Readers’ Club Explores Bunyan’s Sobering Portrait of Formalist and Hypocrisy
How can two people appear to be travelling the same road, attending the same church, speaking the same Christian language, and yet be heading for entirely different destinations?
That sobering question dominated Sunday’s meeting of the Pilgrim’s Progress Readers’ Club, as members continued their journey through John Bunyan’s timeless allegory by examining Christian’s unforgettable encounter with Formalistand Hypocrisy.
Following last week’s study of Simple, Sloth, and Presumption, participants discovered that Bunyan’s warnings become even more searching. Whereas the previous characters represented believers who had become spiritually careless, this week’s travellers raised an even more unsettling possibility: not everyone who appears to be walking the pilgrim road has actually entered it through Christ.
The evening began with prayer, the customary reading of the Readers’ Club’s cornerstone Scriptures—Matthew 7:13–14, 1 Peter 2:11 and Hebrews 11:13—and a brief review of Christian’s previous encounters. The moderator reminded participants of the dramatic emotional progression Bunyan records.
Christian left the Cross “overwhelmed with joy.”
After meeting Simple, Sloth and Presumption, he walked away troubled.
Now, after meeting Formalist and Hypocrisy, Bunyan says Christian became “lost in thought.” He sighed at times, yet at other moments found peace as he reflected on the written assurances he had received from the Shining Ones.
That progression, the group observed, mirrors the Christian pilgrimage itself.
There are seasons of overflowing joy.
There are seasons of disappointment.
And there are moments when faithful believers find themselves wrestling with difficult questions after witnessing confusing realities within the visible church.
Choosing Companions Carefully
The discussion opened with Christian’s first words to the two strangers:
“Where did you come from, and where are you heading?”
Far from being casual conversation, participants noted that the question reflected spiritual discernment.
Christian had already learned painful lessons from Mr. Worldly Wiseman, whose persuasive counsel had almost led him away from the true path. He had also just encountered three professing pilgrims asleep beside the road with their feet bound in chains.
Having learned through experience that appearances can deceive, Christian now carefully examined those who wished to accompany him.
The lesson resonated strongly with members of the Readers’ Club.
Christians are called to love everyone, but they are also called to exercise discernment in choosing close spiritual companions. Scripture’s warning that “bad company corrupts good character” remains just as relevant today as it was in Bunyan’s seventeenth-century England.
Not Everyone on the Pilgrim Road Is a Pilgrim – The Men Who Climbed Over the Wall
The defining feature of the chapter is introduced almost immediately.
Unlike Christian, who entered through the Wicket Gate, Formalist and Hypocrisy simply climbed over the wall and joined the road further along.
When challenged, they saw nothing wrong with their approach.
In fact, they argued that everyone from their hometown did the same thing.
Taking the gate, they insisted, was unnecessarily inconvenient.
The shortcut had worked for generations.
Why should anyone object now?
Their reasoning sounds surprisingly familiar.
“Everyone does it.”
“That’s how we’ve always done things.”
“It’s not that deep.”
Such attitudes, participants observed, continue to shape much contemporary thinking, even among those who identify as Christians.
Rather than submitting to God’s revealed way of salvation, many assume sincerity, tradition or moral behaviour can substitute for genuine conversion.
Can Someone Be in Church Without Knowing Christ?
Perhaps the most searching discussion of the evening centred on a question that has challenged believers throughout church history:
Is everyone in church truly saved?
Drawing from both Bunyan and Scripture, participants concluded that the visible church contains many who have never personally entered through Christ, the true Door.
The conversation explored numerous ways people may become part of church life without ever experiencing saving faith.
Some are born into Christian families and simply inherit a religious identity.
Others attend because of marriage or family expectations.
Some seek business opportunities, social connections or professional relationships.
Others come in search of a husband or wife.
Church employees may faithfully carry out their duties without personally knowing Christ.
Still others may attend merely to maintain a respectable public image.
The discussion also acknowledged Scripture’s warnings that even false teachers and agents of deception may sometimes infiltrate Christian communities.
The moderator repeatedly emphasised that while only God perfectly knows those who belong to Him, believers should never assume that outward participation automatically equals genuine conversion.
Religion Without Regeneration
Much attention was devoted to Bunyan’s carefully chosen names.
Formalist represents the person who believes external obedience is enough.
He studies Christian behaviour.
He learns the language.
