by Whitney V. Myers

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me" (John 14:6).

This article is the fifth and final article in the series on the topic, “About the Way.”

     Consider.  The eternal Jesus Christ is the road, the path, the journey to the Father, and to the Father's dwelling place, heaven.  

Immediately before Jesus said "I am the way" (John 14:6), Jesus told his disciples, "In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you" (John 14:2).

     Jesus is eternal.  Jesus Christ is the same "I AM" that appeared to Moses in the burning bush (John 8:58; Exodus 3:6; Exodus 3:14). 

"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever" (Hebrews 13:8).

     Jesus is the way.  Jesus invites us to follow him to the destination.  Jesus is the road, and the journey to the destination. 

The Greek word for "follow" is akoloutheó.  Akoloutheó means to be in the same way with, that is, to accompany as a disciple (Ref. 1).

The rich young ruler asked Jesus what he could do to inherit eternal life (Mark 10:17).  Mark 10:21 describes Jesus' invitation to the young man to follow Jesus.  "Looking at him, Jesus felt a love for him and said to him, 'One thing you lack: go and sell all you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.' "  The young man refused Jesus' invitation to accompany Jesus as a disciple.  Mark tells us the young man "was saddened, and he went away grieving" (Mark 10:22).

     Jesus Christ is the only way to the Father, to the Father's dwelling place, heaven.  Jesus is the only way to the Father because only Jesus has paid the penalty for our sin. 

"Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, ... let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water" (Hebrews 10:19-20, 22).

"But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8).

"Unless you believe that I AM, you’ll die in your sins” (John 8:24).

Our Response to Jesus

What is your response to Jesus?  Jesus said, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me" (John 14:6).  Are you ready to believe in him?  Are you willing to follow Jesus to our heavenly destination?

If you do not already trust in Jesus, then I encourage you to pray through these steps in your own words.

     Believe in Jesus.  

• Confess your sins to Jesus.  Thank Jesus for forgiving your sins (1 John 1:9). 
  
• Put your trust in Jesus.  Believe that Jesus is the Son of God (John 3:16).  Believe that God raised Jesus from the dead (Romans 10:9; 1 Corinthians 15:3-8). 
  
  

     Follow Jesus.

• Ask Jesus to teach you, to lead you, and to help you follow him faithfully each day.
  
  

     "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls" (Matthew 11:29).

     "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me" (John 10:27).

     "Teach me your ways, O Lord; make them known to me.  Teach me to live according to your truth, for you are my God, who saves me.  I always trust in you" (Psalm 25:4-5).

Now that you have put your trust in Jesus, I encourage you to:

• Read your Bible daily to learn more about God.  You may want to start by reading one of the gospel accounts such as Mark or John.  The Holy Spirit will teach you as you read the Scriptures (John 16:13).
  
  
• Seek out a local body of believers where you can worship, fellowship, and learn by receiving good teaching about God's inspired word, the Bible.  Some churches may offer a special teaching class for new believers.
  
  

Reference
1.  http://biblehub.com/greek/190.htm

To learn more about the following topics, please visit the About the Way page or the previous posts with dates noted:

• The Remedy for a Troubled Heart (April 22, 2018)
• Who is Jesus?  (May 6, 2018)
  
• The Way of the Lord (Old Testament)  (May 20, 2018)
• What Does “The Way" Mean in the New Testament?  (June 3, 2018)
• Why is Jesus the Only Way to Heaven?
• Are You Ready to Believe in Jesus?
  

By Whitney V. Myers

This article is the fourth in a series on the topic, “About the Way.”

     Consider.  In the Old Testament, the scriptures describe God’s way as keeping God’s commandments (Deuteronomy 5:33; Deuteronomy 5:1-21; Deuteronomy 8:6;  Psalm 119:1-3.

The New Testament builds upon the description of God’s Way in the Old Testament.  In the New Testament, the main Greek word for "way" is hodos (Ref. 1).  The following paragraphs describe the meaning of "way" (hodos) in the New Testament.

    A “way” is a traveled road.  Matthew 2:12; Acts 8:26; Acts 26:13.  In Matthew 7:13-14 Jesus taught a challenging truth.  The way (road) that leads to life is narrow, and there are few who find it.  The Greek word for life in this verse is zoe, which means the blessing of real life after the resurrection (John 11:25, Ref. 2). 

     A “way” is a journey.  In Acts 8:39, the Ethiopian eunuch went on his way rejoicing after Philip led him to believe in Jesus Christ as the Son of God (Acts 8:30-37).

     A "way" is a manner of thinking, feeling, or deciding.  Acts 18:24-25 describe the teaching and speaking ministry of Apollos, who was instructed in the way of the Lord, though he knew only the baptism of John.  Acts 18:26 tells us, "He began to speak boldly in the synagogue, but when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately." (italics added)

In Acts 16:16-18, Paul and Silas were near Philippi when they encountered a slave girl who had a spirit of divination.  Acts 16:17 tells us the slave girl's remarkable statement.  "She followed Paul and us, crying out, 'These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to you the way of salvation.' ” (italics added) 

     The name for Christianity in the early church.  Many believers today may not know that in the Book of Acts "The Way" was the most widely known name for the early Christian church.  The first use in Acts of the name, "The Way," occurs in Acts 9:1-2.  "Now Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest, and asked for letters from him to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, both men and women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem."

Acts 19:8-9 describe how the Apostle Paul in Ephesus moved the disciples to another location when "hardened and disobedient" people spoke evil about the Way.  Acts 19:23 says "About that time there occurred no small disturbance concerning the Way."  The disturbance about the Way led to the near-riot in Ephesus described in Acts 19:23-41. 

Later, when Paul was brought under Roman custody to Caesarea, he testified before Felix, the governor.  When Paul was given the opportunity to speak at the hearing, he said, "This I admit to you, that according to the Way which they call a sect I do serve the God of our fathers, believing everything that is in accordance with the Law and that is written in the Prophets" (Acts 24:14).

In comparison to "The Way," which is mentioned several times in Acts, the term, "Christian" is mentioned only three times in the entire New Testament (Acts 11:26; Acts 26:28; 1 Peter 4:16).

     Apply.  Are you living on the narrow path that leads to real life beyond the resurrection?  Do you trust in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior?

References
1.  http://biblehub.com/greek/3598.htm
2.  http://biblehub.com/greek/2222.htm