John 14:6 - The Sixth I AM; Jesus Is The Way, The Truth And The Life.
John 14:6 - The Sixth I AM; Jesus Is The Way, The Truth And The
Life.
John 14:6 (NKJV) Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth,
and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
INTRODUCTION
One of the distinctives of the Gospel of John is its series of
"I am" sayings of Jesus. Their significance is underlined in 8:58,
in which Jesus announces that "before Abraham was born, I am!" His
hearers understood the implicit claim, for they knew full well that "I
am" is the Greek equivalent of YHWH, Yahweh, the revelatory and
personal name of God that vitalizes the Old Testament. What are the "I
am" statements in John, and how do they display the deity that Jesus
claimed?
* "I am the bread of life" (6:35). Jesus is the One who sustains
physical and spiritual life.
* "I am the Light of the World" (8:12). Jesus is the source of
spiritual enlightenment.
* "I am the Gate for the sheep" (10:7). Jesus provides access to
God and salvation.
* "I am the Good Shepherd" (10:11). Jesus lays down His life for
us, His sheep.
* "I am the Resurrection and the Life" (11:25). Jesus is the
source and giver of life eternal.
* "I am the Way and the Truth and the Life" (14:6). Jesus alone
provides access to God the Father and all of the Father's good gifts to
humankind.
* "I am" the true vine (15:1). Jesus is the source of spiritual
vitality. By remaining close to Him we are enabled to bring forth fruit
and so glorify God. [Victor Bible Background Commentary mod]
This is the sixth "I am" declaration in John. Jesus does not
simply show the way; He is the Way. Jesus does not simply reveal truth;
He is the Truth. Jesus does not simply give life; He is the Life.
All the concepts and abstractions are turned into a Person.
[Believer's SB]
CONTEXT
John 14:1-14: Jesus the Way to the Father.
Jesus continues to share with His disciples at the Last
Supper the evening before His crucifixion. He encourages, urging them
to keep on believing that He has revealed the Father to them
(14:1-14). And He promises that when He is gone, the Father will send the
Holy Spirit to them, to continually reveal Jesus to those who love
and obey Him (vv. 15-24). Jesus also encourages the disciples to be
glad for His sake and their own. Christ's restoration to the Father
will bring Him joy as well as benefit Jesus' followers (vv. 25-31)...
In a personal relationship with Jesus we discover the way to
God, the truth that puts our existence in perspective, and an eternal
life that is to be lived here and now. [Victor Bible Reader's
Companion]
Jesus did not merely show the way to God; He said, "I am the
way." He did not claim merely to know the truth; He said, "I am the
truth." He did not merely point to the abundant life; He said, "I am
the life." Therefore, within Christianity if there is no Christ,
there is no way to God, no truth about God, and no vitality.
How could Jesus make such claims? If He was only a man, His
claims are preposterous. But if He is who He said He is, and if He did
what He said He would do, His claims make sense. Jesus claimed to be
God and to have come to earth to die for our own sin. We deserve to
die for our own sin, but Jesus died in our place. He who was
sinless accepted the guilt of our sin and died for us. No one else
could do it, but He could and did. Thus, He literally became the door
by which sinful men and women can approach the Father. James Boice
[Time with God SB]
COMMENTARY
JESUS - THE WAY
Jesus is not one way among many, but the way to God (cf. Ac
4:12; Heb 10:19-20). [NIV SB]
This is a critical verse, for Jesus said that no man could reach
God unless he approached God through Jesus Himself. [Preacher's
Outline & Sermon Bible]
This is one of the most basic and important passages in
Scripture. How can we know the way to God? Only through Jesus. Jesus is the
way because he is both God and man. By uniting our life with his, we
are united with God. Trust Jesus to take you to the Father, and all
the benefits of being God's child will be yours. [Life Application
SB]
Christ is the way from earth to heaven. By His humanity He
touches this earth, and by His divinity He touches heaven. He is the
ladder connecting earth and heaven (ch. 1:51; cf. PP 184). Because of
His incarnation and death "a new and living way" has been
consecrated for us (Heb. 10:20). There is no other means of salvation (Acts
4:12; 1 Tim. 2:5). [SDA Commentary]
The only ground on which God can forgive our sin and reinstate
us to His favor is through the Cross of Christ. There is no other
way! Once you realize all that it cost God to forgive you, you will
be held as in a vise, constrained by the love of God. [In His
Time; My Utmost For His Highest re Eph.1:7]
Good works won't get you there. Being nice won't get you there.
