The Way, The Truth, & The Life

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Jesus as the Way, the Truth, and the Life as apposed to the humanist thinking the same.

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Introduction

Greetings…
Over the last several months we have been studying through the theme “Names of Jesus,” striving to draw closer to our Savior by way of his names and/or titles given.
Lately, we have been in the book of John looking at the famous “I Am” sayings.
Today, that brings us to one of the most well known of the “I Am” sayings from John 14:1-14.
In John 14:6 Jesus said…
John 14:6 ESV
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
This single statement sums up Jesus better than any other passage, name, title, or otherwise.
Jesus truly is “The Way, The Truth, and The Life.”
However, in our world we find that humans have striven to take that title away from Jesus.
In fact, there is a name for those that put humans as “the way, the truth, and the life” and it is called humanism.
As one brother rightfully said, “if there is an “ism” at the end it isn’t from God but rather man.”
Today, I want us to compare Jesus and Humanism in each category.

The Way

Humanist Think They Are The Only Way.

Humanism suggest they are “the way” to social and economical peace because there is nothing wrong with man “as he is.”
The Bristol Humanist Group writes…
“Humanism is an approach to life based on reason and our common humanity, recognizing that moral value are properly founded on human nature and experience alone.” 1
The International Humanist & Ethical Union write…
“Humanism is a democratic and ethical lifestance which affirms that human beings have the right and responsibility to give meaning and shape to their own lives. It stands for the building of a more humane society through an ethics based on human and other natural values in a spirit of reason and free inquiry through human capabilities. It is not theistic, and it does not accept supernatural views of reality.” 2
When this philosophy is the case, we see many problems with mankind spring forth.
Crime is rationalized.
Morals are selective.
Ethics are situational.
In other words, humanist look to humans to "fix" the social and economical problems that might arise.
When humans rely on humans there is no standard morality only chaos.
This is why…

Jesus Is The Only Way.

Apart from Jesus there is no solution for the sin of mankind.
Acts 4:12 ESV
12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
Jesus alone was able to…
Suffer and die on behalf of mankind.
Mark 8:31 ESV
31 And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again.
Be resurrected to never die again.
Romans 6:9 ESV
9 We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him.
Wash away our sins through His blood.
1 John 1:7 ESV
7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.

Summary

The sin problem that humans find themselves embroiled in cannot be solved by humanity.
We are the problem and, in this case, cannot be the solution, only Jesus is “The Way” to morality.
Jesus is the “only way” to be found “truly good.”
Not only do humans try to remove Jesus from being the way but also many in the world consider themselves…

The Truth

Humanist Think They Are The Only Truth.

The Humanist Society of Western New York writes…
“Humanists take responsibility for their own lives and relish the adventure of being part of new discoveries, seeking new knowledge, exploring new options. Instead of finding solace in prefabricated answers to the great questions of life, humanists enjoy the open-endedness of a quest and the freedom of discovery that this entails.” 3
Steven Schafersman, a humanist writes…
“Humanists seek to understand the universe by using science and its methods of critical inquiry-logical reasoning, empirical evidence, and skeptical evaluation of conjectures and conclusions-to obtain reliable knowledge.” 4
Thus, we find the modern man saying things like, “my truth and your truth.”
That “truth is relative” also known as Relativism.”
This is being taught from elementary age up and why “history” is being ignored or rewritten by the so-called gatekeepers of information.
I’m reminded of what Brother Coffman said on the issue, “Man’s vaunted knowledge has only multiplied his ignorance.” 5
The reality is…

Jesus Is The Answer To Man’s Ignorance.

It's only through Jesus that man can become wise because…
Jesus is “The Word.”
John 1:1 ESV
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
The word of God is truth.
John 17:17 ESV
17 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.
Thus, Jesus is “The Truth.”
He is the Truth that sets us free.
John 8:32 ESV
32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
Man will always fall short of knowledge and wisdom without Jesus.
We see this in their efforts of evolution.
We see this in the efforts to tell people there 52 genders.
We see this in their efforts to treat social injustice with more social injustice.
Jeremiah 10:23 ESV
23 I know, O Lord, that the way of man is not in himself, that it is not in man who walks to direct his steps.
1 Corinthians 1:20–21 ESV
20 Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe.
1 Corinthians 1:25 ESV
25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

Summary

Again, I think brother Coffman said it best on this subject…
“In Jesus, the soul is secure in the fact that ultimate truth is not another gadget, or a new formula, but a person, God in Christ, man’s friend from above, who is at once the Cause and the explanation of all things.” 6
Humanity, persistent in its pursuit to remove God completely, also thinks he is…

The Life

Humanist Think They Are The Key To Mortality.

Humanism believes they are the life and that they alone hold the keys understanding man's mortality.
Doug Muder, a humanist writes…
“Many Humanists glory in the image of mental and psychological toughness: We are the people who have the courage to live without comforting fairy tales. We face the cold, hard truth, whatever it turns out to be.”
He also wrote, “What happens when we die? Our bodies get buried and they rot.”
All these quotes simply point out what a large majority of humans already believe, whether they consider themselves “humanists” or not.
They are “the life” of their existence and their mortality is in their hands.
Yet, another reason so many people strive to live as long as they possibly can.
However, as you and I know…

Jesus Is The Answer To Man’s Mortality.

Humanist and those that subscribe to such philosophies rejoice over every “new medication” or “surgical skill” that might prolong life a short time but they simply can’t abolish death.
Humanity as “life” must concede death.
Hebrews 9:27 ESV
27 And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment,
And because of their outlook on such this is disappointing, their own mortality.
However, Jesus is the answer to man’s mortality i.e., life over death.
With Jesus on our side, we can not only face death we can anticipate it.
2 Timothy 4:7 ESV
7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
With Jesus on our side we can not only anticipate it we can look forward to it.
1 Corinthians 15:57 ESV
57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Summary

Man’s mortality isn’t wrapped up in his own expectations or lack thereof.
No man’s mortality is wrapped in Jesus as “The Life.”

Conclusion

Brothers and sisters let me conclude this with a practical lesson.
We are living, at this very moment, in a time wherein so many Christians are forsaking the assembly, not teaching the lost, nor doing many other things we as Christians are expected to do for those around us everyday.
Brethren if Jesus is The Way, The Truth, and The Life of our life we cannot allow anything in this life to scare us from doing what is biblically sound and spiritually bountiful.
Let us not fear anything in this life but rather prepare for the next with all our love for our God.
Matthew 10:28 ESV
28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
Invitation

Endnotes

https://americanhumanist.org/what-is-humanism/definition-of-humanism/
Ibid
Ibid
Ibid
from Coffman's Bible Commentary, Copyright © 1971-1993 by ACU Press, Abilene Christian University. All rights reserved.
Ibid
Isaiah 59:1–2 ESV
1 Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear; 2 but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.
Philippians 2:6–7 ESV
6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.
Romans 10:17 ESV
17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
Hebrews 11:6 ESV
6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
Acts 17:30 ESV
30 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent,
Matthew 10:32 NKJV
32 “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven.
2 Thessalonians 1:8 ESV
8 in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
1 Corinthians 15:1–4 ESV
1 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,
Romans 6:3–5 ESV
3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.
1 John 1:7 ESV
7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.
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