A HOLY LIFE - Intro 1

a treatise by John Bunyan

edited in modern English by Jon Cardwell

When I write of justification before God from the dreadful curse of the law; then I must speak of nothing but grace, Christ, the promise, and faith. But when I speak of our justification before men then I must join to these good works. For grace, Christ, and faith are invisible things, and are not seen by another, other than through a life that becomes so blessed a gospel as has been declared unto us the remission of our sins for the sake of Jesus Christ. He that would then have forgiveness of sins, and is delivered from the curse of God, must believe in the righteousness and blood of Christ: but he that would show to his neighbors that he has truly received this mercy of God, must do it by good works; for anything else to them is just talk: as for example, a tree is known to be what it is by its fruit, namely, whether it is of this or that kind. A tree without fruit, as long as it is living, gives every reason to doubt what kind of tree it is.

A professor of faith is just that, one who makes a profession, even if he has no good works; yet to suggest that he is truly godly, it is foolish to conclude such a thing (Matthew 7:17, 18; James 2:18). Not that works makes a man good; for the fruit does not make a good tree. It is the principle, specifically, that true faith makes a man good, and his works show him to be so (Matthew 7:16; Luke 6:44).

What conclusion do we draw from this? that all those who profess faith in Christ, that do not have good works flowing from their faith, are not saved; they are bramble bushes; they are “near to being cursed, and its end is to be burned” (Hebrews 6:8). For professors, by their fruitlessness, declare that they are not planted by God, nor are they the wheat, but “the weeds [which] are the sons of the evil one” (Matthew 13:37, 38).

It’s not that faith needs good works to help justification before God. For in this matter faith will be ignorant of all good works except those done by the person of Christ. In this case, the good man “does not work, but believes” (Romans 4:5). Because, in his justification before God, a man has not good works to bring to God; but to receive from His hand the matter of his justification by faith; nor is the matter of his justification before God from anything else other than the good deeds of another man, namely, Christ Jesus.

Yet, is there no need of good works at all, seeing that a man is justified before God without them? or can that be called a justifying faith if it does not have good works for its fruit? (Job 22:3; James 2:20, 26). Truly, good works are necessary, though God does not need them; and as far as justification with God is concerned, faith without works, that abides alone, is worthless.

Therefore, there is a twofold faith of Christ in the world, and as to the notion of justifying righteousness, they both concur and agree; however, as to the way they are applied, there they vastly differ. The one, namely, the non-saving faith, stands in speculation and naked knowledge of Christ, and so abides idle; but the other truly sees and receives Him, and so becomes fruitful (John 1:12; Hebrews 11:13; Romans 10:16). For this reason the true justifying faith is said to receive, to embrace, to obey the Son of God, as offered in the gospel: and through its expression shows both the nature of justifying faith in all its actions for this point of justification, and also the cause of its being full of good works in the world. A gift is not made mine by my seeing it or because I know the nature of the thing that is given. It is mine if I receive and embrace it; yes, and as to the point at hand, if I yield myself up to stand and fall by it. Now, he that will not only see, but also receive, not only know, but also embrace the Son of God to be justified by Him, cannot but bring forth good works because Christ, who is now received and embraced by faith, thoroughly seasons the spirit of this sinner through his faith, to the making of him capable of being justified (Acts 15:9; Genesis 18:19; Hebrews 11:11). Faith made Sarah receive strength to conceive seed, and we are sanctified through faith, which is in Christ. For faith has joined Christ and the soul together, and being so joined, the soul is one spirit with Him; not essentially, but in agreement and oneness of design. Besides, when Christ is truly received and embraced to the justifying of the sinner, in that man’s heart He dwells by His word and Spirit through the same faith also. Now Christ, by His Spirit and Word, must season the soul He dwells in: so then the soul being seasoned, it seasons the body; and body and soul, therefore, seasons the life and conversation.

We know that it does not come by sight, but of taking that eternal medicine that makes it work as it should; nor does the blood of Christ purge this or that conscience, unless it is received by faith (Hebrews 9:14).

Should that be counted right believing in Christ unto justification when it amounts to nothing more than idle speculation or naked knowledge of Him? I ask you, should that knowledge of Him be counted as saving faith when it only causes the soul to look at Him, but never makes one move toward good works? No, certainly not; for the true beholding of Jesus, that has justification and life, changes from glory to glory (2 Corinthians 3:18).

The man that has truly believed, and by his faith received and embraced Christ for life before God, cannot be lacking of good works: for, as I said, the Word and Spirit comes by this same faith and dwells in the heart and conscience. Now, shall a soul where the Word and Spirit of Christ dwells be a soul without good works? Shall a soul that has received the love, the mercy, the kindness, grace and salvation of God through the sorrows, tears, groans, cross, and cruel death of Christ, be a fruitless tree! God forbid. This faith is like the salt that the prophet cast into the spring of bitter water, which makes the soul good and serviceable forever (2 Kings 2:19-22).

If receiving a temporal gift naturally tends to make us bow our heads in humility and gratitude, and binds us to be indebted to the giver, shall we think it will leave him who has received Christ by faith to be as unconcerned as a stone or a tree stump; or that its utmost excellence will provoke the soul to mere lip-service and give Christ a few nice words for His pains and grace, and then be finished with that business? No, no; “the love of Christ controls us” in such a way as to determine that it is only reasonable that since He gave His all for us, we should give our some for Him (2 Corinthians 5:14, 15).

Let no man, then, deceive himself, as he may and will if he does not take heed with true notions. He must examine himself concerning his faith; specifically, whether he has any? and if he does have some, whether it is the kind that will turn to account in the day when God shall judge the world.

[“Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”]