Most of us spend our spiritual lives on a treadmill we can never quite keep up with. We wake up and try to be a little kinder, a little more honest, and a little more dedicated to our religious duties. We assume that if we just try harder, God will eventually be pleased with our progress. Yet, at the end of the day, that nagging sense of guilt remains. We wonder if we have done enough or if God is secretly angry at the thoughts we keep hidden from everyone else. This curiosity about where we stand with our Maker is the most important question a human can ask. John Bunyan, the famous author of The Pilgrim’s Progress, wrote The Doctrine of Law and Grace Unfolded to solve this exact problem. As a pastor who holds to the Westminster Confession, I find Bunyan’s work to be a vital guide for anyone tired of religious performance and hungry for real peace.

The Law Is a Mirror, Not a Cleaning Cloth

One of the most striking things Bunyan points out is that we often use the Law of God the wrong way. We treat the Ten Commandments like a ladder we can climb to reach Heaven. Bunyan argues that the Law was actually given to kill our self-confidence. Its job is to show us how dirty we are, not to wash us. If you want to know if your face is dirty, you look in a mirror. But you don’t take the mirror off the wall and start rubbing it on your skin to get the dirt off.

Bunyan explains that the Law is spiritual and reaches into the most secret corners of the mind. It doesn’t just care if you committed a crime; it cares if you had a vain thought or a foolish idea. If you have even one slip-up in your entire life, the Law cannot save you; it can only curse you. This is a massive wake-up call for anyone who thinks they are a “good person.” According to the deal we were born into, which Bunyan calls the Covenant of Works, anything less than 100% perfection results in total failure.

“For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all,—that is, he hath in effect broken them all, and shall have the voice of them all cry out against him.”

Your Best Deeds Are Polished Sins

For many people, the hardest thing to hear is that their religious acts might be part of the problem. Bunyan warns against a “legal spirit.” This happens when we do good things—like praying, giving to the poor, or getting baptized—because we think those actions will make God love us. Bunyan argues that if you are trying to buy the love of Christ through your duties, you are acting from an old-covenant mindset.

This is a dangerous trap because it makes Christ into only a “piece of a Saviour.” You do what you can, and then you expect Jesus to make up the difference. Bunyan shows that this is actually an insult to God. He uses the image of a king who provides a massive, expensive feast, but the guest pulls a “mouldy crust” out of his pocket and eats that instead. When we bring our own “dirty, ragged righteousness” to God, we are telling Him that the cross wasn’t enough. Until you realize that your very best deeds are like “filthy rags,” you will never reach for the real help found in the Gospel.

A Deal Made Before You Existed

If the Law is so impossible, how can anyone be saved? This is where Bunyan’s explanation of the Covenant of Grace becomes so impactful. He shows that this “new deal” was not actually made between God and you. It was a bargain made between God the Father and God the Son before the world even began. This is surprising because it takes the pressure off our performance.

Because the bargain was made with Christ, the conditions of the deal were fulfilled by Him, not us. He acted as a “Surety” or a bondsman. Imagine you owe a massive debt you can’t pay, and a wealthy friend steps in and signs the paperwork to take the debt as his own. Once the surety stands bound, the original debtor is set free. Our safety does not depend on our ability to hold onto God, but on the fact that the Father and Son will never break the agreement they made with each other.

“I did not make this covenant with man, but with My Son, and with Him I will perform it; and seeing He hath given Me complete satisfaction, though His children do, through infirmity, transgress, yet My covenant is not therefore broken.”

The Difference Between Saving by Death and by Life

A vital takeaway in this book is how Bunyan explains the two ways Christ saves us. We often think of salvation only in terms of the cross, but Bunyan says we need both His death and His life. We are “reconciled” to God by His death. That was the legal payment that satisfied God’s justice and took away the curse. But Bunyan notes that we are “saved by His life.”

This refers to Christ’s work right now in Heaven. As our High Priest, He ever lives to make intercession for us. When we slip into sin or feel our hearts growing cold, we don’t fall out of the covenant. Why? Because we have a Lawyer in the court of Heaven who pleads the virtue of His own blood on our behalf. His death opened the door to God, but His life keeps it open. This distinction gives the believer a “satisfied though guilty” peace, knowing that our standing with God is maintained by a Person who never fails.

“For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.”

Outshooting the Devil with His Own Arrows

Bunyan provides very practical advice for the person who feels beat down by their own failures. He calls this learning to “outshoot the devil in his own bow.” When Satan comes to you and points out how cold your prayers are or how weak your faith is, Bunyan says you should actually agree with him.

Instead of arguing that you are a pretty good person, you should use that accusation as a reason to run faster to Jesus. If your prayers are weak, trust more in Christ’s perfect prayers. If your sins are great, remember that Christ is a great Saviour who specializes in the worst cases. By doing this, you turn the devil’s weapons against him. Every time he reminds you of your weakness, it becomes a reminder of why you need the strength of the New Covenant.

Why You Should Read This Book

You should read The Doctrine of Law and Grace Unfolded because it clears up the fog that often surrounds our faith. We live in a culture that tells us we are the center of the universe, and our religion often follows suit, making everything about our feelings and our efforts. John Bunyan pulls us back to the solid ground of the two covenants.

This book is a masterclass in honesty. It will help you stop pretending that you are “doing okay” and show you why it is actually better to admit you are bankrupt. By understanding the difference between the Law and Grace, you can finally stop the exhausting work of trying to save yourself. This work will teach you how to look away from your own “dirty stable” and look toward the “treasure-house” of Christ. If you want a peace that can survive the judgment day, you need to understand the deals God has made. Bunyan doesn’t just give you information; he gives you a way to find rest for your soul.