LAWTON CHURCH OF GOD, LAWTON, OKLAHOMA

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56 CHRIST THE WAY

TEXT: Jesus said unto him, I am the way, the truth and the life; no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. John 14:6 .

This text is generally divided into three parts, each part independent of the other parts. But this is not so. The text is a unity. Christ had told His disciples that He was going to prepare a place for them in His Father’s house, adding, “and whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.” Thomas replied, “Lord, we know not wither thou goest; and how can we know the way?” The question of Thomas involved an inquiry with reference to a single thing—“the way:” so Christ’s reply was an answer involving only a single thing. The words truth and life were only used as they had reference to the great fact announced.

“I am the way,” the word truth expressing the character of ‘the way;” the word life as expressing the direction and end of “the Way;” as if Christ had said, “I am the truthful way which leads to life.” Christ did not say, “I am a way,” but, “I am the way, He only is “the way” to God; “no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” This declaration means death to Unitarianism and Swedenborgianism, and every other cult and pretense that ignores or denies the divinity of Christ.

I. FROM WHAT AND TO WHAT THE WAY LEADS

From death to life: Spiritual life is three-fold in it character, having a principle, an essence, and a development. The principle of spiritual life is faith in God; the essence of spiritual life is love to God; and the development of spiritual life is obedience to God; this three-fold aspect of spiritual life corresponds exactly with man’s three-fold capacity of moral character, expressed by the words intellect, sensibilities and conduct. A man may think right, feel right and act right. “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life.” Faith is lodged in the intellect. “We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love.” “He that loveth not knoweth not God.” Love is lodged in the sensibilities. “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me . . . and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.” Development of spiritual life is conditioned on obedience which is lodged in conduct. “And you hath He quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins.”

From darkness to light. Sin plunges the soul into darkness, so that a man dying without Christ, always crosses the river of death in midnight darkness. “In Him was life; and the life was the light of men.” “I am the light of the world: He that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” “God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” “God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth.”

From sin to holiness. “Ye know that He was manifested to take away our sins.” “If we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin. “Now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.”

He is the way from bondage to liberty; from weakness to strength, from sadness to gladness; from earth to heaven. He is the only way, a living way, an accessible way, a plain way, a perpetual way and a sure way.

“Neither is there salvation in any other; for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”