Finding Your Way
Where are they going, they don’t even know the way?
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:6 NIV)
He Is The Only Way
The absolute distinction between Jesus Christ and all religions is His unambiguous declaration that He alone is the only way to reach God the Father. All other beliefs are nullified by the exclusivity of His proclamation. No one reaches the Father except through Him. He is the only way to God, making all others the wrong way. We may disagree or ignore His words and choose another path that seems more preferable to our personal feelings or beliefs, but it will not lead us to the Father. Only one road leads to heaven and eternal life and it is by God’s exclusive design. It was God the Father who first verified the identity of Jesus in the presence of the apostles. Therefore, as God’s beloved Son, Jesus alone is the only way to God the Father and eternal life.
While he was still speaking, a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!” (Matthew 17:5 NIV)
And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. (1 John 4:14 NIV)
By some estimates, there are over 4,000 religions in the world with Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism, Judaism, and Christianity among the largest. Jesus was born into Judaism as the promised Messiah, God’s Son and Savior of the world in accordance with Old Testament prophecies. His appearance as the promised Redeemer is largely ignored (rejected) by Judaism. The new and better covenant established by the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus the Messiah seems to be a mystery to the Jews. The Jewish prophet Isaiah foretold of Jesus and his coming (Isaiah 7:14; 9:6-7; 53:1-12). There are 44 Old Testament Messianic prophecies fulfilled by Jesus. All historical information and the scriptures are clear about this man called Jesus who proclaimed himself to be the only way to God the Father. He is called Emmanuel “which means God with us” (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23). He is the unparalleled and unprecedented Savior. Paul the apostle tells us He is:
the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord’s people. 27 To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. (Colossians 1:26-27 NIV)
He is “God with us” and “Christ in you,” our hope of glory. He is the one and only Son of the Father and the exclusive way to the Father.
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 NIV)
In the entire history of the world, there has never been anyone like Jesus—never. He alone is the only way to reach God. If we cannot accept this fact we will not reach the Father or come into eternal life. We understand that Jesus was and is God in the fleshly body of a man who came to suffer and take our place on the cross. He was innocent but crucified, receiving in His body the punishment for our sins. He is the only way of escaping death and the only way to the Father. Failing to believe and accept that He is the only way has eternal consequences that lead to destruction.
There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death. (Proverbs 14:12 NIV)
He Is The Only Truth
Jesus is not only “the way,” He is “the truth.” In Him, there is no falsehood, untruths, or lies. It is impossible for Jesus to mislead or lie to us. He is pure truth and the source of all truth.
In this life, understanding truth requires a discerning mind. Not all that is labeled as truth is true, correct, or real. Much of what we see and hear today is repackaged half-truths that are actually sophisticated lies. These partial truths are often misleading and deceptive. Embracing lies that masquerade as truth can influence poor or wrong choices resulting in horrible consequences that destroy our lives. Not every untruth is necessarily a deliberate lie shared to mislead or deceive someone. Nevertheless, it is still an untruth that can mislead us into a false reality. Both the teller and the hearer may firmly believe they are in possession of the truth while actively being deceived by a falsehood.
Specifically, our focus is spiritual and eternal truth as opposed to false and misleading religions or belief systems that claim to know the way to God. We are focusing on the correct and true path to God to wit Jesus alone proclaims “I am the way” and “no one comes to the Father except through me.” Our contention is this, He is the true and only way to the Father.
Because Jesus is the truth, He imparts truth to those who believe in Him and enter into a personal relationship with Him through repentance and forgiveness of sin.
To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31-32 NIV)
When we turn our lives over to Jesus the Holy Spirit enters our hearts and minds to lead and guide us into all truth.
But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. (John 16:13 NIV)
Discernment requires enlightenment and enlightenment comes from knowing the truth. What is the truth? I am “the truth,” said Jesus. When we are connected to Jesus all truth flows from him into our lives. The real truth that flows through Jesus enables us to understand and identify the partial or half-truths that masquerade as truth. God’s truth sets us free from the dark deceptive lies that are so prevalent in the unspiritual world we live in.
The world today is filled with hucksters peddling their brand of truth. Although it often appears as the real McCoy, it is not “the truth” Jesus was speaking about when he proclaimed himself to be “the truth.” Anything and everything that speaks against Jesus as being the real truth is a lie.
He Is The Only Life
There are 3 kinds of lives we must concern ourselves with: our present earthly life, our spiritual life, and our future eternal life that we enter after our earthly life ends. Now we know everyone born dies at some point in this life and their earthly remains are placed in a grave. But eternal life is without end, something that demands our serious consideration and understanding. Unfortunately, most discussions on the subject of life after death are either postponed or hastily dismissed by most folks. When we finally take time to reflect upon the subject we are confronted with a menagerie of spiritual concepts, evolutionary theories, and theological teachings. However, according to Jesus, He is the only way, truth, and life making all others the wrong way. Either you can accept this or walk away and search the vast plethora of spiritual and religious concepts of which none know the way to God—Jesus is the only way.
Now we must ask, “why are Christianity, Jesus, and the Bible the correct choice?”
The Bible is comprised of 66 books, epistles, or letters. It is divided into 2 major divisions known as The Old Testament and The New Testament. There are 39 O.T. books and 27 N.T. books written from 1445 BC through 96 AD by 39 different writers over 1,500 years (dates written). In the first book, Genesis, we find the creation of the world and mankind. In the last book, Revelation, we see the destruction of the world and mankind. In between, we find the rebellion of mankind, his fall from God’s favor, and God’s plan to rescue and restore mankind into a right relationship with Himself through Jesus the Savior of all mankind. It is God’s plan to rescue, redeem and restore us from our sinful nature and the penalty of sin which is eternal death or separation from God in a place called hell. Because of God’s great love and mercy God took upon himself the form of a human in the person of Jesus, suffered and died for our sins on the cross, and now offers a new spiritual and eternal life to all who turn to Him in repentance. Consider this:
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 NIV)
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16 NIV)
Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. (John 17:3 NIV)
God the Father promises spiritual and eternal life through Jesus to all who believe His message and respond to His call for genuine heartfelt repentance. The way to God our Father is through His Son Jesus. There are no alternatives to God’s plan. Jesus is the only one who can give us eternal life. To reject what God has said is tantamount to calling God a liar.
We accept human testimony, but God’s testimony is greater because it is the testimony of God, which he has given about his Son. 10 Whoever believes in the Son of God accepts this testimony. Whoever does not believe God has made him out to be a liar, because they have not believed the testimony God has given about his Son. 11 And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. (1 John 5:9-12 NIV)
The proof that Jesus is the only way, truth and life is realized when we mix our faith with the facts and believe what God has declared. When we believe the message we will surrender our lives 100% to Jesus and receive forgiveness and a new spiritual and eternal life. This life of which we speak has been received by billions of people over the years with about 2.2 billion people currently professing Christ as their Savior and Lord.
In these final words, I want to ask you a simple question. If Jesus appeared in the very place you are at this moment, what would you say to Him and what would He say to you? The Scriptures tell us that one day this very thing will happen and we will all appear in his presence to give an account.
Have you been born again? If not, you can stop right now and begin talking to God. Ask Him to forgive you for being a sinner and the life you have been living outside of His love. Surrender your life to Him, unconditionally. Call Him Lord and make Him Lord over every thought, attitude, and action. You can say, Lord Jesus, forgive me for all my sins and come into my heart and take full control of my life. I am your child from this day forward. Change my heart and mind to be Christ-like in every way. I confess Jesus as my Lord and Savior forever.
If you prayed that prayer we would love to hear back from you. [/stextbox]
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