Success won't get you there. Lots of money won't get you there. The only
way there - to eternal life in heaven with our Creator - is through
Jesus (Ephesians 2:8-9). If we believe in Him and accept His gift of
salvation, we will one day live in a state of perfect peace and joy in a
place prepared especially for us, His children (John 14:2-3). [The 365
Daily Promise Bible By Barbour re John 14:6]
If you're lost, you need a map. And that's what Jesus offers
to everyone - a roadmap for navigating life. More than that, he
says he is the road. Jesus says that nothing you find in this world
will provide lasting meaning and direction; only he can do that for
you. Jesus is the pathway that leads to real purpose. Jesus doesn't
point you in the right direction; he is the right direction. Jesus
doesn't provide us with different options to try; he says, "I am the way
you should go. I am the only meaningful pursuit." He is the route to
the ultimate destination - eternal life with God in heaven.
So what does this mean for us? Take him at his word and see
if what he says is true. Believe in him, follow in his way by doing
what he commands, and you'll have abundant life that will never end.
Jesus isn't a twelve-step plan of self-improvement; he is a one-step
plan to eternal life. [The One Year Bible for New Believers re John
14:6]
If you are walking daily with the Lord, you will not have to
find God's will - you will already be in it. If you are walking with
Him in obedience day by day, you will always be in the will of God.
The Holy Spirit's role is to guide you step by step to do God's
will. Walking closely with God each day guarantees that you will be
exactly where He wants you to be. You would have to reject all of the
Holy Spirit's activity in your life in order to get out of the will
of God.
The disciples never had to ask Jesus where they should go
next. They simply looked to see where Jesus was going and stayed close
to Him! Jesus was their "way." They didn't need a map as long as
they had Jesus. Too often, we would prefer a road map of our future
rather than a relationship with the Way. It often seems easier to
follow a plan than to cultivate a relationship. We can become more
concerned with our future than we are with walking intimately with God
today.
Jesus will never give you a substitute for Himself. He is the
only way to the Father. That's why it is critical that you clearly
know when God is speaking to you (Isa. 30:21). If you are disoriented
to how God speaks, you will not understand when He is giving you a
new revelation about what He is doing. If you want to know God's
will, take time to cultivate your relationship with Jesus and learn to
identify His voice. He is more than willing to show you the way.
[Experiencing God Day by Day by Henry and Richard Blackaby re John 14:6]
Jesus Christ himself is the Way. It is not just ... knowledge of
him or experience of the blessings he can give: it is his own living
Presence which is the Way. Wesley W. Nelson
Our personal relationship with Christ links us to God. (Life
Application Commentary)
JESUS THE WAY IS A SOVEREIGN GOD
Jesus says he is the only way to God the Father. Some people may
argue that this way is too narrow. In reality, it is wide enough for
the whole world, if the world chooses to accept it. Instead of
worrying about how limited it sounds to have only one way, we should be
saying, "Thank you, God, for providing a sure way to get to you!" [Life
Application SB]
Some would say that a single way is entirely too restrictive.
But that attitude fails to see the desperate state of the human
condition. That there is a way at all is evidence of God's grace and love.
