Thomas said unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way? Jesus said unto him, I am the way…..no man comes unto the Father, but by me. (John 14:5-6)

Have you ever wondered about the way God would have you walk? Thomas wanted to follow Jesus, and hopefully we want to follow Him. So what is the way to follow Jesus? Have you wondered about the way to please God, the way to live, or the way to have your prayers answered? The answer is right here in John 14. But because we have turned Christianity into a legalistic religion we miss the simple answer: Jesus is the Way.

Now, that really does seem like a cryptic answer, doesn’t it? How can a Person be THE WAY? Well, we usually limit this to the fact that through His Redemption Jesus made a way back to God. But note: Jesus did not say, "I made A way." No. He said, "I AM THE WAY." That is much different. What is Jesus talking about?

What is Christianity? Christianity is CHRIST IN US – or, if you prefer, us in Christ. It is the spiritual union between Jesus Christ and believers that occurs when we are planted into Him – planted into His death and resurrection. At that point, we are one spirit with Him. (I Cor. 6:17) Everything that we call Christianity emerges from this core reality of Christ in us.

But it is right here that most of us miss the point. Even if we recognize that Christ dwells in us – that He is one with us in spirit – we tend to be blinded to what this means. We are blind to the fact that God has given us all things only in His Son. There is nothing of God outside of the Person of Christ, and all is in Him.

Now note: I did not say that God gives us all things BECAUSE of His Son. No. I said God gives us all things IN HIS SON. That which God has for man does not consist of THINGS that He distributes to us because of what Christ has done. No. God does not give us things at all. He gives us Christ – IN WHOM are all the things of God, indeed, in whom the fullness of God dwells.

This is such as simple Truth – it is, in large part, the subject matter of Colossians. "In HIM are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge…in HIM dwells the fullness of God, and you are complete IN HIM." It is precisely because Christ constitutes, in His very Person, all the fullness of God, that Jesus was able to say, "I AM……"

What this means for us is that if we are seeking the things of God, or an experience from God, or if we are trying to discover the way to walk with God – if we are trying to enter into anything at all having to do with God – we are seeking this in vain if we are seeking it apart from seeking Christ Himself. ALL that God has, and ALL that God is, is given to us IN HIS SON. There is nothing of light, life, and Truth outside of HIM.

Practically speaking, this means that if we want to know the will of God, then we really want to know the Truth – we need to know Jesus Christ, who said, "I AM the Truth." If we want wisdom, then ultimately, Christ is made unto us wisdom. (I Cor. 1:30) Do we need sanctification, righteousness, or redemption – on any specific point? God has made Christ to be those realities TO US and IN US. Again, I Cor. 1:30. Do we need LIFE? He is THE Life. In short, we don’t need things – God has no THINGS to give us independent of His Son. If we have any need, God says that we will find it in Christ.

This is why there is such an emphasis in the NT upon KNOWING Jesus Christ. This is not doctrinal or head knowledge – it is a spiritual knowing and experience of Christ. God has made us one with His Son. The Christian life is then a matter of God forming Christ within us in a way that will completely alter not only our perspective on everything, but will alter our heart, will, intent, and character.

Christians search for WAYS in which to accomplish such things. We go to seminars in an attempt to learn how to develop Christian character. We read, "how to," books. We develop this or that religious pattern to achieve certain results. We have our, "seeker friendly," programs, and our, "forty days of purpose." We fast. pray, study, and strive – all in an attempt to find or practice a WAY that will get us into a better relationship with God. But Jesus says, "Do you want to know the way? I am the Way." In short, there is no way to experience God, or to live in His purpose, except we live in, and live FROM, His Son.

Unfortunately, in today’s church, most have no frame of reference for what that even means. We still think it is a religious way. It is not. It is not a matter of DOING things a certain way. It is a matter of BEING in a relationship with the One who said He is the Way. It is a relationship, yes, of faith, but of knowing Him. Know Christ and all else that you need for living will emerge into your knowledge and experience.

For the last two thousand years, religious people have tried to walk with God and worship God THEIR WAY. We fashion a way that suits us and expect God to bless it. But Jesus never said that He had A way, A truth, or A life to give us. No. He said, "I am THE Way, THE Truth, and THE Life." In other words, THE Way is not a religious pattern. It is not a list of principles to follow. THE WAY is a Person – knowing, experiencing, and living FROM Him.

Have you taken a certain path – maybe what appeared to be a good path – only to find disaster? We need to realize that even a comparatively good way, as opposed to a bad way, may nevertheless not be THE WAY. God has ONE way – life in Christ. Not OUR LIFE lived His way – but HIS LIFE which is in His Son. "In Him was life, and that life was the light of men." Christ is to be our light and our life. He is The Way of God for all of us.

The Good News - Home