John 14
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” John 14:6 NKJV
In this very important scripture, Jesus describes Himself as three things:
1. Jesus is The Way. This is applicable to our lives in two ways. First, Jesus shows us the way to live our lives. He is a perfect example for us, which is clearly outlined in the Bible. It seems so simple to just submit our lives to Him and follow His ways for every situation in life. We even know that doing so will lead to an abundantly blessed life, both on Earth and in Heaven. So why can’t we seem to follow Him consistently? Unfortunately we live in a fallen world, where sin, fleshly desires, and temptation abound. All of these forces work together to lead us away from following the path of righteousness. This is where knowing God’s Word and constantly seeking His guidance become invaluable tools needed to allow Jesus to be “The Way” in our lives. Second, following Him is THE only way a person can get to God. Contrary to some other belief systems, the Bible is very clear that there are not multiple paths that lead to God. Jesus is it, and is all we need! If God had offered many different paths to get to Him, Jesus would not have had to suffer and die on the cross to provide a way for us. Many people get upset by this truth and claim that having only one way is too narrow. In reality, “The Way” is very inclusive: it is available to absolutely everyone! “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9).
2. Jesus is The Truth. God’s Word (The Bible) is also referred to as The Truth. “All Your words are true; all Your righteous laws are eternal” (Psalm 119:160). Jesus came to Earth to fulfill all of the words of the Bible and establish their validity. He said “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them” (Matthew 5:17). Jesus is the source of all truth, which is revealed to us in the pages of our Bibles.
3. Jesus is The Life. Since He is one with God, He is the Creator: “…He Himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else” (Acts 17:25). He is the only source of life. He joins His life with ours through the Holy Spirit, which enables us to have eternal life. Praise God that He provided a Way for us to know Him, that there is Truth in His Word that never fails, and that there is a source of abundant, eternal Life for each of us! Hallelujah!
““If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.” John 14:15-18, 26 NKJV Because Jesus could not stay on Earth, He sent the Holy Spirit to dwell inside of those who love Him and obey His commands. This is another amazing free gift from God that is able to be received the moment a person becomes a believer in Christ Jesus: “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit” (Ephesians 1:13). Thank God for this incredible blessing! The Holy Spirit has multiple, invaluable roles in our lives. He is a comforter, counselor, and teacher. As our teacher, the Holy Spirit is the One responsible for giving us “ears to hear” and understand spiritual truths. For example, it is easy for us to truly believe that Jesus is the Son of God because the Holy Spirit has opened our eyes and our hearts to this truth. However, this same truth will be impossible to accept for non-believers because they do not have the Holy Spirit to help them with understanding things of a spiritual nature. The Holy Spirit also acts as a moral compass or spiritual guide for us. If we are doing something that is against God’s will, the Holy Spirit may make us feel uneasy, guilty or even tormented by it until we stop. Similarly, if we are reluctant to act upon the promptings of the Spirit, we will likely be unable to stop thinking about it until we are obedient and do what He is asking us to do. The Holy Spirit also acts as an advocate for us. An advocate is defined as “a person who argues for the cause of another person in a court of law” – Merriam-Webster dictionary. Romans 8:26-27 tells us: “ In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.” Another amazing role of the Holy Spirit is that He gives each of us certain spiritual gifts to use for God’s glory (See 1 Corinthians 12:4-11). When we allow the Holy Spirit to lead us in life, there are amazing, life-changing benefits for us: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23).
Thank you Lord for such an indescribable gift!