Bible Studies

---

John 14:4-6 – “You know the way to the place where I am going.” Thomas said, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way to get there?” Jesus answered, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.”

Thesaurus Fun:

Way – means, approach, manner, route, road, path, door, gate, access

Except – apart from, excluding, not including, aside from

The Way

On our own, we cannot come to God - He is holy and pure, we are fallen and sinful and are His enemies (Romans 5:10). But in His love, God made a way for us, that way is Jesus. As John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whoever would believe in Him may not die but have eternal life.” With His death on the cross, Jesus took our sin and gave us His righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21). Forgiveness of our sins by Christ’s atoning work on the cross is the only way in which we can be reconciled to God, have fellowship with Him, and enter His heaven. Any other “way” is man’s attempt to “try harder” or “be better.” These are all part of the “broad road” leading to destruction (Matthew 7:13). For Jesus said, “small is the gate and narrow is the way that leads to life and few there be that find it. (Matthew 7:14)”. But God has said that “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved (Acts 2:21)”. Therefore, to all who would call on His name, to all who would trust and rely on Jesus as our only way to God, to those He gives the right to be called the children of God (John 1:12).

In the ancient temple in Jerusalem, there was a veil or curtain that separated the “holy place” in the temple from the “most holy place” or “holy of holies” (Exodus 26:33). The “holy of holies” was where the immediate presence of God dwelled and no one was allowed to enter that place except once a year and that was the high priest who came with “blood that was not his own (Hebrews 9:25)” as a sacrifice for his sins and the sins of the people (Hebrews 5:3). But Jesus entered the “most holy place” in heaven - of which the temple on earth was only a shadow (Hebrews 8:5) – to make atone for us once for all by His own blood (Hebrews 9:12, 1 Peter 1:19). With Christ’s death, the curtain in the holy of holies was torn (Matthew 27:50-51, Mark 15:37-39), symbolizing the great truth that we can now come directly to God and “approach the throne of grace with confidence (Hebrews 4:16)”. We are now pure, holy, and blameless (Ephesians 1:4, Ephesians 5:27, Colossians 1:22) – we are now God’s own children and He loves us (John 16:26-28). Through Christ’s blood, we are able to come to God and through Jesus’ life He lived among us on this earth, we are able to know God as He truly is. In Jesus, we see God more clearly than ever – for Jesus is “the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being” (Hebrews 1:3), and “Immanuel, God with us” (Matthew 1:23).

Jesus also called Himself “the gate” or “door” (John 10:7). The point here is essentially the same; He is our access to God, there is no other. Anyone else who claims to have some other “way” to God is “a thief and a liar” who only “comes to steal, kill, and destroy” but through Jesus we have “life in all its fullness” (John 10:10) – for through Him we find the deepest expression of God’s love, mercy, and grace. Jesus Christ is the exact image of God (2 Cor. 4:4, Col. 1:15), the express representation of His person (Hebrews 1:3), and it is through Jesus, the Son, that the Father chooses to reveal Himself to us (John 14:9)- and it is only through Jesus the Christ that we can enter into a restored relationship with God. When a room has only one door, you must go through it to enter - any other door only leads you elsewhere.

Point to Ponder

Have you entered the “narrow gate” that leads to life? Or are you still on the “broad road” that leads to destruction? Have you accepted and relied on the blood of Jesus to wash away your sins or do you think that you can do enough good to get there on your own? Remember; God’s word says, “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God… (Romans 3:23)” and “there is no one righteous, not even one… (Romans 3:10)” and “no one will be justified by the law (Galatians 2:16, Galatians 3:11)” and “for the wages of sin is death…” but “…the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:23)” and “for it is by grace you have been saved through faith… not by works so that no one can boast (Ephesians 2:8-9)” and “…so that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life (John 3:16)”.

John 14:6 (paraphrase) - Jesus answered, “I am the way (the means, the route, the access), the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me - apart from, aside from, or excluding me.”

If you are ready to accept the true and only way then let’s pray, “Oh, God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ, thank You for sending Your Son to us – He who not only made a way, but who is our way (John 14:4-6). Thank You for revealing Yourself to us that we may know who You are. Jesus, our high priest and our access to God, thank You for dying in our place. You have purchased us (Eph. 1:14, Col. 1:14, Rev. 5:9) for the Father by offering Your own blood (Eph. 1:7, Romans 3:25, Eph. 2:13, Heb. 9:12-14) to atone for our sins once for all (Romans 6:10, Heb. 7:27, Heb. 9:26, 1 Peter 3:18). All our hope is in You, Jesus. We count on You alone to be our way, forsaking all our own vain attempts to earn the salvation You so freely give. Right now, we receive Your abundant grace (Romans 5:17) and Your salvation. Forgive us of all our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). We receive you right now as our Lord and Savior, our God and King. May we praise You every day of our lives for all that You have done and are doing and will do – in us, through us, and for us. May we ever rejoice in the God of our salvation. Amen!”

See these songs: Who Will Save Me, Won’t You let Me in*, So Like You

---

PLEASE ENCOURAGE AUTHOR BELOW LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE