No Other Way

“I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me.” —John 14:6

AT THE time that he spoke these words our Lord’s earthly life was drawing rapidly to its close. The shadow of the cross was clearly before him; the final, crucial test of a shameful and ignominious death at Calvary was marked out as an essential part of his Father’s purpose, and he gladly accepted it.

“And it came to pass, when the time was come that He should be received up, He stedfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem.” (Luke 9:51) For Him there was but one way, His Father’s will: “My meat is to do the will of him that sent Me, and to finish his work.” (John 4:34) “Not My will, but thine, be done.”—Luke 22:42

Jesus’ thoughts were not only, or even primarily of himself. What of those with him, those whom, he said, the Father had “given him”? Yes, what indeed of these dear devoted disciples who had followed him so faithfully; who had shared so willingly in the hardships of his earthly pilgrimage; these who had listened with ready minds and overflowing hearts to the “gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth.” His thoughts were for them, and his heart went out to them as he sought, with loving solicitude, to prepare them for the tremendous events so soon to take place. For these, too, there must be one way, and one way only—their Father’s will. But they had so much to learn, so much to suffer and to do before they reached the end of that way. And the Master might well ask the question, as he did of James and John: “Are ye able?”

The first call of our Lord to his disciples was reflected in the words, “I am the way, … follow me.” “He saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men.”—Mark 1:16,17

“I am the way, … follow me.” With these simple words he called them to the unique position of personal discipleship, to the joy of his teaching and companionship, the soaring hopes of early reward, the doubts, the fears, the fluctuating faith, and finally, not the crown, but the cross. What amazing experiences lay before them, what miracles of grace they must be if they were indeed to be his disciples! No wonder he asked, “Are ye able?”

Now, today, nearly 2,000 years later, the same narrow way is being walked by those who, like the disciples of old, follow him toward the goal of truth and life. The background in their day was the mighty Roman Empire, ruthless in discipline, and entirely unresponsive to the national aspirations of the Jewish people. The background today is that of a swiftly moving world, torn by conflicting aims, hopes, and interests, dominated by the Adversary, and largely shorn of all principles of peace, justice, mercy, and love. In such a world the faithful followers of the Lord do well to ponder the question, “Are ye able?” and to seek by every means in their power to walk closely with their Master who has trod the way before them, and is able to succor all those who are seeking to lay down their lives in his service. To such he says, “Be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”—John 16:33

Where Are We Going?

MANY who live their lives outside the Christian faith, as well as some who profess a belief in God, are asking the question—as well they might—“What way is this along which the world is careering? Where is it leading? Where are we going?”

Some easy optimists prefer to see the end of the way in a wonderful world of their own making, saying, “All’s well; all’s well,” when all is not well. (Jer. 6:14, Moffatt) These folk remind us of the picture drawn by John Bunyan in his famous book, “Pilgrim’s Progress,” from which we quote:

“The Christian espied two men come tumbling over the wall on the left hand of the narrow way, and they made up apace to him. The name of one was Formalist, and the name of the other Hypocrisy. So, as I said, they drew up unto him who thus entered into discourse with them.

“Christian: ‘Gentlemen, whence came you and whither go you?’

“Formalist and Hypocrisy: ‘We were born in the land of Vainglory, and are going for praise to Mount Zion.’

“Christian: ‘Why came ye not in at the gate which standeth at the beginning of the way? Know you not that it is written that he that cometh not in by the door, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber?’

“Formalist and Hypocrisy replied that to go to the gate for entrance was far too about, and their usual way was to make a short cut of it and climb over the wall as they had done … ‘Besides,’ said they, ‘if we get into the way what’s matter which way we get in? If we are in, we’re in. Thou art but in the way who, as we perceive, came in at the gate, and we are also in the way that came tumbling over the wall. Wherein now is thy condition better than ours?’”

Here, it appears, is almost a perfect picture of the position taken by many professing Christian people. Some are formalists, content to attend church or chapel once a week, to have their names on the church roll of membership, and to contribute something toward church expenses. Others are frankly hypocritical. They go to church for what they can get out of it; for business or social reasons. Both of these classes seek the advantages of Christian fellowship without its responsibilities. They worship God with their lips, but their hearts are far from him. They come tumbling over the wall, thinking thereby to avoid the suffering and hardship, and seeking to discover for themselves a short cut to salvation.

