I am Magdalene

Summary

John Bunyan reflects on radical grace and divine acceptance by identifying himself with biblical figures—Mary Magdalene, Zacchaeus, the thief on the cross, the harlot, the publican, and the prodigal son—demonstrating that even the worst sinners are not beyond God's redemptive love. Though he acknowledges his sinfulness as potentially worse than these biblical examples, Bunyan celebrates the doctrine of justification by faith, emphasizing that God's response to genuine repentance is not rejection but lavish joy and restoration. The meditation illustrates the Reformed principle that salvation depends entirely on God's sovereign mercy rather than human merit, using Luke 15's parable of the prodigal son and related passages to underscore the certainty of welcome for all who return to Christ in faith.