SPELLING EDITED
E-20. WHAT DID JESUS MEAN WHEN HE SAID, “I AM THE WAY”?
Hebrews 12:14 says.
“FOLLOW peace with ALL men, and HOLINESS, without which NO man shall SEE the Lord.”
Then in Romans 3:10-12 we read.
“As it is written, There is none RIGHTEOUS, no not one: 11. There is none that understands, there is none that seeks after God. 13. They are all gone out of the WAY, they are together become unprofitable, there is none that does good, no not one.”
Now if the word of God says that WITHOUT holiness or righteousness that no man shall see the Lord, then how can any man be saved when the word of God also says that no one is righteousness, no not one? The disciples of Jesus asked this same question Matthew 19:25.
“How then can a man be saved?”
Jesus answered then in Matthew 19:26.
“With man it is impossible, but WITH God all things are possible.”
Later Jesus said in John 14:6.
“I am the WAY, the truth, and the life, no man comes unto the Father except by me.”
In other words, no man can be SAVED except by Jesus. So again, what does it mean when Jesus said,
“I am the WAY”?
Well, in Romans 3:10-12 we read that there were none RIGHTEOUS and none sought after God BECAUSE they all had gone out of the WAY. So what is the WAY? This was written in the Old Testament and Jesus had not come as yet. So how could Jesus be the way for the Old Testament saints when he had not died for their sins as yet?
Proverbs 12:28 says.
“In the WAY of RIGHTEOUSNESS is LIFE: and the pathway thereof there is NO death.”
So as long as one remains in the pathway or in the WAY of righteousness he or she has LIFE abiding in him or her, but if he or she wanders from the WAY of righteousness, then they are in the pathway of death, or more precisely the WAY that leads to death. So then, the WAY to the Father is living RIGHTEOUSLY before God, and Jesus is the WAY or the means of HOW we are going to live righteously before God. Jesus came to destroy sin so that we might be made free from sin and sin would no longer have any dominion over us. Romans 6:18 says.
“Being then made FREE from SIN, you became servants of RIGHTEOUSNESS.”
Proverbs 21:16 says.
“The man that wanders out of the WAY of understanding shall remain in the congregation of the dead.”
Jesus said also in John 14:6 that he was the TRUTH, and again in John 8:31,32.
“Then Jesus said to those Jews which believed on him, IF you continue in my word, then are you my disciples indeed; 32. And you shall know the TRUTH, and the TRUTH shall make you FREE.”
I want you to notice the condition that Jesus places on being his disciple. We are disciples of Jesus ONLY IF we CONTINUE in his word. And by continuing in his word we shall know the TRUTH and it is the TRUTH that shall MAKE us free. Free from what? Free from the bondage of the enemy. Free from sin. Free from sickness and disease. Free from poverty. In other words, we are BEING made free bit by bit, from faith to faith, as we CONTINUE in the TRUTH. As we come to the knowledge of the truth and apply this knowledge we are set free, delivered, saved, rescued, healed, and made to be in right relationship with God.
Jesus said in John 17:17.
“SANCTIFY them through your TRUTH: your WORD is truth.”
The word of God is TRUTH, and we are sanctified through the word of God. The word “sanctify” means to set apart and make HOLY. So we are made HOLY by or through the word of God.
Look at Romans 1:16,17 which says,
“For I am not ashamed of the GOSPEL of Christ: for IT (The gospel of Christ) is the POWER of God unto salvation to everyone that BELIEVES; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein (Still speaking of the gospel of Christ) is RIGHTEOUSNESS revealed from FAITH to FAITH: as it is written, The just shall live by FAITH.”
You see the just or the righteous shall live RIGHTEOUSLY before God by or through FAITH. In other words, we believe God’s word that says,
“Resist the devil and he WILL flee from you”
And then we ACT upon our belief and resist the devil when we are being tempted. And IF we continue in the TRUTH of God’s word and remain steadfast in our FAITH trusting in God that he will perform his word, then this is how the TRUTH shall MAKE us free, but only free from this particular temptation at that particular time we were believing God by acting upon his word to resist the devil until he fled from us. So then, you see it is from FAITH to FAITH, bit by bit, that the RIGHTEOUSNESS of God is revealed in us. Yes, we are INSTANTLY made the righteousness of God when we first believe, but almost every Christian will still commit sin AFTER they are saved. So it is our WALK of faith that I am speaking about that improves and gets better little by little as we learn more and more of God's word on how to overcome sin in our life. Proverbs 23:19 says.
