“I am the way, the truth, and the life...”
("No one cometh to the Father but by me" John 14:6)
This statement by our Lord, Jesus Christ, must be one of His most
memorable. Jesus, alone could make such a statement as this and
back it up. I had at times paraphrased the verse; I am the way to
God, the truth about God and the life in God, but I have found it does
not have the meaning Christ had behind these words. This verse has
come to mean even more upon closer study of the three words, “way,
truth, and life.” When we consider the first word and how many times
and ways it is used in the "Word," our understanding is challenged.
True, He is the way to God the Father. He is also the way in other
respects. First, we see the word “way” used to describe the life of a
Child of God or the church as a whole. Anyone who is “in the way,”
is living for Him. If one is to be successful in this life, there is one
“way,” and that way is Jesus Christ. To keep from being lost, one
must know the way, and that way is Jesus Christ. As we show one the
“way,” we are showing him Jesus Christ. The way is a route. It is
also the means of traveling along that route. Jesus Christ is not only
the route to the Father, he is also the means of getting from where you
are to the Father. In another respect, the way is a synonym of “how.”
How do we live the Christ life, or a Godly life except through the way,
Jesus Christ. He is also our how. It is impossible to live a Godly life
in the flesh, that is, in our own abilities. We must have the way, Jesus
Christ, living and active in us. It is He who gets things done. He uses
us as vessels. He is the power; the direction. (way) Without His pre-
sence in our lives, along the the way, we would be impotent working
our way to and for our Lord. He must also be acknowledged as Lord
of Life. We can only acknowledge Him to be Lord in the Power of the
Way; the Spirit of Jesus Christ.
The second element of the statement, “truth,” is remarkable as well.
We would not even know truth except for Him. Just as Jesus Christ is
love, He is also truth. This does not mean truth defines Christ, but it
means Christ defines truth as he does love, being the well spring. He
is indefinable, without limits, and cannot be contained. We, however;
are able to see much about His person, by studying the many words
it takes to describe the Word, Christ. Using truth to describe Christ,
we find He is the starting place for anyone interested in uncovering
truth. If one chooses to ignore Jesus Christ, he will never know truth
and can never be free. “You shall know the truth and the truth, Christ
shall set you free." Since nothing binds or restricts one as does a lie
or the inability to determine the truth of a matter, one believes a lie
concerning a matter, finds the solution to a problem relating to the mat-
ter is closed to him. When one refuses to accept truth, Jesus Christ,
all of life is a closed book. Our Lord is He who holds the world toge-
ther by the power of His word. (Thy word is truth) When He makes a
statement, it is true, since His saying it would make it true. There is
is another facet to His inability to lie. His essence (his being) keeps
him from doing so. Again, He is truth. When Jesus Christ made the
statement, “I am the way, the truth and the life,” He was not defining
himself. He was giving us insight into God and when we add to this
statement, the many other claims He made, we know enough about
God the father, to be able to relate to Him, but only through a belief in,
and reliance upon Jesus Christ, God the Son, and His finished work.
(He is not only the Way to God, He is also our mediator and interces-
sor with His Father.
(Virgin born of God, [His Son] Lived a sinless life, was Crucified, buried,
raised the third day, ascended to the Father, interceding on our behalf.)
The third part of our text, life, is also vital to us. In truth, we do not sepa-
rate the passage. We try to understanding it in small increments. Life
encompasses everything. Life was originally given when God breathed
the breath of life into Adam, the original created man, and this life was
passed to succeeding generations. It's true in a real sense; death reigned
over mankind from the time of the fall. Grace, another term applying to
our Lord Jesus Christ, was also extended to His creation in the form of
Divine Providence, withholding the final judicial sentence until the embo-
diment of God's Grace, Love and Mercy came to this earth to effect the
work that would offer redemption to mankind resulting in eternal life to
all who would receive HIM.
There is another aspect to this life in Christ. Life in Christ has beginning
as do all things having to do with mankind, but this life has no end. It is
eternal and could not be otherwise. Since Jesus Christ did this work of
grace at the behest of the Father, it could only be eternal. It is obvious;
this eternal life will not be withdrawn because of failure on the part of the
beneficiary, since it never depended upon the worthiness of same. The
worthiness and the work is wrapped up in Christ and He will perform it
until the Day of the Lord as in Philippians 1:6. We, God’s Children, have
the best of both worlds. In Romans 8 we find, “There is therefore now no
condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according
to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in
Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. For what
the law could not do in that it was weak, through the flesh, God did by sen-
ding His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin; He con-
demned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirements of Law might be
fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the
Spirit.” The Spirit giveth life...2 Corinthians 3:6,
1 Peter 3:18, Luke 12: 27 (KJV)
http://biblicalclarity-don.blogspot.com/2012/11/how-then-shall-i-live.html
don porter...11.25.12, edited 3.30.14
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