John 14:1-6, Jesus the Only Way to the Father.
- “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. “In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. “If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also. “And you know the way where I am going.” Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.
- Jesus’ words, I am the Way and the Truth and the Life, are the sixth of Jesus’ seven “I am” statements in the Gospel of John (6:48; 8:12; 10:9, 11; 11:25; 14:6; 15:1). Jesus is the “Way” because He is the “Truth” and the “Life.” As the Father is Truth and Life, Jesus is the embodiment of God so people can come to the Father (cf. 1:4, 14, 18; 11:25). By His words, No one comes to the Father except through Me, Jesus stressed that salvation, contrary to what many people think, is not obtainable through many ways. Only one Way exists (cf. Acts 4:12; 1 Tim. 2:5). Jesus is the only access to the Father because He is the only One from the Father (cf. John 1:1–2, 51; 3:13).
- Do we obey and trust God and scripture or the world? When we willing sin, we disobey and, in some cases, believe we know better that Almighty God. We are essentially thumbing our noses metaphorically at the creator of the universe. This shows disrespect, contempt and defiance, therefore when we accept this as being Christian, we weaken the true meaning of obedience and righteousness when it comes to salvation and the message of the cross. Romans 6:23 states “The wages of sin is death”. Jesus died and rose from the dead as our sin debt. Yet, many fair-weather Christians will follow the word of the popular politician, celebrity, pastor, teacher and any other entity they view righteous rather that follow the word of God. Some are consumed with a political election rather than being the elect.
- The bible states were to judge righteously, for God knows the inward heart and judges not the outward appearance. People may appear to be Christian before man, but many times man can be deceiving. But the day we take our last breath of life on earth, we come before the lamb of God. Matthew 7:13-14 emphasizes the road to salvation or destruction. Many are on the road, but few find or follow the correct path to heaven's gates.
- We are either Christian or something else. We follow, obey and have faith in Christ or sometime else. We are in the light or darkness just as we are either alive or dead. Alive by God's saving grace and mercy with the gift of salvation or dead in our sins. True believers are described in Matt 7:15-23. Many claim they know Christ and even perform good works and religious acts in his name. Jesus separates those who actually do God’s will from those who merely profess faith, declaring to the latter, “I never knew you; depart from me, you who practice lawlessness” (Matt 7:15–23). The one who practices righteousness demonstrates true faith, while anyone who doesn’t practice righteousness reveals they’re not of God (1 John 3:7–10).
Edwin A. Blum, “John,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 322.