I AM the Truth, the Way & the Life

Who is Jesus? One of the clearest, most definitive statements Jesus makes to answer this question is captured in John’s gospel, 6 …“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6. There is no gray or ambiguity here.

When Jesus said this to His disciples in the hours before He would be arrested and crucified, He was preparing them for the trouble that was on the horizon. He wanted them to have clarity about who He was and what He had come to do… pave the Way to our heavenly Father. Let’s break this verse down to learn more…

I AM… These words reflect the very name of God in Hebrew, Yahweh. (Exodus 3:14) Jesus is clearly using the name reserved for God Himself. He does this again and again, throughout the gospels. (Matthew 22:32, 28:20; John 18:4-6). He makes clear that He is God. One example is in a conversation with a group of Jewish leaders: 58 “Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!” John 8:58. Their reaction to this statement tells us they knew exactly what Jesus meant because they bent down to pick up stones to kill him - a Mosaic law penalty for blasphemy. But Jesus had not committed blasphemy because He was and is the second person of the Godhead, equal to the Father in every way.

The Way… Jesus used this definitive phrase to distinguish Himself as “the only way.”

When it comes to the way to the Father, there are not multiple ways. We can make a huge mistake, with eternal consequences when when we wrongly think that there are multiple ways to the Father. Peter reiterated this same truth years later to the rulers in Jerusalem when he said this about Jesus: 12 “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

The Truth… Jesus again uses a definitive statement to emphasize He is “the only truth.” There are some who say, “There is no absolute truth”, to which I would respond, “Are you absolutely sure?” To state that opens up a can of worms morally, economically and spiritually. Some with that mindset say, “What is true for you may not be true for me.” Then does that mean I can drive 95 mph because 65 mph is not “true” to me? What if I say 2 plus 2 is 5 to me? From a faith standpoint, with this mindset, there could be no “true” way to heaven because different religions have clearly opposing views. The truth is that disobeying laws will always be wrong, 2 plus 2 will always be 4, and Jesus will always be “the Way, the Truth and the Life.” (Romans 1:19-22; John 8:31b-32).

The Life… Jesus claimed to be the source of all life! (John 14:19) Jesus would provide the deliverance the Jews, His disciples, and we all needed… it would not be political or social, but a true deliverance from a life enslaved to sin that leads to death to a life of freedom for eternity in God’s heaven through Jesus Christ!

Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life. We can come to the Father through Him and Him alone. Do you believe? For much more, listen to I AM - Part 2 - The Way, the Truth, and the Life.