The image of our lives being a path we walk down is nothing new. Scripture itself uses the description; “A light unto my path.” Roads are an incredibly important part of our lives. The help us figure out where we are, how to get where we want to go, and how to come home again. It makes sense, then, that describing our lives and spiritual walks as a road would connect well on an almost universal level.
Still, like all analogies, there is a point at which this one breaks down. At that point the imagery becomes unhelpful at best and potentially harmful without proper discernment. Unfortunately, the Church has frequently laid too much stock on the concept of a path and I myself often realize I’ve gone beyond the realm of helpfulness and quickly into danger.
To understand this danger, let’s look at the book Pilgrim’s Progress. This allegory, penned my John Bunyan and published in 1678 is an amazing work which tells of the journey a man as he leaves home, the City of Destruction, relieved of his burden at the “place of deliverance, and continues on toward the Celestial City, his final destination. Along his journey, the adventurer must pass pitfalls, avoid temptation, and stay the course. If you’ve not read it, it is worth a look and speaks as true today as it did almost 350 years ago.
But, allow me to point out where the Kings Highway, as it is called, fails to articulate an aspect of our spiritual journey. See, the whole idea of being on a path headed to Heaven makes it seem like we have to keep working our way to Heaven in this life, as if there is nothing more important than us getting to our destination. If we look toward God’s word, we see that this is not the case. God calls us to love our neighbors, to use the gifts He gave us, and to spread His good news.
More than this, though, is the fact that the Kingdom of God isn’t some far off concept. Christ says a number of times that the Kingdom is here now! Obviously, it isn’t here fully, but as believers we are to live as residents of Heaven here on Earth. This is one of the most harmful theological missteps present in the western church. It leads toward individualism, gives permission to ignore the spiritual lives of others, and fails to articulate the truth that when we are saved, we are no longer slaves to sin.
If we live our lives as current members of the Kingdom of Heaven, not looking for pitfalls and traps but living in freedom, not focusing on our own trips but helping those around us, and not living in sin but through the Spirit’s help living blamelessly. That is what God has intended for our lives. That is the true path we must tread.
Pax,
-Paul Hart Cochran