I Am
The Way
and the
Truth and The Life
is one of the
seven “I Am” statements
of Jesus
On the last night
before His
betrayal and death,
Jesus was preparing
His disciples
for the days ahead.
For over three years, these men
had
been following Jesus
and learning from
His teaching and example.
They had placed their hopes
in Him
as the Messiah,
The
promised deliverer,
yet they still
didn’t understand
how
He was going
to accomplish that deliverance.
After the
Last Supper,
Jesus began speaking about
His departure,
which led to questions from
His disciples.
In John 13:33, Jesus said,
“My children, I will be
with you
only a little longer.
You will look for me, and just
as I told the Jews,
so I tell you now:
Where I am going, you cannot come.”
This prompted Peter to ask
where He was going
(verse 36).
Peter and the others did not understand that
Jesus was speaking of
His death and ascension to heaven.
Jesus’ response was,
“Where I am going, you cannot
follow now,
but you will follow later.”
Peter was still
misunderstanding and declared that
he would follow Jesus anywhere
and even lay down His life if necessary.
As Jesus patiently
continued to teach His disciples,
He began speaking
more plainly about heaven,
describing the place
He was going to prepare for them
(John 14:2–3).
Then Jesus said,
“You know the way to the place
where I am going”
(verse 4).
Speaking for the others, Thomas said
they did not know
where He was going,
so how could they know
how to follow Him there?
It was in answer to this question that
Jesus uttered one of the
seven famous “I am” statements.
I am – In the Greek language, “I am” is a
very intense
way of referring to oneself.
It would be comparable to saying, “I myself, and only I, am.” Several other times in the Gospels we find Jesus using these words. In Matthew 22:32 Jesus quotes Exodus 3:6, where God uses the same intensive form to say, “I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” In John 8:58, Jesus said, “Truly, truly I say unto you, before Abraham was, I am.”
The Jews clearly understood
Jesus
to be
calling Himself God
because they took up
stones to stone Him
for committing blasphemy
in equating
Himself with God.
In Matthew 28:20, as
Jesus gave the
Great Commission,
He gave it emphasis by saying,
“I am with you
always,
to the
end of the age"
When the soldiers came
seeking Jesus in
the garden
the
night before His crucifixion,
He told them, “I am he,”
and His words were
so powerful
that the
soldiers fell to the ground
(John 18:4–6)
These words reflect the
very Name
of
God in Hebrew,
Yahweh, which means
“to be” or “the self-existing one.”
It is the Name
of
Power and Authority,
and
Jesus claimed it as His own.
The way – Jesus used the definite article to distinguish Himself as “the only way.” A way is a path or route, and the disciples had expressed their confusion about where He was going and how they could follow. As He had told them from the beginning, Jesus was again telling them (and us) “follow me.” There is no other path to heaven, no other way to the Father. Peter reiterated this same truth years later to the rulers in Jerusalem, saying about Jesus, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). The exclusive nature of the only path to salvation is expressed in the words “I am the way.”
The truth – Again Jesus used the definite article to emphasize Himself as “the only truth.” Psalm 119:142 says, “Your law is the truth.” In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus reminded His listeners of several points of the Law, then said, “But I say unto you . . .” (Matthew 5:22, 28, 32, 34, 39, 44), thereby equating Himself with the Law of God as the authoritative standard of righteousness. In fact, Jesus said that He came to fulfill the Law and the prophets (Matthew 5:17). Jesus, as the incarnate Word of God (John 1:1) is the source of all truth.
