Which way is the right way?
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:6)
Billy Graham tells of a time early in his ministry when he arrived in a small town to preach a sermon. Wanting to mail a letter, he asked a young boy where the post office was. When the boy had told him, Dr. Graham thanked him and said, "If you'll come to the Baptist Church this evening, you can hear me telling everyone how to get to heaven."
The boy replied, "I don't think I'll be there... You don't even know your way to the post office."
Life on earth holds no greater challenge than the complicating daily demand of choosing among competing alternatives for our limited time. Our life is the sum total of all the decisions we make every day, and our decisions will determine our destiny. Life was designed to be simple, not complicated, and the key to simplifying life is knowing the right way to reach our destiny. There are hundreds, perhaps even thousands, of system of beliefs in the world. Have you ever wondered which one is the right one? Belief systems include both religions and philosophies that help to explain basic questions of human existence, such as "Where did we come from?" Or "What happens after death?"Or which way is the right way?
Belief systems are inherited and taught directly or indirectly from childhood. In those precious times, we were taught what to believe and who and what we are supposed to be. Who we have become can be based on old information coming from our religious background, social status, and family tradition, making us believe a lot of things about ourselves. What we think can be tools for creation, give us the ability to live in inner peace or they can keep us locked in a prison. Our belief systems are thoughts that have become our habits that determine what we think, what we feel and how we react to life. They influence every fiber of our being. In our everyday life when we talk about “beliefs” we usually refer to the values we adopt consciously in our life, to our social, political and religious ‘beliefs’ according to which we act and behave.
Bible says "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. (Isaiah 55:8) Thoughts are natural and essential to God and man; they are within them, are internal acts, and unknown to others, till made known; but then the thoughts of men are finite and limited, whereas the thoughts of the Lord are infinite and boundless; the thoughts of men are evil, even the imagination of their thoughts, but the thoughts of God are holy, as appears from his purposes and covenant, and all his acts of grace, in redemption, calling, and preparing his people for glory: Bible also says that Neither are your ways my ways, says the Lord; the ways which God prescribes and directs men to walk in are different from theirs; His are holy, theirs unholy; His are truth, theirs crooked; His are ways of light, theirs ways of darkness; His are righteous, theirs not so, His lead to life, theirs to death; and therefore there is good reason why they should leave their evil ways, and walk in his. Moreover, the ways which he takes in the salvation of men are different from those which they, naturally pursue, and especially in the pardon of sin; he pardons freely, fully, without any reserve, or private grudge, forgetting as well as forgiving. This is why the book of wisdom says about the ways of man “There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death.” (Proverbs 14:12)
Could it be that your identity was built on a false foundation? What beliefs have you empowered that have shaped and molded your life? Always remember change is a choice! You are your best healer.
If the ultimate goal of our life is eternity in Heaven, then who will best get us there: ourselves?, Others? Or Christ? Somehow, in the matter that matters the most, our eternal destiny, people say, “Well, it just doesn’t matter what you believe. All roads lead to Rome.” No they do not. There is one gospel, and it is the gospel of Jesus. He’s the only way to heaven. This is simply what Jesus Christ said about himself. The same Jesus who changed the world, and my life, with words such as "do to others what you would have them do to you" and "love your enemies" also said "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." Following Christ in its simplest, purest and truest form isn't a religion at all, but a personal relationship with God through Christ, making Him Lord of your life. The key is thus accepting God when we experience Him and wanting more than anything to have a personal relationship with Him.
Why is Jesus?
Two of the most remarkable statement by Jesus is found in John gospel. 14:6
1. "I am the way, the truth, and the life." 2. "No one comes to the Father except through Me."
On the last night before His betrayal and death, Jesus was preparing His disciples for the future ministry. For over three years, these men had been following Jesus and learning from His teaching and example. They had placed their hopes in Him as the Messiah, the promised Redeemer, yet they still didn't understand how He was going to accomplish that redemption. After the Last Supper, Jesus began speaking about His departure, “Where I am going, you cannot follow now, but you will follow later.” Speaking for the others, Thomas said to him, "Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?" Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. Jesus used the definite article to distinguish Himself as “the only way.”