The state of human rebellion can be seen in this: We are like people
drowning at sea who are graciously thrown a life-saving rope but who
respond by insisting that we deserve a choice of several ropes along
with the option of swimming to safety if we so choose. (Life
Application Commentary)
That God has an "eternal purpose" for all things is both
scriptural and logical. If God is God at all, He is sovereign. He cannot
work independently of His own nature, for then He would cease to be
God, something that is impossible. He is a wise God; therefore, His
eternal purpose is a wise one. He is a powerful God; therefore, He is
able to accomplish what He purposes. He is a loving God; therefore,
what He purposes will manifest His love. He is an unchanging God;
therefore, His purpose is unchanging. . . . .
Words like "predestination" and "election" frighten some
people and are greatly misunderstood by others. "If God has an eternal
purpose, then why bother to do anything?" some people ask. "Why pray? Why
send out missionaries? After all, God will certainly achieve His
purpose!"
But not without us! God has ordained (and this is amazing)
that His purposes shall be fulfilled in and through His church. Why
pray? Because prayer is one of God's ordained ways to accomplish His
will in us and through us. Why send out missionaries? Because He has
commanded us to carry the gospel to the ends of the earth, and our
obedience is a part of His ordained plan. God's eternal purpose,
established "before the world was," is not an excuse for carelessness and
disobedience. It is one of our greatest encouragements to obedience and
service.
God's eternal purpose is not fatalism. Rather, it is the
perfect plan of a loving Father, and our Father loves us too much to
harm us. He is too wise to make mistakes. "The counsel of the Lord
stands forever, the plans of His heart from generation to generation"
(Psalm 33:11). Note that important phrase: "the plans of His
heart...."
Please keep in mind that a part of God's eternal plan is the
fact that man shall have moral freedom. Divine sovereignty and human
responsibility do not conflict or contradict each other; they are friends, not
enemies. . . .
"But why did God plan it this way?" some may ask. Because His
plan is the best. God cannot ordain less than the very best. There
are some things about God's plan that we may not understand, but we
agree with our Lord's affirmation of faith in Matthew 11:26, "Yes,
Father, for thus it was well-pleasing in Thy sight." And if any of us
gets the idea that God needed our help as consultants, we had better
listen again to Paul: "For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who
became His counselor?" (Romans 11:34). God did not need our help in
framing His great plan, nor does He need our criticism of it. But He
does want to share with us the privilege of working out His plan in
this world. . . . . . .
These truths were not given so that we might debate, but that
we might surrender and worship. It is not a big head, but a burning
heart, that proves we have grasped something of the meaning of God's
eternal plan. from Prayer: Basic Training by Warren W. Wiersbe,
ILLUSTRATIONS
Before he was Paul, he was known as Saul, the man who chased
down Christians like a bounty hunter. He is first mentioned in the
New Testament as a willing witness to the stoning of Stephen, the
first Christian martyr (see Acts 7:58).
It's not that Paul wasn't religious. Quite the opposite. He
was a religious zealot. His knowledge of the Old Testament
Scriptures was astounding. He knew the Jewish law. In fact, he was brought
up to be enraged by those who disregarded it. Thus, his religious
beliefs were the very reason he hated Christians so much.
As far as he was concerned, these new Christians - who called
themselves "the Way" - worshiped a "mere" man as if he were God himself!
For Paul, this was unthinkable. It was prosecutable - an affront to
God! At least that's how it seemed until he actually met God's Son
face-to-face on the road to Damascus. Jesus, appearing as a bright light,
knocked Paul blind and asked, "Why are you persecuting me?" The only
question Paul could ask was the only question that mattered: "Who are
you, Lord?" Jesus told him. (See Acts 9:1-6.)
Once faced with the truth that Jesus was indeed God in the
flesh, Paul made an abrupt U-turn. His zeal became for Christianity
rather than against it. Paul found "the Way" in every sense of the
term, and more than anyone else except for Jesus himself, he helped
organize the first-century church and spread the message of Christianity.
Who is Jesus? That's a question everyone needs to ask. Once a person
realizes the truth, it changes everything.