There is a stern lesson here for all of us. The true child of God knows full well that there is no short cut to a crown of righteousness. There must be no shirking of responsibility in the narrow way. Our Lord said, “Enter ye in at the strait gate: because strait is the gate, and narrow the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.”—Matt. 7:13,14

Plain Truths

WE SEE the close correspondency between the experiences of the early disciples and those of the Lord’s people since. There was no easy road to salvation then; there is none today. The Scribes and Pharisees came “tumbling over the wall,” seeking to justify their claims to preferential treatment by the deeds of the Law and their inherent authority. Our Lord instantly exposed their claims as formalism and hypocrisy. He said of them: “They bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.” (Matt. 23:4) No, there is no short cut, no easy road to the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus!

“I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” Some truths are very plain until we begin to tinker with them and make them obscure. But there can surely be no ambiguity here, no possible room for misunderstanding. It is a clear, plain statement of fact, a definite assurance to each one who is striving to follow faithfully in the footsteps of his Lord and Master. To Peter and Andrew he said, “Follow me.” To us he says, “Follow me.” Let us ever he attentive to the voice of the Good Shepherd, a voice which calls to us in loving accents: “This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.”—Isa. 30:21

Paul knew the value of an assured trust, and to Timothy he wrote, “I know whom I have believed” [margin, or, trusted]. (II Tim. 1:12) He had no doubt whatever about the one in whom he had placed his trust. He, like his Master, knew the way, and because he knew it the apostle could say with confidence, “Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.”—I Cor. 11:1

Importance of Knowledge

WE WILL all agree that knowledge is by no means everything, but it is a wonderful gift from God, and to know him and the power of his resurrection is indeed a priceless privilege. Someone once said, “When you know, you know you know,” by which he meant, of course, that complete confidence in the source of one’s information leaves no room for doubt or hesitancy. Some of the things that we, as God’s people, know, are these:

We know that the church is the temple of the living God, and that our Lord is the chief corner stone in that temple.—I Pet. 2:6
We know that since our Lord’s first advent all those who faithfully follow in his footsteps are stones in the temple which, when complete, shall be God’s dwelling place, and the instrument in his hands for blessing all the families of the earth.
We know that the basis of hope for the church and the world lies in the fact that Jesus Christ, “by the grace of God, tasted death for every man,” “a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.”—Heb. 2:9; I Tim. 2:4-6
We know that the hope of the church is that she may be like her Lord, a partaker of the divine nature, and that she may see him as he is and share his glory.—II Pet. 1:4; I John 3:2
We know that the present mission of the church is to perfect herself as the bride, the Lamb’s wife, and to witness by testimony and example, to the revealed purposes of God as set forth in his holy Word.
We know that the return of our Lord at his second advent is for the purpose of establishing his kingdom and bringing to all the willing and obedient of mankind the blessings of perfect life in fulfillment of God’s oathbound covenant with Father Abraham, that in him and his seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.
We know that the preparatory work for the setting up of this kingdom is now far advanced, that our Lord is present and the “day of the Lord” is here, the harvest of the earth is ripe, and the adversary’s counterfeit kingdom is tottering to its fall. And we know also that soon, very soon, “the Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in his wings,” and “whosoever will, may take of the water of life freely.”—Mal. 4:2; Rev. 22:17

And those who recognize in our Lord the way, the truth, and the life, are the only ones who do know these things!

The World A Stage

IN “As You Like It,” Shakespeare wrote, “All the world’s a stage and all the men and women merely players. They have their exits and their entrances.” He was really expressing a much greater truth than he realized when he wrote these words, for within the orbit of human life a drama is being enacted of far greater moment than anything seen by the natural eye alone. It is the drama of the cross, conceived from before the foundation of the world, sustained by the lives and work of the prophets and of God’s typical people Israel, and reaching its crescendo at our Lord’s first advent—the hub and focal point of the whole stupendous plan.

In writing to the Corinthian church (I Cor. 4:9), the Apostle Paul says, “We are made a spectacle … to angels.” The word spectacle is translated in the margin, “theatre,” and it is suggested that this is what was really in the apostle’s mind; namely, the vast amphitheatres of Rome and Greece where multitudes gathered to witness games and plays. Adapted to the picture we have in mind, this suggests the stage of human destiny, and an audience composed of the angelic hosts, learning by observation, desiring to look into the things which are being enacted in this wonderful drama of human life and death, in which, as Shakespeare expresses it, “All the world’s a stage and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and entrances.”