The life – Jesus had just been telling His disciples about His impending death, and now He was claiming to be the source of all life. In John 10:17–18, Jesus declared that He was going to lay down His life for His sheep, and then take it back again. He spoke of His authority over life and death as being granted to Him by the Father. In John 14:19, He gave the promise that “because I live, you also will live.” The deliverance He was about to provide was not a political or social deliverance (which most of the Jews were seeking),
but a
true deliverance
from a life of
bondage to sin and death
to a life
of
freedom in eternity
In these words, Jesus was
declaring Himself the great “I Am,”
The
ONLY PATH to heaven,
the
ONLY TRUE
MEASURE of RIGHTEOUSNESS,
and the source of
both
physical and spiritual life
He was staking His claim
as the
very God of Creation,
the
Lord who blessed Abraham,
and the
Holy One
who
inhabits eternity.
He did this so the disciples
would be able
to face
the dark days ahead
and
Carry on the Mission
of
Declaring
the
Gospel to the World
Of course, we
Know from Scripture
that they
still didn’t understand,
and it took several visits from their
Risen Lord
to shake
them out of their disbelief.
Once they understood
the
TRUTH of His Words
they became CHANGED
people,
and the WORLD
has never been the same.
So how
do we follow Him today?
The Same Way
the
disciples did long ago.
They
heard the words of Jesus
and
believed them.
They took
His words and obeyed them.
They confessed their sins to
Jesus
as their
Lord and God
They believed that He died
to take the
punishment of their sins
and R0SE
from the dead
to Give them
New Life
They followed His example
and
command to tell others
the
Truth
about
sin, righteousness,
and
judgment
When we follow Him in
"The Way,”
we can be assured
of
following Him
all the
way to heaven!:)
Yes,
Jesus is the ONLY WAY
to
Heaven
Such an exclusive statement
may confuse,
surprise, or even offend,
but it is
TRUE nonetheless
The Bible Teaches
that there is
no other way to salvation
than through
Jesus Christ
Jesus Himself says in John 14:6,
“I am the way, the truth, and the life
No one comes
to the
Father except through
Me”
He is not A Way, as in one of many;
He is The Way,
as in the
One and Only
No one, regardless of reputation,
achievement, special knowledge,
or personal holiness,
can come to God the Father
except through Jesus
Jesus is the only way to heaven
for several reasons.
Jesus was
“chosen by God” to be the Savior
(1 Peter 2:4).
Jesus is the only One
to have
come down from heaven
and
returned there
(John 3:13).
He is the only person to have
lived a perfect human life (Hebrews 4:15).
He is the only sacrifice for sin
(1 John 2:2; Hebrews 10:26).
He alone fulfilled
the
Law and the Prophets
(Matthew 5:17).
He is the only man
to have
conquered death forever
(Hebrews 2:14–15).
He is the only Mediator
between
God and man
(1 Timothy 2:5)
He is the only man
whom
God has “exalted . . .
to the
highest place”
(Philippians 2:9).
Jesus spoke of Himself
as the
only way to heaven
in several places
besides John 14:6.
He presented Himself
as the
object of faith
in Matthew 7:21–27.
He said His words are life (John 6:63).
He promised that those who believe in Him
will have eternal life (John 3:14–15).
He is the gate of the sheep (John 10:7);
the bread of life (John 6:35);
and the resurrection (John 11:25).
No one else can rightly claim those titles.
The Apostles’
preaching focused
on the
death and resurrection
of the
Lord Jesus
Peter, speaking to the Sanhedrin,
clearly proclaimed
Jesus as the only way to heaven:
“Salvation
is found in no one else,
for there is
no other name under heaven
given to mankind
by
which we must be saved”
(Acts 4:12).
Paul, speaking to the synagogue in Antioch,
singled out
Jesus as the Savior:
“I want you to
know that through Jesus
the forgiveness of sins is
proclaimed to you.
Through him everyone
who believes is set free from
every sin”
(Acts 13:38–39).
John,
writing to the church at large,
specifies
the name of Christ
as the
basis of our forgiveness:
"I am writing to you,
dear children, because your sins
have been
forgiven on account
of
his Name”
(1 John 2:12)
No one but Jesus can forgive sin.