“Hear you my son and be wise, and GUIDE your heart in the WAY.”
For you see it is ONLY the WAY of RIGHTEOUSNESS that KEEPS the just or righteous man in the path or WAY that LEADS to eternal life. Look at Proverbs 13:6 which says,
“Righteousness KEEPS him that is UPRIGHT (Or just) in the WAY: but wickedness overthrows the sinner.”
Take a look at 1 John 1:6,7 which tells us the WAY we should WALK. 1 John 1:6,7.
“If we say we have fellowship with him and WALK in darkness, we LIE, and do NOT the TRUTH: BUT if we WALK in the LIGHT, as he (Speaking of Jesus) is IN the LIGHT (Or as Jesus WALKED in the LIGHT, that is to say, as Jesus WALKED in RIGHTEOUSNESS, or WITHOUT SIN) we have fellowship one with another, and the BLOOD of Jesus Christ his Son CLEANSES us from ALL SIN.”
The WAY of RIGHTEOUSNESS is a CONTINUAL WALK in RIGHTEOUSNESS. And IF we SIN, then we STOP walking in righteousness while we are living in sin and we MUST repent and CONFESS the sins we commit after we first believed. And IF we confess our sins, then the BLOOD of Jesus CLEANSES us of ALL our SIN. In other words, WHILE we are living in or committing SIN, then we move OURSELF OUT of the WAY and are no longer in RIGHT RELATIONSHIP with God. Therefore, we MUST REPENT in order to be RENEWED or RESTORED back in the WAY or in the LIGHT.
Jesus said in John 8:34.
“Verily, verily (Or truly, truly) I say unto you, Whosoever commits SIN is the servant of SIN.”
Paul says it this way in Romans 6:16.
“Know you not, that whom you YIELD yourselves servants to OBEY, his servants you are to whom you OBEY; whether of sin unto death or of obedience (Of God’s word he spoke to his Son Jesus in the New Testament) unto RIGHTEOUSNESS.”
And by faith, we obey God’s word unto righteousness which in turn is the WAY that leads to eternal life as we see in verse 22 of Romans chapter 6.
“But now being made FREE from sin, and become servants to God, you have your fruit unto HOLINESS, and to the END EVERLASTING LIFE.”
Proverbs 4:18 says.
“But the PATH (Or way) of the JUST is as a shining light, that shines more and more unto the PERFECT DAY.”
The path or WAY of the just is good works of RIGHTEOUSNESS that shine as a light unto the world and shines more and more, or brighter and brighter as that perfect day of the Lord draws nearer.
Proverbs 10:17 says.
“He is IN the WAY of LIFE (Speaking of the way that leads to eternal life) that KEEPS INSTRUCTION, but he that refuses reproof ERRS .” That is to say, he or she that REFUSES reproof or INSTRUCTION in RIGHTEOUSNESS causes oneself to ERR or SIN.
Please read 2 Timothy 3:16,17.
“All scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for REPROOF, for CORRECTION, for INSTRUCTION in RIGHTEOUSNESS. 17. That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all GOOD WORKS.”
The word of God has been given to us for instruction in righteousness. In other words, the Bible instructs us how to be righteous and walk pleasing before our God. So the one who KEEPS instruction and walks in the WAY of RIGHTEOUSNESS will reap or received the reward of eternal life, but he, or she, that refuses to be taught or instructed and refuses reproof and correction errs and turns from the WAY or path that leads to eternal life and follows the way of darkness which leads to death. The wages of sin is death. You can be assured that God will enable you and strengthen you in the WAY that he sets before you. God would not say to you, “Be you holy for I am holy,” if it was not possible for you to attain. Proverbs 10:20 says.
“The WAY of the Lord is STRENGTH to the UPRIGHT: but destruction shall be to the workers of iniquity.”
As we walk in righteousness which is the WAY of the Lord we will be strengthened. Proverbs 16:17 says.
“The HIGHWAY of the upright is to DEPART from EVIL. He that keeps his WAY preserves his soul.”
So, in other words, one that does NOT depart from evil, but gives into sin does NOT stay or remain in the WAY and therefore will not preserve their soul. You see we MUST WITHOUT FAIL REMAIN in the WAY of RIGHTEOUSNESS. Salvation is CONDITIONAL.
Isaiah 35:8-10 says it this way.
