True Stories - The Way, the Truth, the Life: Part 1

Aug. 14, 2006

The Way, the Truth, the Life: Part 1

Posted in The Way, the Truth and the Life

John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

What a controversial statement Jesus made. I know of so many people who stumble over this verse. They like what Jesus is doing, what He has to say, the love He shows, but want to choose their own way to the Father, or rather a universal god. Why must there be a condition put on their belief in God?

Below are the definitions of "way" from Strong's Concordance & Noah Webster's 1828 Dictionary, respectively.

Way:

Apparently a primary word; a road; by implication a progress (the route, act or distance); figuratively a mode or means: - journey, (high-) way.

Literally, a passing; hence, a passage; the place of passing; hence, a road of any kind; a highway; a private road; a lane; a street; any place for the passing of men; cattle or other animals; a word of very comprehensive signification.

These definitions immediately make me think of The Pilgrim's Progress, a must read.

But beyond that, by looking at Jesus' life and the things He did, choices He made, it is so easy to determine that the Way is one of self sacrifice, servanthood, submission to the Father, humility. No wonder the Way seems so wrong to nonbelievers, and can be so difficult for believers. It is the exact opposite of our human nature. To go His Way, we must die to self, daily. The moment our self will directs our path, we are off the highWay of Christ. So in essence, the moment we choose our own way rather than following Christ, The Way, we are on a path that leads away from God.

We must always be careful that the Way we follow does not become merely the things we do. Outwardly serving and sacrificing without submitting and seeking the Father's will and plan are meaningless works. We labor in vain in hope of a prize. The Way is not what we do, but Christ Himself. Christ, theWay, will lead us on His path of service to the glory of the Father.

Please share your insights and experiences on this verse. I will be discussing in depth the Truth and the Life in following blog entries, plus some other thoughts on this verse that God has given me.

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Aug. 15, 2006 - Untitled Comment

Posted by AcceptanceWithJoy

Now you will know how goofy I am. I did a word study from this verse several years ago and decided I wanted to have three daughters and name them Hodos (way), Aletheia (truth) and Zoe (life). My mom would probably tell you that this is why God chose to bless me through adoption rather than giving me the power to name anyone by myself.

I do believe this verse describes how we are to conduct ourselves, how we are to think, feel and decide. When I did this word study, my favorite verse with the word hodos in it was from Luke 3. "As it is written in the book of the words of Esaias the prophet, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth; And all flesh shall see the salvation of God."

It is a lie from Satan that submission will be hard. The rough ways are smooth.

Hope all is going well! Blessings ~

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Aug. 15, 2006 - That will be very interesting...

Posted by mamma1420

Amanda, do you mind posting what you're using for homeschool? I really enjoyed reading your post about Jesus being the way. I tend to feel at times that I allow "my" way to dictate too often my path instead of doing what the Lord would have me do. It's not always easy to submit to the Lord and allow Him to lead. Thank you for your encouraging words about being a pastor's wife, I do pray for our congregations.

God Bless you,
Jessica

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