The breath of God in man is forever urging the soul to connect to God and even those steeped in sin and evil desire this. Everyone wants to follow the best and clear directions to God that are true and that are lasting. Lord Jesus Himself fulfills all three aspects of our search. The system of baptism in the name of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit is to lead a believer into a life lived in nature, power and close relationship with God. Our assigned task of reaching out with the message of the Gospel is a precursor to that life by introducing the listener or new believer into the same path for the right way to life is in Him and He alone is True. The resurrection into a new life after physical death or during life on earth is received through faith in redemption made available by God through His Son.
Meaning of Way, Truth and the Life – Moses sought God’s direction, ‘show me Your way, that I may know You and that I may find grace in Your sight’ (Exodus 33:13). King Solomon started off with a great and close relationship with God but in later years he erred from the way to say, ‘There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death’ (Proverbs 14:12). Moses led his people out from their slavery to the Egyptians but despite God providing them His Word, the Torah, they went astray and suffered. Solomon was led into worship of other gods of the nations by his many wives whom he married for building good relations with others but lost his relationship with God. Prophet Isaiah had witnessed the glory of the LORD in the Temple of God and was sent by God with the message, ‘Go and tell this people: Keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on hearing but do not perceive’ (Isaiah 6:9). The reason for this is clear for ‘All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way’ (Isaiah 53:6).
The Old Testament ended with a positive promise of the LORD God, ‘to you who fear My name the Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings’ (Malachi 4:2). This healing is about spiritual reconciliation with God as well as physical healing from disease and death caused due to sin. Lord Jesus is that Sun of Righteousness who as Lamb of God provides the Door and then becomes the Way to God. All faiths tend to show the door to God but then each leaves man to walk further on his own while overcoming their natural tendency to sin. Lord Jesus first takes all who believe in Him to be part of His family thus reestablishing the old broken relationship with God. He provides guidance to lead us on the right path as a Good Shepherd and then is Himself the way that and the ladder we use to reach God.
‘The ways of the LORD are right’ and Lord Jesus being the Son of God is that ‘Right Way’ (Hosea 14:9). He is not the way without destination that others reveal, a way of several births to try and set things right with God somehow and in some way not known. He appears as ‘the Light’ that opened the way for the earth to obtain shape and form and be productive in partnership with God (Genesis 1:3-4). Those who follow Him are called to walk ‘with all lowliness and gentleness, with long suffering, bearing with one another in peace’ and thus be a blessing for others (Ephesians 4-1-3). A follower of Lord Jesus knows the truth for He is the truth and then ‘the truth shall make you free’ from the lies of the devil and one can then walk worthy of his calling as a human being (John 8:31-32). Professor Abraham Joshua Herschel, who escaped Warsaw a few weeks before Germany occupied it, has said, ‘If man is not more than human, then he is less than human’. Either we rise up to a place higher and beyond ourselves or we fall to a place below ourselves and fall into the control of the devil to do his works. Lord Jesus helps us rise above our own potential to be useful for the kingdom of God and for all of mankind.
Lord Jesus has identified the Holy Spirit as ‘the Spirit of truth’ and every follower of the Lord receives this ‘Source of truth’ within himself to remain free by comparing the lies of the devil in the light of this Truth of God’s Word (John 15:26). Life is with and in God for separation is death. Prophet Isaiah’s prophetic message is declared before King Ahaz of the Northern kingdom of ten tribes but is addressed to the ‘house of David’ which is Judah (Isaiah 7:13-14). The declaration of Immanuel being born of a virgin is about ‘God with us’, which cannot apply to a man but to God only. Lord Jesus is God with us in His incarnation, His influences through the Holy Spirit, in the Holy Communion, in His Word and in prayer of two or three in His name. He is with us to comfort, enlighten, protect and defend us in temptation, trial and physical death to take us to His home in heaven. There is no one else ever born of a woman who can claim and fulfill all these truths except the Son of God, our Savior Lord.
Uniqueness of this Way – Right from the time of creation man has tried to define truth as per his own interpretation to suit his desires. For the snake God’s word about immediate death on eating the Forbidden Fruit was wrong for God created everything and put the desire to eat the fruit and this distorted truth was closer and better (Genesis 3:4). Pontius Pilate asked Lord Jesus, ‘What is Truth? (John 18:38). For him the truth was his wife’s message about suffering ‘many things today in a dream because of Him (Lord Jesus)( Matthew 27:19). Herod longed to see the Lord for a long time for ‘he had heard many things about Him, and he hoped to see some miracle done by Him’ (Luke 23:8). Herod, like many others even today, looked toward the Truth for some miracle only, for what He could do rather than who He was and is. Herod received no answer from the Lord and Pilate washed his hands off the whole matter declaring to the Jewish elders and the crowds, ‘I am innocent of the blood of this just Person. You see to it’ (Matthew 27:24).
For the Chief Priests only the Temple was the truth and not the God they were to worship. During the Passover festival legend had it that up to one million animals were sacrificed in the Temple. The Chief Priest was involved in the rearing of sheep, the skins of the sacrificed animals were given to the priests and a certain portion of the sacrifice was also given to them. They decided to kill Lazarus also because due to his being miraculously raised from the dead, many Jews followed Lord Jesus (John 12:10-11). The Scripture is clear that those who love the world or the things of the world, ‘the love of the Father is not in him’ (1 John 2:15-16).
