Finding the Middle Ground - Part 2: John Bunyan and the House of Mr. Legality

“How camest thou by thy burden at first?” Mr. Worldly Wiseman asked.

“By reading this Book in my hand.” So saying, Christian held the book out that the man might see it." - John Bunyan, The Pilgrim's Progress

Christian was burdened by the knowledge of his sin. It was a burden that had already caused him much weariness and heartache. 

As we saw in last week's post, John Bunyan and the Slough Despond, the burden of sin had quite nearly sunk Christian beneath the muck of the Slough of Despond. The knowledge of sin is a burden that we also bear; many have been bent under its weight for years. Like Christian, each of us gained this knowledge through reading ‘the Book in our hands’, which is more commonly called the Bible. 

When we open up God's word we find that, long before Jesus Christ stepped into its pages in the form of a baby, there was a law given to men. It is the standard to which each and every one of us will be held accountable. 

Exodus xx. lists for us the ten commands on which the law is based: You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image; you shall not bow down to it nor serve it. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy; in it you shall do no work. Honor your father and your mother. You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour. You shall not covet anything that is your neighbour’s. 

Standing in the light of this law, this standard of righteousness, each one of us know that we have fallen short of it. Romans iii.23 tells us, "all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." This realisation comes as a hard blow to the sinner’s soul and many lose hope because of it, falling into the Slough of Despond. For those who manage to avoid this trap, or for those who succeed in extricating themselves from it clutches, there awaits yet another obstacle.

Legality, Also Known As Legalism

The law stands before the pilgrim, reminding him or her that the burden of sin is upon their shoulders and is unbearably heavy. The pilgrim is then shown two ways of getting rid of it. The first method is for him or her to begin to obey the law that God has given.

“In yonder village (the village is named Morality) there dwells a gentleman whose name is Legality, a very judicious man, and a man of a very good name, that has skill to help men off with such burdens as thine is from their shoulders; yea, to my knowledge, he hath done a great deal of good this way; aye, he hath skill to cure those that are somewhat crazed in their wits by their burdens." Mr. Worldly Wiseman said, placing his hand on Christian’s shoulder." - John Bunyan, The Pilgrim's Progress

 If God made righteousness the requirement for access into eternal life it only makes sense that we should try to attain it. Doesn't it? 

Each one of us has failed in our attempts to keep the law, yet there remains in us a hope that we might succeed if we only try again. This was the hope of John Bunyan himself. 

After despairing of salvation, he wallowed for a time in the Slough of Despond but finally he realized that he must continue on. So he began to endeavour to keep the law in his own strength.


"I fell to some outward reformation both in my words and life, and did set the commandments before me for my way to heaven; which commandments I also did strive to keep, and, as I thought, did keep them pretty well sometimes, and then I should have comfort." - John Bunyan, Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners

John Bunyan, Christian, and many other well-meaning pilgrims have travelled the path that leads towards the village of Morality, hoping that Mr. Legality will be able to rescue them from their burden of sin. But the trail isn't as easy as we expect it to be...

"Christian turned out of his way to go to Mr. Legality’s house for help: but behold, when he got nigh the hill on which it was situated, it seemed so high and the side of it that was next to the wayside did hang so much over that Christian was afraid to venture farther, lest the hill should fall on his head; thus, he stood still and knew not what to do. Also, his burden now seemed heavier on him than while he was in his way. There came also flashes of fire (Exodus xix. 16 and 18) out of the hill, that made Christian afraid that he should be burned: here therefore he did sweat, and quake for fear (Hebrews xii. 21).

The Problem With Depending on Our Own Righteousness

We are faced with a problem: try as a traveller might, the hill on which Mr.Legality's house sits cannot be ascended. Many have spent long days, months, and even years trying to climb its slope but their burden of sin only grew heavier with their attempts to reach the place where they hoped it might be lightened. Thus, many of us, like Christian, find ourselves fighting an uphill battle, getting nowhere and not knowing what to do. 

