Koine Foundations

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)

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Phrase Focus
I am the way, and the truth, and the life.
ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ὁδὸς καὶ ἡ ἀλήθεια καὶ ἡ ζωή
egō eimi hē hodos kai hē alētheia kai hē zōē
<Hear It>

In the previous two posts I commented on the abundant life that God offers and the problem of sin that prevents us from having that abundant life.

As explained in those two posts, God offers us an abundant life that is eternal, full of joy, free from need, and a life of purpose. As Jesus said:

I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. (John 10:10)

Unfortunately, a serious problem prevents us from receiving this life – sin.

The Bible says that our sins have separated us from God (Isaiah 59:2), and “all have sinned” (Romans 3:23). Sin places a barrier between us and God. It alienates us from God, the only one who can give us the abundant life.

However, the problem is worse than just being separated from God. The Bible also tells us that:

The wages of sin is death. (Romans 6:23)

Wages are what a person earns from the work they do. We earn death from our works of sin.

Fortunately, there is some very good news. There is more to that verse I just quoted:

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23)

Because of His love for us, God provided a way for us to experience the abundant life He offers that deals with our sin. How? Through Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ explained it this way. He said:

 I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:6)

Jesus Christ is the way to the abundant life. He provides a way past the separation between us and God the Father.

In fact, He is the life – the source of the abundant life.

He is also the truth – which was revealed in His death and resurrection. What is that truth?

First, Jesus Christ died for us:

God demonstrates His own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)

Jesus Christ took upon Himself the wage of death we earned and died in our place. His death removed the barrier between us and God. God is satisfied with what He did. Now God is able to forgive our sins and offer us the abundant life – a life that is eternal.

Another truth is that not only did Jesus Christ die for our sins, but He rose again from the dead, demonstrating that He is life. (1 Corinthians 15:3-4)

There is a third truth that I will comment on in the next post.

Click here for a PDF document that explains the Good News and consolidates the four posts in this series: Abundant Life, Sin, The Way, Believe.

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Bibliography

Bromiley, Geoffrey W. (Editor). Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, Abridged in One Volume. William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. 1985.
Dallas Theological Seminary. How to Have a Happy and Meaningful life. Dallas Theological Seminary. 1971, 1978, 2005.
Danker, Frederick William (Editor). A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and other Early Christian Literature, Third Edition (BDAG). The University of Chicago Press. 2000.
Gilbrant, Thoralf (Editor). The Complete Biblical Library, The New Testament Greek-English Dictionary. The Complete Biblical Library. 1991.
Godet, Frederic Louis. Commentary on Romans. Kregel Publications. 1977.
Ryrie, Charles C. Basic Theology. Victor Books. 1986.

Unless otherwise noted, English translations of Bible verses are by the author from the Greek text and are not quotations from any copyrighted Bible version or translation.