THE DOOR

For over three years, the disciples followed Jesus. They had seen His miracles, heard His teachings, and felt His abiding love ... yet they still didn’t understand how He was going to bring deliverance. The following verse is one of the last statements Christ made to them before His arrest. 

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

I AM – In the Greek language, 'I am' is an intense way of referring to oneself. It means, 'Only I am'. In Hebrew it is the name of God ... God said to Moses, “I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I Am has sent me to you.’” (Exodus 3:14) The Pharisees clearly understood Jesus was calling Himself God; they attempted to stone Him for blasphemy. When the soldiers came seeking Jesus the night before His crucifixion, He told them, 'I am he', and those words were so impactful that the men fell to the ground. The name, 'I AM' has power and authority ... and Jesus claimed it as His own.

THE WAY – Jesus is 'the only way'. The disciples had expressed their confusion about where He was going and how they could follow Him. It finally became clear when He appeared to them after His resurrection and the Holy Spirit was given. By faith, they now saw Christ as the 'door' through which they had access to the Father. The exclusive nature of the path to salvation is expressed in the words “I am the way.”

THE TRUTH – Jesus Is 'the only truth'. Psalm 119:142 says, 'Your law is truth'. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus reminded the crowd of several points in the Law, then said, 'But I say unto you', thus equating Himself with it; He was the authoritative standard of true righteousness. Christ came to 'fulfill the Law' (Matthew 5:17). He was the incarnate Word of God (John 1:1) ... and the Source of all Truth.

THE LIFE – Jesus had just told His disciples about His impending death, and now He was claiming to be the source of all life. He declared that He was going to lay down His life for His sheep and then take it up again. The only begotten Son of God spoke of His authority over life and death as being granted to Him by His Father. He gave the promise that 'because I live, you will live' (John 14:19). This wasn't the political and social deliverance that the Jewish nation expected from their Messiah ... but, instead, freedom from the bondage of sin and death. It represented salvation and eternal life.  

Jesus declared Himself to be The great 'I Am' ... The only path to heaven ... The only true measure of righteousness ... and The source of both physical and spiritual life. 

His statement represents the very essence of Christianity. The sufficiency of Christ is made evident and those who honor Him as Lord know Him to be all they need. Doctrines of men become objectionable stumbling blocks to true born-again believers.  

Genuine faith is a 'relationship' with Jesus, not a familial kinship with an organized 'religion'.