Eternal life in heaven
is made possible
only through Christ
Jesus prayed,
"Now this is eternal life:
that
they may know you,
the
only true God, and Jesus Christ,
whom
you have sent”
(John 17:3).
To receive
God’s free gift of salvation,
we must look to
Jesus and Jesus alone
We must trust in Jesus’
death
on the cross
as our payment for sin and in
His resurrection.
“This righteousness
from God
comes through
faith in Jesus Christ
to
all who believe”
(Romans 3:22)
At one point
in
Jesus’ ministry,
many of the crowd
were turning their backs
on Him
and leaving in hopes of
finding
Another Savior
Jesus asked
The Twelve,
“Do you want to go away
As Well?”
(John 6:67, ESV).
Peter’s reply is exactly right:
"Lord, to whom shall we go?
You have the words of
eternal life,
and we have believed,
and have come to know,
that you are the
Holy One of God”
(John 6:68–69, ESV)
May we all share Peter’s faith
that eternal life
resides only in Jesus Christ.
Have you made a
decision for Christ
because of
what you have read here?
If so, please click on the
"I have accepted Christ today” button below;)
“Jesus is the answer” is a popular slogan.
Missing is the question.
Jesus is the answer to what?
What are people trying to convey when
they claim that Jesus is the answer?
Jesus is the answer to our broken
relationship with God
When God created Adam and Eve, they enjoyed perfect fellowship with Him. But Adam sinned by disobeying God, thereby bringing death into the world (Genesis 3:8–19; Romans 5:12; 6:23; 1 Corinthians 15:21–22). A significant part of that death is spiritual death. Humanity’s relationship with God is broken. God provided a covering for Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:21) and promised a Redeemer who would defeat Satan and reconcile God and man (Genesis 3:15). The Old Testament narrative gradually reveals God’s plan to save people. The New Testament shows us that Jesus is the promised Redeemer. Jesus atoned for our sin and restores the possibility of relationship with God.
Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6 ). Jesus is the answer—the only answer—to our broken relationship with God. Apart from Him there is no salvation (Acts 4:12; 1 Timothy 2:5–6). The biblical term for God’s act of making peace with sinful humanity is reconciliation (see 2 Corinthians 5:18). Romans 5:10 reminds us that, in Christ, God’s enemies were made His friends and given life: “If, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!”
Jesus is the answer to the problem of our estrangement from God. It is Jesus who makes it possible for our sins to be forgiven and for us to be children of God (John 1:12–13). It is Jesus who mends our relationship with God so that we can fellowship with Him during our lifetimes as well as eventually live with Him for eternity
Jesus is the answer to our guilty consciences
Even after we are saved, we still sin and experience the temporal consequences of sin. Sin keeps us from fellowshipping with God fully. But we have God’s promise: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). Jesus is the One who “washes our feet” of daily impurities, even after we have been “fully bathed” (see John 13:10). Jesus is the reason we can receive forgiveness and be purified. He is the answer to our sin problem both now and for eternity
Jesus is the answer to our broken relationships with each other.
When Adam and Eve sinned, not only did they break their relationship with God, but they also damaged their relationship with each other (see Genesis 3:12, 16). Humans have been struggling in relationship to one another ever since (see Genesis 4:8). This relational breakdown manifests in various ways, including the walls we erect between races. In the New Testament era, there was a major division between Gentiles and Jews. Jesus is the answer to all types of disharmony: “For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups [Jew and Gentile] one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility. . . . His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you [Gentiles] who were far away and peace to those [Jews] who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit” (Ephesians 2:14–18; cf. Galatians 3:26–29).
Jesus instructed His followers to
love one another
humbly and sacrificially
(John 13:34–35).
Jesus prayed
for unity among His followers
(John 17),
a unity
embraced by the early church
(Acts 8 and 10).
Because we have received
forgiveness in Jesus,
we can forgive others.