Paul, a first-century convert and church leader, was the son
of a Pharisee. A former persecutor of Christians, he was the writer
of most of the New Testament letters. His story is told in Acts
7-28 and in his letters. [The One Year Bible Live Verse Devotional]
A few years ago, my friend Charlotte and I took a trip to Hot
Springs, Arkansas. Since Charlotte is not a morning person, I drove
first. And about the time we crossed the Red River going north, she
fell asleep.
Charlotte hadn't traveled with me very much at that point, so
she didn't know that when God handed out compasses, I thought he was
giving out "rumpuses" and asked for a very small one. If I make two
turns, I'm lost. I can even get confused going to my office
(ordinarily, that wouldn't be funny, but I work at home).
I'd been driving about two hours when Charlotte roused. She
seems to have a built-in radar device in her brain. She can be asleep,
but if you start going the wrong direction, she senses it and wakes
up.
"Where are we?" Charlotte asked.
"Still going north on Highway 19."
"Then why does that sign say twenty-one miles to Texarkana?"
"I don't know," I said defensively. "I haven't made a single
turn."
"You must have turned somewhere, because we're going south,
not north."
I stopped, and Charlotte studied the map for a minute. Then
she began laughing.
"What's so funny?" I asked.
"Well, friend, we've made a grand circle, and we're almost
back where we started."
"No way! Well, I'm not very good at directions."
"No kidding!" Charlotte laughed. "Next time I'd better
drive."
"Drive! You couldn't even stay awake."
Since that trip, my friends like to joke that whenever Mary
drives, all roads lead to Texarkana.
Savior and Lord, help me to remember that I am never lost as
long as I'm with you. Be my compass and help me to stay on the right
path. Amen. [The One Year Devotional of Joy and Laughter by Mary
Hollingsworth]
JESUS - THE TRUTH
As truth, Jesus is the revelation of God. [Nelson SB]
Christ is the truth. His words are truth, and they have a deeper
significance than appears on the surface. All the sayings of Christ have a
value beyond their unpretending appearance. Minds that are quickened
by the Holy Spirit will discern the value of these sayings. They
will discern the precious gems of truth, though these may be buried
treasures. COL110
Several years ago I was speaking at a Bible club at UCLA,
using John 14:6. A young fellow came up to me afterward and said, "Dr.
McGee, I have one criticism of that verse. It is too dogmatic." I said
to him, "I agree with you. It is dogmatic. In fact, it is the most
dogmatic statement I can think of. But it is the characteristic of truth
to be dogmatic."
Then I gave him the illustration of a teacher I had when I
was first starting school. She taught me that two plus two equals
four. She was not broad-minded about it. She had no tolerance for
anything else. To be honest with you, I was very broadminded in those
days. As far as I was concerned, two plus two could equal three or
five. But she insisted that under every circumstance, two plus two
equals four! You just cannot get any more dogmatic than that. But I
have thanked God for her since then because I now do business with a
bank that is equally narrow-minded. Also, when I figure out my income
tax, I have found that the government has the same narrowminded idea
about two plus two.
May I say to you, my beloved, truth is always dogmatic. And
if it is not dogmatic, it is not truth. by J. Vernon McGee
[Passages Of Life SB]
JESUS - THE LIFE
Jesus gives us life both now and eternally (1Jo.5:11, 12). Our
response should be to receive that life and allow it to work itself out
in our daily experience. (Life Application Commentary)
Only God can restore life to something that has died. If you
find that your heart has grown cold to God, that the spiritual life
of your family or church has waned, call out to God to revive you,
for only He can give life. It is not your activity but your
relationship with God that brings life!
Spiritual fervor can ebb if left unattended. We all begin our
walk with the Lord enthusiastically, with an excited sense of
anticipation. But over time, busyness creeps in. We become distracted and let
our sin go unchallenged. We may take our relationship with God for
granted and not notice the gradual decline until we find ourselves
drained of spiritual vitality.
