Onomaticon: The Way, The Truth, The Life, and The Door
The Way, the Truth, and the Life
“Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’ ” – John 14:6
Many people read this scripture and think that Jesus is a way, a prophet: just a good teacher with a nice message. But according to Jesus’ own words, they are wrong! Jesus is the way. There are no other ways that work. You cannot pick and choose religions or ways to heaven based on what feels good or fits your life style.
Jesus is the truth. Dictionary.com defines truth as “the true or actual state of a matter, conformity with fact or reality.” Truth is not subjective; truth is imperative. Truth never changes. It is true irrespective whether we like it or believe it.
Jesus is also the life. He created life, gave us life, and He is the very definition of life. Without Him, we stumble through existence searching for whatever can fill the emptiness in our lives. There is a missing piece to our souls: the Life. We can never be complete without him.
He is not a way, not an alternative, not an option. He is our single hope. Jesus is the only means to life and freedom, and the only way that leads away from death and hell.
The Door
“I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.” – John 10:9
“I am the door.” What a strange way to describe yourself! What would make Jesus associate himself with a door? Surely the creator of all matter could depict himself in a more elegant way. What could be more commonplace than a humble door? Every room has one, whether it’s a tree house or the White House. We are surrounded by doors which no one pays very much attention to. It doesn’t matter if it is made of wood or glass or metal, a door is never anything special.
Given the mundane connotations, why would God call himself “the door”? A door has no purpose without something behind it. If we go through Jesus Christ our Door, what is on the other side? Salvation! Just as Jesus is the only way, truth and life, He is the only door that leads to salvation. Outside of his pasture, we are utterly lost. Our Door is anything but mundane.
Good preaching!
You said it clearly and from enough angles that you closed any loopholes that might arise in counter-arguments.
“He is our single hope.”