True Christians—those who are called by God to His Way of Life—may be referred to as Christian soldiers, ambassadors for Christ, disciples, followers and pilgrims. In this Q&A, we will look at what it means to be a Christian pilgrim.
There are many religions that have pilgrimages to certain “holy” places, but as these are not of the One True God, they will not be addressed. What we will look at in this three-part Q&A is the act of being a Christian pilgrim.
In bibledictionarytoday.com, we read this definition of a pilgrim:
“The term ‘pilgrim’ comes from the Latin word peregrinus, which means ‘foreigner’ or ‘wanderer.’ In the biblical sense, it refers to individuals who are on a journey, often with a divine purpose. The concept of being a pilgrim encapsulates the idea of living as a stranger in a foreign land, seeking a spiritual homeland.
“In a more symbolic sense, pilgrimage can be viewed as a metaphor for the Christian life. Just as pilgrims journey toward sacred destinations, believers are called to navigate their spiritual path, encountering trials and growth along the way.”
In Psalm 84:5-7, we read:
“Blessed is the man whose strength is in You, Whose heart is set on pilgrimage. As they pass through the Valley of Baca, They make it a spring; The rain also covers it with pools. They go from strength to strength; Each one appears before God in Zion.”
One writer made these comments about the above verses:
“Those with their hearts set on pilgrimage embark on a spiritual journey towards growth, enlightenment, or closeness with the divine, just as pilgrims do on a physical journey with a specific purpose or goal in mind. This verse encourages us to approach life as a pilgrimage, with our hearts focused on spiritual growth and connection with our higher purpose. It beckons us to remain steadfast in our faith and committed to our spiritual journey, finding strength and solace in our beliefs along the way.”
In a more symbolic sense, pilgrimage can be viewed as a metaphor for the Christian life. True believers are called to navigate their spiritual path, encountering trials and growth along the way.
We read in Hebrews 11:13-14:
“These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland.”
This passage emphasises the idea that life itself is a pilgrimage. Believers are urged to focus on the future in God’s Kingdom, while striving towards spiritual maturity and faithfulness. God’s rule will soon be established on this earth at the return of Jesus Christ, not in heaven as mainstream Christianity believes.
All of the people in the examples given in Hebrews 11 did not receive God’s promises before they died. They saw these in a spiritual way, in the distance and lived their lives in their walk of faith, recognizing that they lived as strangers on the earth, as we still do today as God’s people.
Wikipedia observes:
“‘He Who Would Valiant Be’ is a Christian hymn by John Bunyan, first published in 1684, which encourages perseverance and faith in the face of challenges, likening life to a pilgrimage.”
This poem is uplifting and encouraging and we reproduce it below:
“He who would valiant be
‘gainst all disaster,
let him in constancy
follow the Master.
There’s no discouragement
shall make him once relent
his first avowed intent
to be a pilgrim.
“Who so beset him round
with dismal stories
do but themselves confound
his strength the more is.
No foes shall stay his might;
though he with giants fight,
he will make good his right
to be a pilgrim.
“Since, Lord, thou dost defend
us with thy Spirit,
We know we at the end,
shall life inherit.
Then fancies flee away!
I’ll fear not what men say,
I’ll labor night and day
to be a pilgrim.”
Uplifting and encouraging words!
We will now begin to look at a number of ways that describe the Christian pilgrim.
First and foremost, it is important to understand that even though we have to live in the world, we are not to be part of it. Just before His crucifixion, Jesus made this very point. We find this assertion in John 15:18-19:
“If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.”
Two chapters later, in John 17:14-17, Jesus reiterates this same theme in His prayer to the Father:
“I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.”
Jesus did not pray that we should be taken out of the world where we could, no doubt, sit in splendid isolation somewhere, but that we were to be kept from the evil one – and we all know who that is. If we were to be taken out of the world, how could we let our “lights shine” and set the Christian example? It would be impossible. But we are not to be part of the world and its ways – the system that envelopes the world controlled by Satan.
We are set apart by the Truth that God has revealed to us, as we read in John 17:17: “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.”
Let us review several qualities needed to be a pilgrim, hoping that the following will give everyone some food for thought.
(1) A PILGRIM clearly sees the vision.
We, in fact, have to see the vision of what God’s Holy Days mean – His Master Plan for all of mankind. When putting all of the Scriptures together, the future in the Kingdom of God is something that will exceed our wildest expectations. That must be correct because God has limited our faculties and abilities and will only give us full understanding at the resurrection.
Vision is an act or faculty of seeing further than the end of our nose. We can get so bogged down with the everyday concerns of being a breadwinner, of working, of looking after a family and any number of other everyday activities, that spiritual vision of our future in God’s Kingdom is a quality that can elude us. But we ought to keep in mind our calling at all times, and what God has in store for those of us who are faithful to the very end. Maybe, with all of the things that are part and parcel of our everyday life, it may be that we can be distracted, at times, and have our attention diverted away from the promises that we have been given for the future.
Satan tries to keep us so busy with other matters that we can become deluded into thinking that we have little or no time for the spiritually essential areas. He does this by offering many attractive and appealing but unprofitable and harmful alternatives. In addition, the environment around us offers many perfectly wholesome and right pursuits that can, nevertheless, distract us if we overemphasize them or place them before our spiritual obligations.
And as we become so busy in these everyday activities, we can lose the vision for the future. For those who have gone back into the world, or who have embraced theology contrary to what the Scriptures clearly teach, their vision of the future will be at variance with that which we have, if indeed they have any vision at all. It is a sad state of affairs, but one which should spur us on to greater effort to make sure that we don’t fall into the same error.
Vision is quite different from daydreaming, where someone may wish that this, that, or the other may happen. Dreaming can be a wish list – but vision in the Christian context is believing what the Scripture says about our future and praying, “Your Kingdom Come”. And we have sufficient biblical information to be able to put together a picture, however incomplete it may be at this time, of the World Tomorrow. But because of our human limitations, whatever vision we have will, undoubtedly, be exceeded by reality. But vision is a necessary quality of being a pilgrim.
Proverbs 29:18 backs up the need for this quality:
“Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint; But happy is he who keeps the law.” The margin in the New King James Bible explains that the meaning of “revelation” in this passage is “prophetic vision.” The passage can also be rendered that people without vision “perish.”
Colossians 3:1-2 shows where our vision should be:
“If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.”
We are to seek those things that will last for eternity.
We will live out our physical lives, but in relation to eternity, our life now is less than the twinkling of an eye. Our future is assured if we are faithful to the end. We must have that vision of a wonderful future, something that pales our current mortal life into total insignificance.
(To be continued)
Lead Writer: Brian Gale (United Kingdom)