“And a HIGHWAY shall be there, and a WAY, and it (The WAY) shall be called the WAY of HOLINESS, the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the WAYFARING men, though fools, shall not err therein. 9. No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon, it shall not be found there, but the REDEEMED shall walk thereon: 10. And the RANSOMED of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.”
God’s WAY is the WAY of HOLINESS which we read at the beginning of this study that without holiness no man shall see the Lord. So in other words, if you want to see the Lord and be made as he is and obtain eternal life then we MUST be holy even as he is holy. Look at I John 3:2,3,7 which says.
“Beloved. Now are we the sons of God, and it does not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is. 3. And every man that has this HOPE in him PURIFIES himself EVEN as he (Jesus) is PURE…. ….7. Little children let no man DECEIVE you: he that does RIGHTEOUSNESS is righteous, EVEN as he (Speaking of Jesus) is righteous. He that commits sin is of the devil; for the devil sins from the beginning. For this PURPOSE the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.”
If you have the HOPE of seeing the Lord then you must PURIFY yourself even as he is pure. Jesus lived his life without sin and we are called to do the same. Salvation is a WAY of life. Salvation is not once saved always saved as some teach. The only way your salvation is eternally secure is IF you keep yourself in the WAY of righteousness. Jesus is the WAY. Jesus showed us the WAY. Please refer to the study on “WE ARE NOT SAVED BY OUR OWN GOOD WORKS” and “IS ONCE YOU ARE SAVED ALWAYS SAVED BIBLICAL?” Romans 8:24 says.
“For we are saved by HOPE; but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man sees, why does he yet hope for? But if we HOPE for that we see not, then we do with patience WAIT for it.”
We have the HOPE of eternal life. Titus 1:2 says.
“In HOPE of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began.”
Titus 2:11-13 tells us this.
“For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, 12. Teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, RIGHTEOUSLY, and godly IN this PRESENT world: 13. Looking for that blessed HOPE, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ;”
The grace of God TEACHES us that we should live RIGHTEOUSLY and GODLY in this present world. This same theme reoccurs over and over throughout the word of God that teaches us that the WAY to God the Father is through RIGHTEOUSNESS. And that the ONLY WAY to live righteously before God is through Christ, the anointing of God. Jesus paid the price to bring us back into right relationship with God the Father so that we might receive the Holy Spirit of God WITHIN us to enable us to live our lives free from sin. This may not happen overnight, in a day, in a week, in a month or even in a year, but over time from FAITH to FAITH those who are justified through the blood of Jesus Christ and who have come to the knowledge of TRUTH shall be made free from all sin. Please refer to the study on “HOW TO LIVE YOUR LIFE FREE FROM SIN!” You see, salvation or being saved is not a onetime event in our life when we accept Jesus as our savior, but rather salvation is a process that begins when we accept Jesus as our savior and IF we are to receive eternal life we must endure to the end and be found FAITHFUL by our Lord. So, in reality, we are BEING saved as long as we remain or continue to abide in the Lord and he in us. Think of being saved as a road, a road map and that we also have an “FHL” card, that is to say, we have a Faith, Hope, and Love card, which HELPS, TEACHES, and GUIDES us on our journey. In other words, the road is our journey or the life we live, the road map is the word of God that sets the course of HOW we are to live, and the “FHL” card is our roadside assistance whenever we need HELP to stay on course that God himself has SET for us to LIVE our lives. If we stay focused on the HOPE set before us of eternal life and by FAITH walk in LOVE, then we fulfill the life of RIGHTEOUSNESS that God REQUIRES of us.
Take a look at Hebrews 12:2-4, which says.
“Looking unto Jesus the author and FINISHER of our faith; who for the JOY that was SET before him ENDURED the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3. For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest (Or for fear that) you be wearied and faint in your minds. 4. You have NOT yet resisted unto blood striving against sin.”
The word “author” here means originator, the beginning, the founder, and the leader or ruler. It also means authority or domain. So Jesus BEGAN our faith and he will FINISH our faith IF we remain faithful to him. I know that this study may have shaken the very foundation of what you may believe, and rightly so, because if your foundation is shaken, then it is NOT built upon the WHOLE word of God. Please take the time to grow further in your faith and understanding of God's word by getting into the Holy word of God, the Bible, and read and study for yourself to prove that which I have told you is the TRUTH. Read this study over and over again as well as all the other studies on this site here at AMatterOfTruth.com/. Thanks for reading and may God bless you richly in your search for the TRUTH. You brother in our Lord Christ Jesus, Brother Mark. RETURN TO HOMEPAGE AT |
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