Jesus said, "I am the way." That statement alone would raise the world's eyebrows. The path to heaven is a person, not a principle, not a practice, not a precept, not a philosophy. With this one divine dogmatic declaration Jesus makes it unmistakably plain that He alone is the only way to heaven. These words reflect the very name of God in Hebrew, Yahweh, which means “to be” or “the self-existing one.” It is the name of power, and sovereign authority. There is no other path to Heaven, no other way to the Father. Peter reiterated this same truth years later to the rulers in Jerusalem, saying about Jesus, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). The exclusive nature of the only path to salvation is expressed in the words “I am the way.” He gave the promise that “because I live, you also will live.” Disciples heard the words of Jesus and believed them. They took His words and obeyed them. They followed His example and command to tell others the truth about sin, righteousness, and judgment. When we follow Him in “the way,” we can be assured of following Him all the way to Heaven.
The Lord Jesus said, "I am come that (men) may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." "Abundantly" refers to the fullness and richness of the life in Christ. Christ's way of life that higher and nobler life of which human life is capable. See John 8:12; Luke 12:15; Jude 10.
Life is union (Genesis 2:7), and death is separation (James 2:26). Man has both physical life and spiritual life. At death (separation) both go back to their point of origin, the body to dust, and the soul/spirit to God (Eccl. 12:6-7). Spiritual life (eternal life) is to be united with God, and spiritual death is to be separated from God, banished into darkness and despair (Matt. 25:41, 46; Rom. 6:23). The Lord Jesus said, speaking spiritually as he points out in John 6:56-58 “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them. Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” Again God tells us, “He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. " (1 Jn. 5:12-13). Again, Jesus said, I am the resurrection and the life: he that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live" (Jn. 11:25). Indeed, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die." Your eternal destiny depends on your decision.
Ever since the Garden of Eden and the fall of Adam, man has been separated from God, deceived by the Devil, and dead in sin. The Lord Jesus is the answer for all three of those problems. We are separated from God, but Jesus is the way of reconciliation. We have been deceived by the Devil, but Jesus is the truth of revelation. We are dead in sin, but Jesus is the life of regeneration. The way to heaven is not something that we can earn or figure out for ourselves. Rather, it is only through faith in Jesus Christ, and is open to all who cast themselves upon the amazing grace of God (Ephesians 2:8, 9).
Every person makes a choice. Either you think you're good enough on your own or through your system of religion to make it to heaven, or you know you're not good enough and cast yourself on the mercy of God through Christ. Jesus is saying, "There are two roads marked to heaven. One is the narrow road of divine righteousness; the other is the broad road of human righteousness." Every one of us has to make that decision.
When you study gospel of Matthew chapter 7.There are two ways : the broad and the narrow. There are two destinations: life and destruction. There are two groups of travelers: the few and the many. There are two kinds of trees: the good and the corrupt. There are two kinds of fruit: the good and the bad. Verses 24 27 say that there are two builders: the wise and the foolish. There are two foundations: the rock and the sand. There are also two houses, and two elements to the storm. So, a clear-cut decision is the issue at the climax of the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus does not want bouquets for His ethics. He does not want people to postpone applying the requirements; He wants a response from people. He forces us to make a decision.
In verse 13-14, Jesus said, “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.." He mentioned the narrow gate twice and the wide gate once. There are only two gates. Both roads say they point to salvation and God; both of them say they point to the Kingdom, glory, and blessing. Both roads say they point to heaven, but only one goes there. One road is the route of self-righteousness, and the other is the way is the righteousness of God. Before you get on a road, you have to go through one of the gates.
Why Jesus is the only way to heaven?
Because Jesus Christ knows exactly what happens to people when they die! How do we know this? Jesus Christ is the only person who lived on earth, died, experienced life after death, and came back to life to tell people how they too can live again! There is no question, Jesus Christ was a man who died on a cross and was buried for 3 days and rose again! The Roman Empire and the Jewish Leaders at the time made sure Jesus was dead and stayed buried! But the Great Roman Empire with Caesar’s seal on the stone that closed Jesus’ grave along with powerful Roman soldiers guarding it and the influential Jewish Leaders watching with eagle eyes, could not hold back the power of Jesus rising from the grave! There were over 500 people who witnessed Jesus’ resurrected body! Simple ordinary men died testifying that Jesus conquered the grave!! Also, consider that no one else has done what Jesus has done. No one else has risen from the dead, calmed storms, raised others from the dead, and fulfilled numerous prophecies, etc. Though some may have claimed to be able to do one or two of these things, none have done all the things Christ has done as well as claim divinity. Since Christ has done all of these things and since He claims to be God in flesh, then it is logical to believe what He has said... that He is the only way.