He follows accepted customs.
He observes religious rules.
He concludes that because his outward conduct resembles that of genuine believers, no meaningful difference exists.
Hypocrisy, by contrast, knowingly plays the part.
His concern is appearance rather than reality.
Together, the two characters expose a religion built upon performance rather than transformation.
Christian’s response could not be clearer.
The issue is not merely what someone does after joining the road.
The decisive question is how they entered it.
He points to the robe he received from the Lord, the mark placed upon his forehead, and the sealed scroll given for his encouragement—all gifts that Formalist and Hypocrisy lacked because they had bypassed the proper entrance altogether.
“Don’t Worry About That”
One of the discussion’s most practical observations concerned the attitude of the two men toward God’s commands.
Whenever Christian challenged them with Scripture, their response was dismissive.
“Don’t worry about that.”
Participants recognised this spirit immediately.
A recurring mark of those who have not truly submitted to Christ is a tendency to minimise or trivialise His Word.
Rather than receiving biblical correction with humility, they explain it away.
They appeal to culture.
They appeal to tradition.
They appeal to convenience.
But they rarely submit.
Several contributors contrasted this attitude with the heart of someone who has genuinely accepted Jesus as Lord.
A true disciple may stumble, but he fears grieving his Master.
Correction produces repentance rather than resentment.
Because Christ is Lord, His Word carries final authority.
As one participant observed, the indwelling Holy Spirit simply will not permit a believer to remain comfortable while deliberately resisting God’s commands.
“Our Fathers Did It”
The Readers’ Club also examined perhaps the strongest argument offered by Formalist and Hypocrisy.
Their shortcut, they insisted, had been practised for over a thousand years.
Surely longstanding tradition must count for something.
The discussion highlighted how frequently this reasoning appears in modern conversations about faith.
“My parents believed this.”
“My family has always worshipped this way.”
“Our denomination has always done it.”
“Our ancestors followed this path.”
Yet Christian refused to measure truth by tradition.
God’s standard remains unchanged regardless of how long error has existed.
The group noted that many people derive false confidence simply because respectable people before them lived—and died—holding the same assumptions.
But longevity never transforms error into truth.
Only Christ remains “the way, the truth and the life.”
The Danger of Assuming Everyone Shares the Same Destination
Another memorable observation emerged from the conversation.
Formalist and Hypocrisy repeatedly assumed they were travelling to the same destination as Christian.
After all, they occupied the same road.
They walked in the same direction.
They kept similar company.
Surely they would arrive together.
Yet Bunyan’s point is precisely the opposite.
People may occupy the same visible space while inhabiting entirely different spiritual realities.
Without Christ, outward association with Christian people and Christian activities cannot produce eternal life.
The moderator reminded participants that Jesus Himself warned of a coming day when many would say, “Lord, Lord,” only to hear the devastating words:
“I never knew you.”
Not, “I knew you once.”
Not, “You lost your salvation.”
But, “I never knew you.”
The distinction is profound.
It suggests that some people may spend years identifying with Christ while never actually belonging to Him.
A Timely Reminder for Today’s Church
Throughout the evening, members repeatedly observed how relevant Bunyan’s seventeenth-century allegory remains for the modern church.
In an age increasingly attracted to appearances, religious branding and cultural Christianity, the distinction between genuine conversion and mere religious activity has perhaps never been more important.
The discussion encouraged believers not merely to ask whether they attend church, but whether they have truly entered through Christ.
Not whether they know Christian language, but whether Christ knows them.
Not whether they imitate Christian conduct, but whether they have received the righteousness that only Christ can give.
Looking Ahead
Although the class did not complete the chapter, participants agreed that Bunyan’s conversation with Formalist and Hypocrisy raises questions too important to rush.
The discussion will continue next week as the Readers’ Club further explores Bunyan’s penetrating examination of false confidence, genuine salvation and the marks of authentic Christian faith.
If Sunday’s meeting left members with one abiding lesson, it was this:
The Christian life is not defined merely by walking the road.
Everything depends upon how one entered it.
For those who truly know Christ, there can be no substitute for the narrow gate.
The Pilgrim’s Progress Readers’ Club meets every Sunday evening on GospelBellsRadio.com, bringing together believers from across the world to read John Bunyan’s classic allegory chapter by chapter, exploring its biblical foundations and discovering its enduring relevance for Christians today.