Jesus is the answer
for our relational turmoil
Jesus is the answer
to a
meaningless existence
The writer of Ecclesiastes bewails the meaninglessness of worldly pursuits apart from God. When we are spiritually dead, life is ultimately empty. Nothing in this world will fully satisfy the deepest longings of our hearts (see Psalm 73:25). But, in Jesus, we have purpose. He said, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10). The Christian life is a fruitful life. We are invited to be part of God’s work in the world, tasked with sharing the gospel and making disciples (Matthew 28:18–20). We can do nothing apart from Jesus, but in Him we bear much fruit (John 15:5).
Jesus is the answer
to our
worries and doubts.
Life involves hardship, and with hardship come worries, fears, and doubts. Jesus told His followers, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). Jesus reminded us of God’s love and care (Matthew 6:24–33). Jesus also gave us the Holy Spirit to live with us forever (John 14:15–21; 16:7–15). Jesus is the reason we are not alone. Jesus is the answer to our fears and heartaches. He is able to sympathize with us because He has lived a human life in this broken world (Hebrews 4:15–16). Jesus gives us peace and equips us to endure, and even rejoice in, the hardships of this life (James 1:2–5)
Jesus is the answer
to the
problems of the world
Experience tells us that the world is broken and in need of repair—sometimes its brokenness is rather obvious. Jesus is the answer. He has a plan to fix this broken world: “The government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this” (Isaiah 9:6–7). World peace has proved an elusive goal in our war-torn world, but one day Jesus will set all things right, and the Prince of Peace will rule in true justice, ushering in a time of blessing and bounty the world has never seen (Isaiah 11). Revelation 21 predicts a new heaven and new earth: “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” (Revelation 21:3–5).
A day is Coming
when the world’s problems
will be solved;
everything will be
made anew,
and
peace will reign.
This is because of
Jesus
We eagerly await
His Return
Trusting
that “the Lord is not
slow in
keeping his promise,
as some understand
slowness
Instead he is patient with you,
not
wanting anyone to perish,
but everyone to
come to repentance”
(2 Peter 3:9)
No matter what our individual needs,
Jesus is the answer
for
our lives today,
and
He promises a better future
to come
The clearest verse on
God’s drawing to salvation
is John 6:44
where Jesus declares that
“no one can come to Me unless
The Father who sent
Me
draws him,
And I will
Raise him Up
in
the Last Day
The Greek word translated “draw” is helkuo,
which
means “to drag” (literally or figuratively).
Clearly,
this drawing is a one-sided affair.
God does the drawing to salvation;
we who are drawn
have a passive role in the process.
There is no doubt
that
we respond to His drawing us,
but the drawing itself is
all on His part.
Helkuo is used in John 21:6 to refer to a
heavy net full of fish
being dragged to the shore.
In John 18:10
we see Peter drawing his sword,
and in
Acts 16:19 helkuo is used to describe
Paul and Silas
being dragged
into the marketplace
before the rulers.
Clearly,
the net had no part in its being
drawn to the shore,
Peter’s sword
had no part in being drawn,
and Paul and Silas
did not drag themselves
to the marketplace.
The same can be said of
God’s drawing
of some
to salvation
Some come willingly,
and some
are dragged unwillingly,
but
all eventually come,
although we
have no part in the
drawing
Why does God need to draw us to salvation?
Simply put, if
He didn’t, we would never come.
Jesus explains that no man
can come
unless the Father draws him
(John 6:65)
The natural man
has no ability to come to God,
nor does he
even have the desire to come.
Because his heart is hard
and his mind is darkened,
the unregenerate
person doesn’t desire God
and is
actually an enemy of God
(Romans 5:10).
When Jesus says that no man can come without
God’s drawing him, He is making a statement about the
total
depravity of the sinner
and the
universality of that condition.
So darkened
is the
unsaved person’s heart
that he
doesn’t even realize it:
“The heart is deceitful
above all things
and
beyond cure.
Who can understand it?”
(Jeremiah 17:9).
