by Dr. Al Hearne II

An Introduction To This Year's Devotional Series

With this first devotion we are setting sail on a 52 week voyage, exploring 12 ports of call, with 4 or 5 shore excursions each to understand how daily living in God’s truth leads to eternal life based upon Jesus’ bold declaration in John 14:6,  “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

The Redwood Christian Schools Core Value being emphasized in this devotion is, “Establishing Christian Truth As A Guide For Life - Through the knowledge that all men are sinners and can have salvation only through personal faith in Jesus Christ as Savior.”

 

Shore Excursion 1

John 14:6,  "Jesus answered, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'"

In context, John 14:6 is a key verse in John’s Gospel, within what is often referred to as the Farewell Discourse of chapters 13-17. Jesus’ and his Disciples are gathered together, to eat the Last Supper, with Jesus teaching about humility, the commandment to love one another, his betrayal, salvation, the coming of the Holy Spirit, as well as his death and resurrection. Chapter 14 begins with Jesus comforting the Disciples who do not understand why Jesus is going to be leaving them.  They do not realize that the next day Jesus will be crucified and die on the cross, nor that he will be resurrected and return to the right hand of God. In John 14:1-4, Jesus explains that a future reunion will take place in his Fathers house.  In response Thomas says, “Lord, we do not know where you are going.  How can we know the way?” (John 14:5).  To which Jesus replies, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).

Jesus’ declaration in John 14:6 is a statement of fact.  It corresponds to reality.  It is not made up as evidenced by the facts of Jesus' resurrection, facts which cannot be disproven (McDowell & McDowell, 2017).  This is a foundational verse in God’s truth that refers to things the way that they are.

Of these four claims, the first, that Jesus is “the way” is often considered to be the most important because it points back to Thomas’ question in 14:5 and also directly foreshadows the last, “no one comes to the father except through me” (Beasley-Murray).  This does not mean that “the truth” and “the life” are unimportant, they further help to describe how Jesus is “the way” to God for salvation.  There is only one way to know God and that is to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and therefore all three terms have equal importance.  The remainder of this devotion will focus upon Jesus being “the truth.”

The testimony throughout Scripture is that Jesus is “the truth.”  Hebrews 1:3 declares that Jesus is the revelation of God’s divine nature, “He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.”  John 1:14 speaks of Jesus laying down his divine nature to become human, making God visible and accessible, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

In addition, the testimony of Scripture is that Jesus is the source of eternal life.  In John 3:16 Jesus promises eternal life to those who believe in him, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”  Likewise, Romans 5:10 explains that through Jesus’ death and resurrection a person can be reconciled to God, “For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.”

God’s truth is that Jesus is the only way to salvation; his death and resurrection provide the sacrifice necessary so that we can be forgiven of our sins and restored to a right relationship with God.  Jesus is the only way to God. 

Living God’s Truth requires us to pursue God through study of His word, spending time in prayer, and fellowship with other believers.  We should daily be engaged with the Bible so that we can grow in our understanding of God’s Truth.  This can be done through personal Bible study, participating in Bible study groups, and attending church.  Our study of God’s word leads to personal transformation where we begin to live out God’s values in our daily lives.

 

Reflective Practice

In what areas of your life do you find it challenging to live according to God’s truth?  How can you seek to align more closely with biblical principles in these areas?

How does understanding Jesus as “the way, the truth, and the life” influence your interactions with those who do not believe in Jesus?  How do you share this truth with those who do not believe?

 

References

McDowell, J. and McDowell, S. (2017). Evidence that demands a verdict: Life changing truth for a skeptical world. Thomas Nelson.

Beasley-Murray, G. (1999). John. Word Biblical Commentary. Zondervan.

[This image, Jesus is God’s Truth, was created by DALL·E.]