“Jesus replied, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” —John 14:6
In these verses we discover three glorious names which Jesus gives himself—He is the way, He is the truth, and He is the life. To be sure, He is the only way, the only truth, and the only life. Entirely exclusive, while all the while offering inclusivity, He offers the only way to all, the only truth to all, and the only life to all.
Jesus is the way: No one may come to the Father except through Him. He is not only the path, the journey, the manner of life or action we are to take, He is also the only door through which anyone may enter into the presence of the Father. Faith in Jesus is the key to heaven—it is also the key to the fullness of life in the here and now. The person that believes in the Lord is on the right road. Through His blood, we may draw close with boldness and have access with confidence into God’s presence.
Jesus is the truth: When we search for truth, we need to look no further than the truth that is in Jesus. He is absolute truth, ultimate truth, true truth. He satisfies every desire of the human mind. Being very God of very God, He is boundless and measureless in the depth of the riches of His wisdom and knowledge. He is truth, reality, and fact. Truth is not relative—truth is Jesus. We are to know Him, study Him, learn from Him, and follow Him. As his disciples, we are to bear His image. We grow in this process by studying and applying His Word to our lives and through prayer.
Jesus is the life: Those that believe in Jesus not only have eternal life, but also have access to the abundant life in the here and now as they walk in the power of the Spirit. Christ is the source of all life. Apart from Jesus, we can do nothing of eternal value because those works always lack life.
“I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me—and I in him—bears much fruit, because apart from me you can accomplish nothing.” —John 15:5
Become More
Jesus clearly says in our verse for today that He is the only means of entrance to the Father—shutting out all other ways of access to the Father. He stresses that, contrary to what many might believe, salvation is not obtainable through any other means. Only one way exists, and it is through the purifying and redeeming blood of the Lord Jesus.
“It avails nothing that a man is clever, learned, highly gifted, amiable, charitable, kind-hearted, and zealous about some sort of religion. All this will not save his soul if he does not draw near to God by Christ’s atonement, and make use of God’s own Son as his Mediator and Saviour. God is so holy that all men are guilty and debtors in His sight. Sin is so sinful that no mortal man can make satisfaction for it. There must be a mediator, a ransom-payer, a redeemer, between ourselves and God, or else we can never be saved. —John Charles Ryle
Further Reflection
Therefore Jesus said again, “I tell you the truth, I am the door for the sheep. All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the door. If anyone enters through me, he will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture.” —John 10:7–9