I Am the Way the Truth and the Life Meaning (KJV)

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

Many people think of Jesus as a wise teacher, a prophet, an enlightened being, or a revolutionary leader. Even unbelievers don’t have a problem with that. The issue begins when Christians claim that Jesus is God. Skeptics say that Jesus never claimed divinity for Himself. However, when Jesus affirmed that He is the way, the truth and the life, He said something about Himself that can only be true if He is indeed the Son of God.

So, let’s take a deeper look at the statement He made to the disciples in John 14:6, just a few hours before He got arrested, tortured, and crucified.

#1 Jesus Is the Way

In one sentence, Jesus gave us crucial and profound information about Himself. He started by affirming He is the way. He implied that there is only one way, and He is it. But what does He mean?

When Jesus said that, He knew what would happen to Him in just a few hours. He didn’t want his disciples to be troubled (John 14:1,27) or sorrowful (John 16:6,20-22). So, he was preparing them for the upcoming events.

He was talking about what was going to happen after His death. He said that He was going to the Father to prepare a place for them in God’s house, and He would be back to take them there (John 14:2-3). Then He said that “where I go you know, and the way you know” (John 14:4 NKJV). Thomas was intrigued and asked, “how can we know the way?” (John 14:5 NKJV). Verse 6 is the response to that question: He is the way.

People may say that there are many ways to God, but that’s not what Jesus said. Not at all. Jesus clearly stated that He is the only way to the Father’s presence.

#2 Jesus Is the Truth

In the same response, Jesus also affirmed that He is the truth. Not a truth, not one of the truths. He is the only truth.

Later in the same speech, Jesus prayed to the Father and said that “thy word is truth” (John 17:17 KJV). So, Jesus said that He is the truth, and the Word of the Father is truth. How are Jesus and the Word of the Father related?

The apostle John explained it to us when he wrote about the personified Word of God. First, he wrote that the Word was God, and was with God before the beginning (John 1:1-3). He also wrote that “the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us” (John 1:14 KJV), referring to Jesus. John also says that Jesus, who is “the only begotten Son” (John 1:18 KJV), is the only one who has seen the Father, and “who is himself God” (John 1:18 NKJV). Jesus is the one that “has made him known” (John 1:18 NKJV).

In other words, Jesus is the incarnated Word of God. He is the Son of God who reveals the Father to humankind (John 14:8-11). We can only know God through His Word, through Jesus. So, He is the only one that reveals the Father.

#3 Jesus Is the Life

Jesus also said that He is the life. To understand that, we first need to understand the biblical concept of “life.” It doesn’t mean just having a living body, breathing and having a beating heart. Paul wrote that, before we were saved, we were “dead in trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1 KJV). A person might be breathing and walking around but, if they are not saved, they are spiritually dead.

It was God, because of His great love, who “made us alive together with Christ” (Ephesians 2:5 NKJV). Jesus is the one who gives us life! True life begins when we are saved from our trespasses and sins by God’s grace through faith in Jesus (Ephesians 2:8). That is what the Bible also refers to as “eternal life” (1 John 5:13).

Jesus not only made us alive, but He also enabled us to enjoy the true life, that is, life with God (1 John 5:11-12). So, He is the only one who can give us life with the Father.

#4 Jesus Is the Only Mediator Between Us and the Father

At the end of His statement in John 14:6, Jesus said that “no one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6 NKJV). Note that Jesus didn’t say that no one goes to the Father, He said that no one comes to the Father. So, He is with the Father. That’s why He is the only one that can connect us to Him.

The Bible teaches us that there is no salvation apart from Jesus (Acts 4:12). Paul states that “there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5-6 KJV). There may be many idols and people who claim to be mediators between humankind and God. But Jesus is the only one who can truly do it.

Conclusion

There is no way to God except through Jesus. There is no truth except Jesus. There is no real life, apart from Jesus. There is no mediator between us and the Father, except Jesus. He gave His life to pay for your sins. No ordinary man could ever do what Jesus did. He is the Son of God. He is God incarnate. He provided everything you need to have a relationship with the Father through Him.