The Way, The Truth, and The Life
“I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” – John 14:6 (ESV)
Our world today is increasingly becoming characterized as a “post-truth” world, a world in which finding the truth is no easy task, and standing for the truth can be difficult when so many seem to be deliberately turning away from it (2 Timothy 4:3-4). In today’s world, it is more socially acceptable for me to speak my truth than it is to speak THE truth, and this line of thinking has become the norm not just in our society but also among some churches. Truth has taken a backseat in the name of tolerance and unity, and the “Jesus” that many churches present today is one of love and acceptance, but nothing more. While these qualities are undoubtedly part of His character, Jesus had much more to say about His purpose and what it means to follow Him:
“Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law…Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.” - Matthew 10:34-35, 37-38 (ESV)
Jesus understood that His message would be divisive and challenging for many who would hear it. In fact, many of Jesus’ followers turned away from Him in response to some of His teachings (John 6:60-66)! Even today, we see time and time again that speaking the truth of God’s Word often results in division, opposition, and even hatred. This message is not popular in today’s culture, and yet I believe it is the most important message that anyone could hear - that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, and no one can come to God except through Him. But what exactly did Jesus mean when He called Himself “the Way, the Truth, and the Life?”
The Way
We see evidence throughout Scripture that Jesus, being the perfect Son of God, is the only one worthy to pay the price for our sins. By laying down His life, Jesus opened the way for us to enter into a personal relationship with God.
“We have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that He opened for us through the curtain, that is, through His flesh.” - Hebrews 10:19b-20 (ESV)
In John chapter 10, Jesus told his disciples a parable of a shepherd and his sheep, referring to Himself as the good shepherd who lays down his life for the sheep (that’s us). In this same analogy, Jesus describes Himself as the door through which the sheep enter and find pasture:
“Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.” - John 10:7-9 (ESV)
This parable shows us that salvation only comes through faith in Jesus. He is the door through which we must pass in order to enter into an eternal relationship with God. The Bible clearly teaches us that Jesus is not just one way to God - He is the only way.
“For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” - 1 Timothy 2:5 (ESV)
“And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” – Acts 4:12 (ESV)
The Truth
As creator of the universe, God is the ultimate source of truth. He has set in place the laws of reality, and He has determined what is good, right, and true. As such, we can trust that everything God speaks is reliable and trustworthy (Psalm 119:160, John 17:17). Because of His very nature, God cannot lie.
“God is not man, that He should lie, or a son of man, that He should change His mind. Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not fulfill it?” - Numbers 23:19 (ESV)
The Bible teaches us that God’s word is much more than simple speech. The word of God is not just reliable; it holds incredible power! This has been demonstrated to us from the very beginning of the Bible, where God spoke the universe into existence by the power of His word alone (Genesis 1). Hebrews 4:12 describes God’s word as both “living and active,” and every time God speaks, His word carries both power and purpose:
“As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” - Isaiah 55:10-11 (NIV)
So why all this talk about God and His word? What does all of this have to do with Jesus? There is a very important connection I would like to make here, and it is found in first chapter of John’s gospel:
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made.” - John 1:1-3 (NIV)
“The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” - John 1:14 (NIV)
Here, John clearly shows us that Jesus is the living Word of God! Not only was Jesus there in the beginning, but it was through Him that God created the world. Just as God sends out His word to accomplish His purposes (Isaiah 55:11), He also sent the Living Word to accomplish the ultimate purpose - to “seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10). Jesus is the embodiment of both God’s word and of truth.
The Life
Jesus’ declaration that He is the Life is directly tied to His purpose in coming to Earth. As human beings, we are all born into a sinful, fallen world (Psalm 51:5, Romans 3:23). We all suffer from a spiritual disease that the Bible refers to as the “sinful nature” - our innate desire to rebel against God and live according to our own standards. No matter how good we are, we cannot hope to live according to God’s perfect standard of holiness. Because of our sinful nature, we are all destined for spiritual death, but through Jesus, we have been given life instead!
“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” - Romans 6:23 (ESV)
Although sin can be enticing and even enjoyable for a time, it sets us on a path that eventually leads to spiritual ruin (James 1:14-15). True life is only available when we reject a life of sin and submit ourselves to the lordship of Jesus Christ (see God's Plan of Salvation). Jesus is the cure to the disease of sin, and He gives us life and power over sin and death.
“For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.” - Romans 8:2 (ESV)
“So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions.” - Romans 6:11-12 (ESV)
Jesus is not just the key to an eternal life with God, but He is also an abundant source of life for any who believe in Him today.
“And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.” - 1 John 5:11-12 (ESV)
“For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world…I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” - John 6:33, 35 (ESV)
When Jesus told His disciples that He is the way, the truth, and the life, He was revealing important truths about Himself:
- Jesus is the only way to God the Father, the door that we must pass through to enter into a relationship with God
- Jesus is the embodiment of truth, the Living Word that has always been and always will be
- Jesus is the source of all spiritual life and the gateway to an eternal life with God
As I mentioned in the beginning of this article, this was not a popular message in Jesus’ day, nor is it acceptable in the culture we live in today. Although most would agree that Jesus’ teachings on love, forgiveness, and humility are beneficial to society, far fewer accept Him as the only way to heaven. Jesus’ claim of exclusivity flies in the face of every religion, belief system, and lifestyle that does not accept Him as Lord and Savior. Jesus Himself said that few will choose to follow Him.
“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” - Matthew 7:13-14 (NIV)
It’s easy to gravitate toward depictions of Jesus that focus on love and forgiveness, and while these qualities are absolutely true and essential to who Jesus is, they are only part of His character. The reality is that Jesus is more than just a good man and a good teacher - He is Lord! John’s sobering description of Jesus in Revelation 19 reveals Him in all of His glory:
“I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice He judges and wages war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on Him that no one knows but He Himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and His name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following Him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Coming out of His mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. ‘He will rule them with an iron scepter.’ He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On His robe and on His thigh He has this name written: King of kings and Lord of lords.” - Revelation 19:11-16 (NIV)
Choosing to submit to Jesus as Lord of your life is not an easy or popular choice to make. And yet we must choose Him. Jesus has already chosen us - He laid down His life so that you and I would not suffer the consequences of our sin! He loves us all more than we can imagine, and He gives us the free will to either choose Him or reject Him. Jesus is the narrow gate that we must walk through in order to receive true life - a life free from the bondage of sin, and a life that is rooted in a relationship with a real and loving Savior. Jesus is the Way to heaven, He is the Truth in a world full of deception, and He is the Life that we all so desperately need.
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” - John 10:10 (ESV)