Mary the mother of the Lord was told by angel Gabriel that her Son ‘will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the LORD God will give Him the throne of His father David’ (Luke 1:32). She was also well aware of Simeon’s prophecy that ‘this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel’ and also that ‘a sword will pierce through your own soul also’ (Luke 2:34-35). This was her truth which did come true.
The disciples were all commanded by the Lord to follow Him and they did, though for different reasons, Judas Iscariot for money and some to be great. Lord Jesus was almost stoned by the Jews earlier and He left Jerusalem but on His plan to return to Bethany to raise Lazarus, Thomas called out to the other disciples, ‘Let us also go, that we may die with Him’ (John 11:16). This was His truth.
Apostle Paul, a renowned scholar of the Scripture, considered all his knowledge and wisdom as loss or rubbish for ‘the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord’ (Philippians 3:8). This was his truth and he travelled everywhere, suffered acute persecution for proclamation of this.
The Jews tried to stone Lord Jesus and He questioned them for this saying, ‘If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father us in Me, and I in Him’ (John 10:37-38). Lord Jesus declared to Thomas, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me’ (John 14:6). Jacob saw in a dream the ladder reaching from the earth up to heaven and the LORD stood above it, with ‘the angels ascending and descending on it’ (Genesis 28:12). First going up to God with our prayers and returning with the answers, thus the ladder becoming the link between God, the Father, and His people. Lord Jesus told Nathanael, to set aside his doubts, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man’ (John 1:51). This is the real truth that He is the Savior who pulls us out of the mire of sin through forgiveness and provides us access and reconciliation with God in heaven.
‘The unclean spirits (demons), whenever they saw Him (Lord Jesus), fell down before Him and cried out, saying, ‘You are the Son of God’ (Mark 3:11). Satan and the evil spirits are well aware of the truth and follow His commands as well as commands given in His authority and name.
How do we witness this truth before others? – Before anyone listens to the truth, he must be confronted with the lies that he has been fed. The common lie is that God is a loving God and will eventually forgive everyone or I must do good to others and this will get me into heaven. They must know the fact that a person is born with a sinful nature and does not need to be taught to sin and in this state his mind, will; feelings and desires all are affected. A man cannot, on his own, seek God for his mind opposes this thought itself. Apostle Paul has explained the truth as the death, burial and resurrection of Lord Jesus on our behalf and in His death our old sinful died and was buried with Him (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). In His resurrection we rise to a new life with a new relationship with God as His children. Receiving the true benefits of this truth is not in us but by the grace and mercy of a loving God and not through any of our good deeds (Ephesians 2:8-9). This is what the truth in our Lord is and this is what we declare.
Separate identity of followers of Truth – Moses told the Israelites, ‘Behold, I set before you today a blessing and a curse’ (Deuteronomy 11:26). The message of the crucifiction of Lord Jesus is a stumbling block to the Jews (1 Corinthians 1:23-24) for death for the one who hangs is considered to be under a curse from God (Deuteronomy 21:23). And it is foolishness to the Greeks who perceived this as a sign of weakness of the Lord to suffer in such a manner. But to a believer crucifiction and resurrection of the Son of God is power and wisdom of God to defeat the devil. This faith itself is different for we live not in our strength but in the power and guidance of God the Holy Spirit who dwells in us.
Apostle James challenges others to show their faith without their works for they believe that they will earn salvation by what they did (James 2:18). On the other hand our works represent our faith that salvation is already received by grace and these works express God’s love to others through us. Good deeds are not the means of salvation but the proof of that (Ephesians 2:10).
We do not fear the devil who can only afflict the body but we revere God who is Sovereign over body and soul (Matthew 10:28). Lord Jesus has given a believer ‘authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy’ but our joy is not in having authority over evil spirits but in the fact that our ‘names are written in heaven’ (Luke 10:19-20). This assures us of our close relationship with God. The seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish Chief Priest, at Corinth tried to use Lord Jesus’ name as a mantra to cast out demons from a man possessed (Acts 19:14-16). The demons could recognize their fake identity and attacked them and forced them to run away ‘naked and wounded’.
Lord Jesus was seen by Apostle John in his vision and ‘out of His mouth went a two edged sword’ (Revelation 1:16). One edge of the sword has been used in His first coming as Son of Man to bless mankind. In His second coming He will come to judge the world and the second edge will be used to condemn the world for their sins while believers will be forever blessed.
God has never revoked the free will given to man and in His Son also all have the option to choose Him as their Savior and walk in His truth and be free from sin and receive eternal life in His presence or suffer damnation in hell. In our life God gives innumerable chances to repent and turn to Him but there is no chance after this life ends. We must make the right choice and if you need any clarification do call us and we are ready to help.
In this world there are many ways claiming to lead one to heaven and all proclaim their being the truth. But Lord Jesus is the True Way for the One who came from heaven is the only one who can lead us back to His house. In Him not only do we walk in victory over evil and painful trials and tribulations, but also become a blessing for many others. The eternal life with Him is assured and we are daily being prepared for that under the power and guidance of the indwelling Holy Spirit. God has given each one of us to choose and the choice is clear and simple – curse or a blessing!
