scripture reading: Romans 6:15–23

The Two Ditches

Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. (I Corinthians 10:12)

 

In his classic work The Pilgrim’s Progress, John Bunyan gives us an unforgettable picture of the narrow path we are called to walk. Christian, the main character, is making his way through the Valley of the Shadow of Death. The road is narrow and treacherous.

I saw then in my dream that a very deep ditch lay on the right hand for the full length of the valley. It is the ditch into which the blind have led the blind throughout the ages and where both have miserably perished. Also, on the left hand was a very dangerous quagmire into which, if a good man falls, he finds no bottom for his foot to stand on. This is the quagmire into which King David once fell, and in which he would have been smothered if He Who is Able had not pulled him out. The pathway was also extremely narrow here. Good Christian, therefore, was seriously challenged, for when he sought in the dark to avoid the ditch on one hand, he was close to tipping over into the mire on the other. Also, when he sought to escape the mire, without great care he would be ready to fall into the ditch.

Bunyan was giving an allegorical depiction of the two pitfalls that every Christian faces in his spiritual journey. The danger on the right is as deadly as that on the left. And oh, how narrow is the path that separates one ditch from the other.

The ditch on the right is legalism. Those who fall into this pit are pilgrims who begin to think that they must obey God’s law in order to be finally saved. They believe that unless their performance measures up to what the law demands, they simply cannot maintain God’s favor. Those in this ditch have lost all assurance of their salvation. They are constantly asking, “How am I doing? Have I done enough? Is my behavior perfect? Am I worthy?” For these poor souls, Christianity has become a religion of do’s and don’ts. Thus they fall from the straight path and get stuck in the ditch of performance-based spirituality.

On the left side of the path is the ditch of lawlessness or license. Those who fall into this quagmire are loud and insistent in their belief that Christ has redeemed them from the law. “Thank God we are not in that other ditch,” they say. “Our sins (past, present and future) are all forgiven, and there is nothing we can add to what Christ has already done. We are now under grace, not law!” But the conclusion they draw from such reasoning is not what God intended. These poor souls have come to believe that because of God’s grace they can live like they please and do whatever they desire. Grace has been perverted into license. Professing to be “free in Christ” they have in reality become slaves to sin.

What about you? Have you ever fallen into one of these ditches? Perhaps you are in one of them now! The Gospel makes it clear that it is indeed possible to stay on the narrow path and avoid falling into either pit. Here are three simple guidelines for Christian pilgrims:

1. Be alert. Recognize the perils to the right and to the left. If you imagine you are immune from danger, then you are in a precarious position indeed. Pilgrim, beware!
2. Pray. “Guide my steps, Lord, and keep me from falling.”
3. Learn the right use of the law. Perhaps no one stated this more succinctly than Augustine: “The law was given that grace might be sought; grace was given that the law might be fulfilled.”

 

The Bible recognizes no faith that does not lead to obedience,

‘ nor does it recognize any obedience that does not spring from faith. ‘

The two are at opposite sides of the same coin—A. W. Tozer

 

point to ponder • Which ditch is the greatest danger for you?

prayer focus • Pray for someone (it can be yourself) who has fallen into one of the two ditches.