Jesus the Way, Truth, and Life
—John 14:6
Jesus said to Thomas, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me". There is only one way to heaven. That Way is Jesus and his word of truth. No other can grant us eternal life. So it's well worth thinking about the way, the truth, and the life. That's what we do in this lesson (John 14:6).
1 Jesus is the Way
Christianity in its early times was known as “The Way” (Acts 22:4).
Several passages in the Bible liken the life lived for God as a “Way” —a pathway laid down by God which we should follow in our walk of life. Here are just a few such verses...
“And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness...(Isaiah 35:8).
“There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death” (Proverbs 16:25). [Indicating there is another far better way, leading to life.]
“Thus says the Lord: stand in the ways, and see, and ask for the ancient paths where is the good way, and walk in it; then you shall find rest for your souls. But they said, 'We will not walk in it' ” (Jeremiah 6:16).
“Enter by the narrow gate, for wide is the gate, and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it; because narrow is the gate, and difficult is the way, that leads to life, and there are few who find it” (Matthew 7:13-14).
This Way is provided by Jesus Christ. He is the facilitator of our journey. Without him, this Way would not exist. That is why he can say, "I am the way..." (John 14:6).
In representing himself as the Way, he adds, "No one comes to the Father except through Me" (John 14:6). So he is the only way to eternal life. There is no other.
This is sometimes represented by a ONE WAY sign. Of course that is meant to convey that Jesus is the one and only way. It is not meant to convey that Jesus is one way among many as is often said.
Jesus is the one and only way because "Christ was sacrificed once to bear the sins of many..." (Hebrews 9:28). Nobody else has ever done that, and nobody else ever will.
Jesus is the one Way, because only through him comes grace and truth. "Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ" (John 1:17).
2 Jesus is the Truth
Jesus went further, and spoke of himself as the embodiment of truth. "I am the way, the truth, and the life" (John 14:6). In the same sense, he is called "The Word" (John 1:1,14).
When Jesus says “truth” he means his Father’s word (John 17:17). Jesus believed that this truth was in the scriptures and is unchangeable. He held that "the scriptures cannot be broken" —not even the smallest saying (John 10:34-36).
Jesus does not consider truth to be an abstract or relative matter. The truth of which Jesus spoke is his word, or the word in him. He got this word from the Father and passed it on to the world. This word has promises in which to anchor our hope; facts to believe with all of our heart; commandments to keep and not to deny (John 14:15).
The truth is in God’s mind. He gave it to his Son who communicated it to us as "words of eternal life" (John 6:68). The best answer to the question, “Who has the truth?” is that Christ has the truth, and he is the truth.
3 Jesus is the Life
In the third place, Jesus spoke of himself as the source of life. "I am the way, the truth, and the life" (John 14:6). "In him was life, and the life was the light of men" (John 1:4).
In those first verses of John, we are told that Jesus created physical life. However spiritual or eternal life is also in view here. Among the first words of Jesus recorded in John are these: "God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life" (John 3:16).
Christ gives you the promise of life everlasting (1John 2:25). This is God’s promise to everyone who tries hard to obey the commandments attached to this promise.
According to the promise, the blood of Jesus Christ takes away the sins of those who believe in him and follow Christ’s word. Such will receive beautiful life unending (1John 1:7, 5:11-13).
Nobody else is “The Life”. Nobody else can grant everlasting life. It will be the voice of Jesus Christ that calls people from the graves to the resurrection of life (John 5:26-30).
One takeaway from this lesson concerns the idea that there are many great lights who can offer a way to God, who have their own version of truth, and who can offer a better life. They are thought to be equal to Jesus who is one great light among many. However Jesus himself contradicts this, as we have seen. He is the only way, the only truth, and the only life.
➤ Go to Bislama version of this lesson.