This descent can happen in your church just as it does in
your personal life. Do you remember a time when the Holy Spirit was
moving mightily in your church, and the members sensed God leading in
an exciting direction? Are the services now lifeless and the power
of God only a memory?
At a time like this it is futile to try to bring back life
yourself. You can organize many activities and exhort those around you,
but only God can resurrect what is dead. If God has initiated
something in your life, or family, or church, only He can sustain it or
revive it. If you sense that the spiritual vigor has gone out of your
life or the life of your church, this is God's invitation to pray. He
wants you to intercede with Him so that He might revive His work.
Jesus said that He is Life. It is unnecessary to remain spiritually
lifeless when He has promised vibrant, abundant life if you will claim
it. [Experiencing God Day by Day by Henry and Richard Blackaby re
Hab. 3:2]
CONCLUDING THOUGHTS
Jesus is the road to God, the accurate understanding of God, and
our very existence come from God. [Disciple SB]
Jesus did not claim merely to know the way, the truth, and the
life as a formula he could impart to the ignorant; but he actually
claimed to be the answer to human problems. Jesus' solution to
perplexity is not a recipe; it is a relationship with him. [Expositors
Bible Commentary]
No clearer statement in all of Scripture is given on who Jesus
Christ is and His position. So many people consider themselves
spiritually acceptable to God on the basis that they believe that God
exists, or because they have done the best they could. But how far short
of saving faith they fall. Knowing Jesus personally, believing He
is God, accepting His atoning work on the cross is absolutely
essential. Since Jesus is the way, we need to be following Him. Since
Jesus is the truth, we need to be learning from Him. Since Jesus is
the life, we need to be walking with Him. How much time do you
spend learning from Him, or following His commands, or doing what He
requires? There should be no greater desire in our hearts than to be
found "in Him." [In His Time; Walk With Wisdom]
"I am the way, the truth, and the life. Many assume that
means only that I show you the way, teach you the truth, and give you
life, but that's far too impersonal for Me. I am not just a path or a
teaching or a key. I'm a Person. You can't get what you need apart from
firsthand encounters with Me. You have to get close to Me and let Me get
close to you. In fact, you have to invite Me to enter the most private
areas of your soul and live there. There is no other access to the
way, the truth, and the life.
"I am your way and your truth and your life. Yes, I am
available to the entire world - whoever is drawn to Me and responds - but
I'm also individual to you. I know you inside and out. The religions
of the world set you on a course toward whatever promise they
offer, but they don't take you by the hand and lead you. They offer
formulas but don't incarnate their truth within you. They give you tools
to learn, tell you to be disciplined, and promise you rewards for
diligence. That's not a light burden or an easy yoke. It's not My way.
"It grieves Me when My people follow the techniques of the
world to become 'holy' or to find fulfillment. They forget that I'm a
Person and that I'm individually available to each of them. Don't let
it be that way with you. Always be on guard against lapsing from
living in Me into following religious practices. If you feel that you
haven't done enough or reached high enough to experience My fullest
blessings, you've forgotten My truth. Stop striving and know Me. I'm not
just what you need, I'm who you need."
Jesus, You are my life - and the only way to God. Fill me
with Yourself and take me where You want to go. [The One Year
Experiencing God's Presence Devotional by Chris Tiegreen]
CROSS REFERENCES
Isaiah 43:11 (KJV) I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there
is no saviour.
Isaiah 45:22 (NKJV) "Look to Me, and be saved, All you ends of
the earth! For I am God, and there is no other.
Acts 4:12 (NKJV) Nor is there salvation in any other, for there
is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be
saved."
LINK FOR FURTHER STUDY ON THIS PASSAGE:
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2009/20090506-1113.html
EXCELLENT VIDEO SERIES ON EXPERIENCING GOD:
http://sda.biggytv.com/watch/Revive!_-_Dwight_Nelson:_Experiencing_Gods_Grace/revive/
EXCELLENT BIBLE PROPHECY SERIES BY DR RON CLOUZET:
http://www.propheciesdecoded.com/program