Therefore, it is only by the
merciful and gracious
drawing of God that we
are saved
In the conversion
of the sinner,
God enlightens the mind
(Ephesians 1:18),
Passages such as Psalm 19:1-4 and Romans 1:20
attest to the
fact that God’s eternal power
and divine nature
are “clearly seen” and “understood”
from what
has been made,
“so that people are without excuse.”
But men still do deny God,
and those who acknowledge
His existence still do not come to
a saving knowledge of Him outside of
His drawing them.
Only those who have been
drawn
through special revelation--
by the power of the
Holy Spirit
and the grace of God--
will
come to Christ.
There are tangible ways
in which those who are
being drawn to
salvation
experience that drawing.
First, the Holy Spirit
convicts us of our sinful state
and
our need for a Savior
(John 16:8).
Second,
He awakens in us a previously
unknown interest
in spiritual things and
creates a desire for them
that was never there before.
Suddenly our
ears are open,
our
hearts are inclined
toward Him,
and
His Word begins to hold anew
and
exciting fascination for us.
Our spirits begin to
discern spiritual truth
that never
made sense to us before:
“The man without the
Spirit
does not accept
the
things that come from
The
Spirit of God,
for they
are foolishness to him,
and he
cannot understand them,
because they are
spiritually discerned”
(1 Corinthians 2:14).
Finally, we begin to have new desires. He places within us a new heart that inclines toward Him, a heart that desires to know Him, obey Him, and walk in the “newness of life” (Romans 6:4) that He has promised.
The decision to accept or reject Jesus as Savior is the ultimate life decision. Why do many people choose to reject Jesus as Savior? There are perhaps as many different reasons for rejecting Christ as there are people who reject Him, but the following four reasons can serve as general categories:
1) Some people do not think they need a savior. These people consider themselves to be “basically good” and do not realize that they, like all people, are sinners who cannot come to God on their own terms. But Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). Those who reject Christ will not be able to stand before God and successfully plead their own case on their own merits.
2) The fear of social rejection or persecution deters some people from receiving Christ as Savior. The unbelievers in John 12:42-43would not confess Christ because they were more concerned with their status among their peers than doing God’s will. These were the Pharisees whose love of position and the esteem of others blinded them, “for they loved the approval of men rather than the approval of God.”
3) For some people, the things that the present world has to offer are more appealing than eternal things. We read the story of such a man in Matthew 19:16-23. This man was not willing to lose his earthly possessions in order to gain an eternal relationship with Jesus (see also 2 Corinthians 4:16-18).
4) Many people are simply resisting the Holy Spirit’s attempts to draw them to faith in Christ. Stephen, a leader in the early church, told those who were about to murder him, “You stiff-necked people, with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are just like your fathers: You always resist the Holy Spirit!” (Acts 7:51). The apostle Paul made a similar statement to a group of gospel rejecters in Acts 28:23-27.
Whatever the reasons
why people reject
Jesus Christ,
their
rejection has disastrous
eternal consequences.
"There is no
other
Name under heaven
given to men
by which we must
be saved”
than the
Name of Jesus
(Acts 4:12),
and those who reject Him,
for
whatever reason,
face an eternity
in the “outer darkness”
of hell
where there will be
“weeping and gnashing of teeth”
(Matthew 25:30).
A scriptural
understanding of truth
encompasses more than
simple honesty.
The Bible reveals
truth as a
moral concept
rooted in
God’s character
(Psalm 43:3; 25:5; 26:3; 86:11; Isaiah 65:16).
He is the “God of truth”
Isaiah 65:16
and
His truthfulness embraces
His steadfastness,
trustworthiness,
and
eternal faithfulness
(Psalm 117:2).
Most commonly,
discussions of truth
have to do with
speaking the truth
(Psalm 15:2; Proverbs 12:17).
Lying
is the
opposite of telling
The Truth
(Jeremiah 9:3),
and
God Never Lies
(Titus 1:2).