"Now Christian began to be sorry that he had taken Mr.Worldly Wiseman's counsel: and with that he saw Evangelist coming to meet him, at the sight of whom he began to blush for shame. Evangelist drew nearer and nearer; and coming up to him, he looked upon him with a severe and dreadful countenance, and thus began to reason with Christian. 

"What dost thou here, Christian?"

At which words Christian knew not what to answer; wherefore at present he stood speechless before him. 

"Art not thou the man that I found crying without the walls of the city of Destruction?"

"Yes, dear sir, I am the man." Christian replied.

"Did I not direct thee the way to the little wicket gate?"

"Yes, dear sir."

"How is it then that thou art so quickly turned aside? For thou art now out of the way." - John Bunyan, The Pilgrim's Progress 

In his letter to the Colossians, the apostle Paul asked them a similar question as that which Evangelist asked Christian:

 “Therefore, if you died with Christ from the basic principles of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to regulations— “Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle,” which all concern things which perish with the using—according to the commandments and doctrines of men? These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility, and neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh.” (Colossians ii.20-23)

Legalism, or ‘a dependence upon our own righteousness to please God’, comes from a misunderstanding of the purpose of the law. God gave us the law for two reasons: 

Reason #1: To Convict Us of Sin 

 The law is meant to convict us of sin but it is not meant to save us from it, nor is it able to. Many have failed to realize that the law cannot be kept, no matter how many times they try to live up to it. Galatians iii. 21 -22 tells us, "if there had been a law given which could have given life, truly righteousness would have been by the law. But the Scripture has confined all under sin...". 

God knew all along that men could never keep the law. You might wonder why He would give a law that was never to be fulfilled. Or, how He could leave mankind struggling in vain to meet an impossible standard. But you can rest assured, that is far from what God has planned.

"Now and then I should break one of the commandments and so afflict my conscience; but then I should repent, and say I was sorry for it, and promise God to do better next time, and thereby be helped again; for then I thought I pleased God as well as any man in England.

Thus, I continued about a year; all which time our neighbours did take me to be a very godly man, a new and religious man, and did marvel much to see such a great and famous alteration in my life and manners; and indeed so it was, though yet I knew not Christ, nor grace, nor faith, nor hope; for, as I have well seen since, had I then died, my state would have been the most fearful."  - John Bunyan, Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners. 


Reason #2: To Lead Us to Christ

The verses in Galatians iii that we were just reading (verses 21-22) carry on to say, "...but the Scripture has confined all under sin... that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe." 

It just so happens that Mr. Legality is no more than another diversion of our enemy; a lie meant to distract us from the One who is able to supply righteousness. The devil has taken the law of God and distorted our understanding of it - making it appear like a goal that we must reach. 

While the law is meant to be fulfilled, it is not us who can do it. 

"He to whom thou was sent for ease, being by name Legality, is the son of a bondwoman which now is, and is in bondage with her children (Galatians iv.21-27); and is, in a mystery, this Mount Sinai, which thou has feared will fall on thy head. Now, if she with her children are in bondage, how canst thou expect by them to be made free? This Legality, therefore, is not able to set thee free from thy burden. No man was ever rid of his burden by him; no, nor is he ever like to be: ye cannot be justified by the works of the law, for by the deeds of the law no man living can be rid of his burden. Therefore, Mr.Worldly Wiseman is an alien, and Mr.Legality is a cheat...Believe me, there is nothing in all this noise that thou hast heard of these sottish men, but a design to beguile thee from the way in which I had set thee." Evangelist explained" - John Bunyan, The Pilgrim's Progress

There is a way for men to meet the standards of the law but that way isn’t through our own hard work, self discipline, or persistence. 

Instead it is God Himself who meets the impossible requirements of the law and it is He who has made a way for men to have the righteousness that is required of them! This is what Jesus said in Matthew v.17, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” 

Our best efforts to keep the law will never save us. Though we may be a 'good' person in our own estimation should we die as such, 'our state should be most fearful'. The good news is that God never expected us to be able to earn a righteousness of our own. Rather He offers His righteousness to us as a free gift. Thus, the the law's second purpose is to act as our guide to the wicket gate. "Therefore, the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith." (Galatians 3:24) 

...to be continued...

In Christ

Quiana