The Way!

“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.‘” John 14:6

Early in church history, Christians were not called “Christians.” They were “followers of The Way”—a title that addressed not just a set of beliefs, but a new way of living. To exist “The Way” was to center one’s life on Jesus, allowing His words to direct every step and decision. It was a commitment to living according to the things He taught, even if it went contrary to the world. When Paul stood before Governor Felix, accused of heresy, he staunchly testified, “But this I confess to you, that according to the Way, which they call a sect, I worship the God of our fathers, believing everything laid down by the Law and written in the Prophets.” – Acts 24:14.

For Paul, being a disciple of Jesus was not turning away from the truth of the scriptures, but the completion of all that God had spoken. To embrace “The Way” was to live a life based on God’s Word, centered on Jesus, and willing to pay the price of discipleship. Jesus Himself said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6.

In this declaration, Jesus did not present Himself as one way among many; He presented Himself as the only way to the Father. Why is Jesus the Way, then? He is the fulfillment of all that scripture was pointing towards. All prophecy, all sacrificial system, and all shadow in the Old Testament ultimately found its ultimate meaning in Him. Jesus is the Truth because He reveals the full character and will of God. He is the perfect embodiment of God’s nature, instructing us exactly who God is and what He desires. He is the Life, the bestower of everlasting life, offering the sole method for us to become reconciled to God. Through His life, death, and resurrection, Jesus offered a way for us to be able to live with God forever. He did not come to introduce a new religion; He came to fulfill the promises made in advance. The sacrificial order, with its lambs that were slain for the forgiveness of sin, directed us to His sinless atonement. The priesthood, which stood as a go-between God and man, is finally realized in Jesus as our Great High Priest. Every page of the Hebrew Bible was talking about Him—the suffering servant in Isaiah 53, the Moses-like prophet in Deuteronomy 18:15, and the One who would institute the New Covenant. Jesus is the Way because He has completed everything that is needed for our restoration to God. In Him, the fulfillment of God’s plan of redemption has arrived. To live in the Way is not merely to agree with some truths; it is to live them out. To follow Jesus is to allow His teaching to form every part of our lives.

Jesus’ day religious leaders were well-versed in the Scriptures but were unaware of the ultimate meaning of the scriptures—they pointed to Jesus. As He told them, “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me.” – John 5:39 (ESV). Knowing the scripture is not enough if it doesn’t lead us to relationship with Jesus. Living in The Way today means knowing Jesus—not just with our minds, but personally and intimately. It is to allow Him to guide us, shape us, and change us.

Reading the scripture, we must discover Him on every page, observing that the entire story centers around Him. Walking in The Way is to let His truth guide our decisions, how we treat others, and how we approach difficulties. It is laying down every part of our lives into His hands and trusting that He has a better idea of how to do them than we do. What would this be like in daily life? It’s choosing to be surrendered every single day to Jesus, allowing Him to transform the way that we think and behave and love.

A mere obedience to His truth is not enough—we must live it. It’s about living the scripture, living it as a conversation with God in which we seek Jesus in every line. We’re called to live boldly, living out His love and truth to a world in dire need of it, even when it’s unpopular or difficult. The call to follow The Way is not a call to know but to a new life, one that is fully surrendered to Jesus. We must ask ourselves: Am I truly living the Way? Is the life that I am living truly mirroring the truth that I claim to believe?

Is my scripture study bringing me closer to Jesus, or are we merely piling up facts? As we seek Him through the scripture, may our lives be transformed and our lives a mirror of the life of the One that we are pursuing.

Lord, thank you for being the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Lead me to obey you wholeheartedly in every part of my life. Open my eyes to see you in all of the scripture and how everything points to you. Help me be strong to live boldly for you, trusting your truth and obeying your ways, even when it’s difficult. Teach me to surrender daily to you, allowing your life shape my own. Amen.