Where is conviction of sin?

Where is conviction of sin?

After Diabolus has been bound and stripped of his power, prisoners of war are taken. Lord Understanding, Mr Conscience and Lord Willbewill are put into prison (p112). Later on the prisoners are told they are to be brought before Emmanuel (p124). They fear for their lives.

“This done, each of the three prepared himself to die (and the recorder said unto them, “this was the thing that I feared”), for they concluded that to-morrow by that the sun went down they should be tumbled out of the world. The whole town also counted of no other but that, in their time and order, they must all drink of the same cup. Wherefore the town of Mansoul spent that night in mourning and sackcloth and ashes. The prisoners also, when the time was come for them to go down before the prince, dressed themselves in mourning attire, with ropes upon their heads.”.

This reminds us of 1 Kings chapter 20 when the enemy Ben- hadad (representative of Satan) has been overpowered by the Israelites under the (backslidden) King Ahab and realises that he is beaten. The servants of Ben-hadad said to their King “Behold now, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful kings: let us, I pray thee, put sackcloth on our loins, and put ropes upon our heads, and go out to the king of Israel: peradventure he will save thy life. So they girded sackcloth on their loins, and put ropes on their heads, and came to the king of Israel, and said, Thy servant Ben-hadad saith, I pray thee, let me live. And he said, Is he yet alive? He is my brother”.

This is a wonderful picture of the Lord Jesus Christ. If a backslidden King of Israel can be merciful, how much more will the Lord Jesus Christ be merciful, even calling the repentant enemy “brother”. Those who turn to Christ for the forgiveness of their rebellion and sin become His brother!

Later on (p127) the prisoners in reply to various soul-searching questions reply “We can say nothing Lord; thou art just, for we have sinned”. Then said the prince “And for what are these ropes on your heads” The prisoners answered “These ropes are to bind us withal to the place of execution, if mercy be not pleasing in thy sight”. The margin notes tell us that “They condemn themselves” and refer us to Proverbs 5 v 22 which says “For the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord, and he pondereth all his goings. His own iniquities shall take the wicked himself, and he shall be holden with the cords of his sins”. The cords of his sins are represented graphically by Bunyan on the heads of the prisoners ready to tether them to the execution block.

If we feel that we are condemned by our sins, we have a merciful Saviour. If we confess our sins to Him, and tell Him that we deserve death and condemnation, he will be merciful, and forgive us. 1 john 1 v 8 to 9 says “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness”.