hear may be forgotten, but what you read may be better retained.

Christ is the desire of nations, the joy of angels, and the delight of the Father; what comfort then must that soul be filled with that has the possession of Him for all eternity?

If you want to better understand what it means to see God in all His glory, my request is that you would live a holy life and then go and see.