In the same way many Jews when John the Baptist came, perhaps gave up cheating, promiscuity, drunkenness – there was a stirring of the whole nation – but it served only to increase their pride. One sin was replaced by another worse and harder to get rid of sin. Repentance had been accomplished under John, but it was incomplete repentance that left self still in charge of the heart. It was only too easy for worse sins to come in and take over. So there is a parallel between what goes on in the world of demons, and what went on in the Israel and what can also go on in any life today where someone begins to follow Christ but does so in a half-hearted way.
Bunyan so badly wanted to be a Christian and gave up his sins, but realised how proud he was and that he had succeeded in reforming only the outer man. Total depravity means that sin occupies every department of our being so the whole of our being must be changed by the gospel.
It is a tragedy when churches teach some good moral standards, but continue to promote works religion. Any reformation of character that comes from such teaching will only be temporary and then something worse will set in. If only they had understood the nature of human depravity, and the necessity of true conversion for the salvation of the soul. If there is no new life, reformation won’t last.