What Does "The Way" Mean in the New Testament?

6/3/2018

By Whitney V. Myers

Gettysburg National Military Park Path with Matthew 7:13-14 - Photo by Whitney V. Myers

"Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it" (Matthew 7:13-14).

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

Consider. In the Old Testament, the scriptures describe "walking in God's way" as keeping God’s commandments (Deuteronomy 5:33, 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

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 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). Christ himself is the way [hodos] that leads to the Father and to eternal life (John 14:6).

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 describes 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 Way" was 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 describes 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 walking in the way that leads to real life now and beyond the resurrection? Do you believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior?

Related Lessons
"The Way of the Lord (Old Testament)" -- Deuteronomy 5:33
"Jesus is the Way to the Father" -- John 14:6
"What Is Eternal Life?" -- John 17:3
"The Way to Heaven" - John 14:6

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

12 Comments

LACEY KAY GREEN

1/3/2023 10:08:52 am

Excellent

Johanna

1/5/2023 10:59:51 pm

I greatly appreciate you spending time with the Lord and
share the truth of God's word.
And it's a blessing to enjoy what God has given someone
to be shared and a blessing to others.
May God continue to bless you.
Thank you .

Peace,
Johanna

Whitney V Myers link

1/6/2023 09:59:29 pm

Johanna

Thank you for your kind comment. I praise God and thank you for letting me know that this lesson is blessing you and others.

Whitney

David King link

9/14/2023 06:28:05 am

From an un-published.poet for the Lord...

ALONG THE WAY

We are leaning
even when we stand up straight,
by believing
in our worlds of love and hate.

There are paths
where we step out every day,
leading on,
yet we find things in our way.

We find props
for us to latch on & take hold,
as our walk
takes us thru both, new and old.

But not so fast,
first we stand where we could fall,
then moving on,
we step out where we’ve never gone.

There are those
who will shine without first being asked,
for they are found
on the bright side of the task,

And there are those
who need to let go of their fears,
expecting they will stumble
where the LORD is not yet known to pierce.

DAVID TRISTAN KING
SEPTEMBER 2023

Marty

1/30/2024 09:37:13 pm

Great work . A job well done.

Whitney V. Myers link

1/30/2024 11:11:34 pm

Thank you, Marty, for your comment. -- Whitney

Miles

3/17/2024 06:10:19 pm

Christianity was called "the way" by the first Christians, others called it the Nazarene Sect...

3/19/2024 09:12:03 pm

Miles

Thank you for pointing out that "others" (non-Christians) referred to the first Christians as "the sect of the Nazarenes." That name occurs once in the Bible, in Acts 24:5. The name was not one of respect or honor (John 1:46). The name, "sect of the Nazarenes," was how Tertullus, the attorney prosecuting Paul, described the early Christians to the governor, Felix (Acts 24:1-5).

Whitney

nancy chiara

6/21/2024 09:06:05 am

paul says this felix: “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).
this reads as though the early followers: post resurrection, the way - actively kept the law (torah) and studied the old testament for foundations to their faith.
is that critical for us today as well?

6/22/2024 11:51:03 am

Nancy

Thank you for your question.

Yes. Both the Old Testament and the New Testament together are critical for the foundation of our Christian faith today. At the time the Apostle Paul appeared before Felix (Acts 24:14), the scripture they had written down in hand was “the Law and the Prophets” – how they referred to what we call the Old Testament. The Old Testament is essential today because it tells us our need for the Savior because of the sin of mankind (starting in Genesis 3:6-8). The Old Testament tells us about God’s appearances (such as the Angel of the Lord in Exodus 3:1-14) to instruct and lead mankind (Exodus 13:21). The Old Testament contains the wonderful Psalms of David that inspire us devotionally and teach us about the attributes of God (Psalm 23:1). The Old Testament contains the Messianic prophecies about the coming of God’s Son (Zechariah 9:9).

Jesus said, “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill” (Matthew 5:17). In Matthew 5:17, the word “fulfill” means to “complete.” Jesus came to complete what was already written in the “Law and the Prophets” – the Old Testament. That is why for the foundation of our faith we need both the Old Testament and the New Testament.

Best regards in Christ,
Whitney

nancy

6/22/2024 12:51:06 pm

thank you. yes the old testament provides foundation and understanding to the new one.
a clarification if i may ask….back to paul, who said ‘…believing everything that is in accordance with the law…’ do you see that as he *still* follows the torah? it reads to me like he did and would have observed sabbath, feasts and so on. if that’s the case, should we as well? thanks in advance.

6/24/2024 09:15:24 pm

Your question - Did Paul still follow the torah in the sense of observing the Jewish calendar with its feasts?

According to 1 Corinthians 9:19-21, Paul stated that he was free, and not (no longer) under the Law. In that sense, the answer to your question is “No.” However, note that in verse 20 Paul states that to win Jews he “became” a Jew. So, Paul may have chosen to observe some Jewish feasts, especially when he was witnessing to Jews. But I do not see that (keeping the Jewish feasts) as a rule for Christians. In that sense, any description of Paul observing Jewish feasts would be “descriptive,” but not “prescriptive.” Note that Paul’s God-given mission was to minister primarily to the Gentiles (Acts 26:17), not to the Jews.

Note that there was great debate in the early church about which Jewish practices should be required of Gentile believers. The Council at Jerusalem issued a judgment on that subject requiring that the Gentiles only avoid food sacrificed to idols and sexual immorality (Acts 15:29). There was no mention of the Gentile Christians having to keep the Jewish calendar for feasts.

In regard to keeping the Sabbath -- God was wise to instruct Moses to include “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy” (Exodus 20:8) in the Ten Commandments. Today, it still is healthy for us to take one day a week off from our regular tasks and the secular business around us to rest and to worship God.

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Bible Teachings

What Does "The Way" Mean in the New Testament?

A "way" is a traveled road

A "way" is a journey

A "way" is a manner of thinking, feeling, or deciding

"The Way" was the name for Christianity in the early church

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