THE WAY, TRUTH, AND LIFE
JOHN 14:6
“I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
Today we are going to focus entirely on verse 6: “I am the way the truth and the life, and no one comes to the Father except through Me.” This is the keystone verse, as it were, of Christian doctrine and, therefore, deserves further analysis.
Let us begin by looking at Jesus as the “way.” He is the way in a twofold sense. He is the way from Cod to man; all divine blessings come from the Father through the Son (Matt. 11:27). He is also the way from man to God, to see Jesus is to see God.
Jesus is also the very embodiment of truth. He is the truth in person. As such He is the final reality in contrast with the shadows that preceded Him. Truth is that which stands over against the lie. Jesus is the truth because He alone is “the dependable source of redemptive revelation.” This truth is living truth. It is active. It takes hold of us and influences us in a powerful and life-changing way. It sanctifies us, guides us, and sets us free. Truth, therefore, is not abstract, but personal. Pilate asked “What is truth?” Jesus reveals the answer in 14:6, “I am the truth!”
Jesus is also “the life.” He is not referring here to life as outwardly manifested, but of life as opposed to death. All God’s glorious attributes dwell in the Son of God. It is because He has life within Himself that He is the source and giver of life for His own. He has the light of life, the words of life, and He came to earth that we might have life and have it abundantly. As death separates us from God, so life brings communion with Him.
In the person of Jesus Christ, all three concepts are active and dynamic. The way brings to God; the truth makes men free; the life produces fellowship. Notice that Jesus is the “way” because He is the truth and the life. When Jesus reveals redemptive truth that sets men free from sin, and when He imparts the seed of life, which produces fellowship with God, then He, as the “way,” has brought them to the Father. Since men are absolutely dependent upon Christ for their knowledge of redemptive truth and also for the life that causes that truth to live in their souls, it follows that no one comes to the Father but through Him. This fundamental truth of the Christian religion is irrefutable and absolute.
CORAM DEO
Psalm 96–98
Romans 12
Memorize John 14:6. How would you answer someone who said that truth is whatever we want it to be? What would you say to someone who said there are many ways to God? Whenever you tell someone the Gospel, talk about truth and eternal life, but always emphasize the personal dimension in Christ
For further study: Eph. 1:3–14 • Col. 1:9–23
thursday
august