The Bible says that
God is not only truthful,
but
He Himself
is the
essence of truth
The reliability
and trustworthiness
of
His being
were highly significant
to the biblical writers
in
expressing God’s truthfulness
When
Scripture speaks of truth,
it refers to a
completeness
of
moral integrity
that influences how
one
thinks and behaves
(Psalm 86:11; 119:30, 43–44; Malachi 2:6)
God demonstrates that
He is truth
in the
faithfulness and dependability
of
His words, actions, and dealings:
“God is not a man,
so he
does not lie.
He is not human, so he does
not change his mind.
Has he ever spoken and
failed to ACT?
Has he ever promised
and
not carried it through?”
(Numbers 23:19, NLT; see also 1 Samuel 15:29).
God’s Word holds
true,
and we can
trust everything He does
(Psalm 33:4).
He is completely reliable
(Psalm 31:5).
The Lord is a
rock-solid,
trustworthy foundation
for life
because
He is entirely reliable
and
consistent in His character
(Deuteronomy 32:4; Psalm 145:13; 2 Timothy 2:13).
God’s laws and instructions outline the way of truth that is meant to lead people to Him (Psalm 19:7; 119:30, 42–45; Malachi 2:6–7). The Bible says God’s Word is truth: “The entirety of Your word is truth” (Psalm 119:160, HCSB). As the Logos—the living, incarnate Word of God—Jesus Christ is truth (John 1:14, 17; John 6:32). Jesus Himself said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).
Scripture also says
that the
Gospel Message
is Truth
(Galatians 2:5, 14; Ephesians 1:13)
That Message
is the
GOOD NEWS
of
Salvation--
that Jesus is the
only way
to
everlasting LIFE with God!!:)
Through Jesus,
“we can Know
the
True God!!:)
And now we live in
fellowship with the
True God
because we live in
fellowship with his
Son,
Jesus Christ
He is the only True God,
and
he is eternal LIFE”
(1 John 5:20, NLT)
Likewise, the Holy Spirit
is the
“Spirit of truth”
who dwells
within believers and
leads them
“into all Truth”
John 14:17, NLT; see also John 15:26; 16:13; 1 John 5:6).
The Truth of God’s Word
also holds
Sanctifying Power
for
the believer
In His High Priestly Prayer, Jesus asked the Father,
“Make them Holy
by your
Truth;
Teach them your Word,
which is Truth”
(John 17:17, NLT).
Since the Bible is
Truth,
Christians ought to
Study it,
working hard
to understand and
Correctly
Apply it to their lives
(2 Timothy 2:15; 3:16–17).
As we deepen our
Knowledge and Insight
into
God’s Word,
its Truth
Will set us Free
John 8:32
God desires
His followers
to be people of the
truth
(Ephesians 4:25).
He loves those who tell
the truth
and detests those who lie
(Proverbs 12:22; 6:16–19).
The Lord underscores the importance
of truth by presenting us
with “the belt of truth” as
the first piece of our spiritual armor
(Ephesians 6:10–17).
The rest of our armor is held secure
when the
Truth
is wrapped around us. Otherwise,
we are defenseless against the
lies of our adversary,
the devil,
who is the father of lies
(John 8:44).
The Bible says that
God delights in
Truth
“The Lord is Close
to All
who call on him, Yes,
to All
who call on him
In Truth,”
declares the psalmist (Psalm 145:18, NLT).
Because of
Truth's High Value,
Solomon counsels,
“Buy the Truth
and
Do Not Sell it--
wisdom, instruction
and
insight as Well”
(Proverbs 23:23).
God takes pleasure in seeing
His Truth Reflected
in the
Character
of
His children
(Psalm 15:1–5; 51:6).
He calls
believers to worship Him
inTruth
(John 4:24),
love others in Truth
(1 John 3:18),
and
always speak the
Truth
(Ephesians 4:15, 25; Zechariah 8:16).