When this vast panorama of divine wisdom and creative power opens, the curtain rises upon a darkened stage, empty except for the waters of the deep. “And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters, and God said, “Let there be light, and there was light.” (Gen. 1:2,3) With what spellbound wonder the angelic audience would watch the inception of this great drama, and hear the first utterance of divine approval as God saw the light, “that it was good.”—Gen. 1:4

God’s Stately Steppings

AS THE skilled playwright engages the interest of his audience at the outset of the play, and cleverly fosters it through each succeeding act, so in “stately steppings” our Heavenly Father has unfolded his wonderful purposes as they relate to human-kind, and, as needed, has interpreted them to watching angels and to men. Gradually he has revealed the immense resources of his great creative power and wisdom, together with the vast infinitude of his love in this amazing spectacle, designed to present his divine plan for bringing fallen man back into harmony with himself through the redeeming blood and merit of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

So the curtain falls upon the first act with a perfect pair, the nucleus of a happy and unblemished race, suddenly plunged into the fearful abyss of sin, suffering, and death by the evil intervention of Satan who challenges the divine prerogative with the bold question, “Yea, hath God said, ‘Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?’ “Has God imposed upon you a law of absolute obedience on pain of death? I say, “Ye shall not surely die.”—Gen. 3:1,4

With what fearful anxiety the angels would watch the impact of Satan’s lie upon the mind of mother Eve! And how vividly we can picture the dismay which came over them as they witnessed the disastrous result, and saw the curtain fall on a race, yet unborn, but committed to the consequences of disobedience in a future of sin, suffering, and ultimate destruction.

What Next?

AS THE curtain rises again, the scene is that of a disinherited family grappling with the problems of life in a world unfinished, harsh, and hostile. “In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground.” (Gen. 3:19) Here surely was the end—but no! As scene succeeds scene our angelic audience is taken through the wonderful relationships between God and those noble characters who, although impaired by imperfection, manifested faith in divine power and love—Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and others who appear on the stage, play their parts, and make their exits in perfect accord with God’s unfailing purpose.

With what joy the listening audience would hear the promise to Abraham that in him and his seed “all the families of the earth” were to be blessed. How they would follow the progress of events through the fascinating panorama of Israel’s history until the supreme manifestation of God’s great love and mercy was set before their wondering eyes when the Logos, the only begotten of the Father, laid aside his glory and was born a babe in Bethlehem. With what joy they sang, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”—Luke 2:14

This was what they had been waiting for! This surely was the answer to their longing, to their prayer that the great Creator of the universe would stretch forth his hand and use his mighty power to bring to suffering humanity the peace and happiness which they so earnestly desired should emerge from this tangle of sin and satanic deception which had for so long confronted them.

But yet again sin seemed to triumph. The Lord is slain, crucified, the disciples scattered, and the curtain falls upon the greatest tragedy in human history, the tragedy of the cross.

Assurance Unto All Men

ONCE more the eyes of angels are focused upon the stage as the drama continues. This is the crux, the crucial moment for which they had waited. So often in the past had they seen divine power in action that they could not but hope for some stupendous manifestation of that power to bring to mankind the release from sin and death which must come from God alone. They had not long to wait. With mighty, triumphant power, God raised from the dead the One who was to be the Savior, the Redeemer of all mankind. With joy they realized that in this one lay the solution to the problem which had for so long defied their understanding. In this tremendous act of resurrection power, the great Creator had “given assurance unto all men”—and to angels—that he was able to do all that was required to bring righteous judgment and lasting happiness to his human family, that family for which he had given his only begotten Son that “whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”—John 3:16

So to the final act of this great drama of the ages. In the unfolding of God’s purpose we have now been brought to the culmination of the divine plan as it concerns the release of man from the thraldom of sin and death, and the provision of the means whereby he can return to God and obtain that perfection of human life for which he was originally created. With angels observing, we watch as the curtain rises upon this last, momentous scene. What are we about to see?

Preceding the full intervention of divine power at this end of the age, there is clearly indicated an intensity of trouble upon mankind which our Lord said would result in the destruction of the race unless those days were shortened. When Israel was faced with the Red Sea in front and the Egyptian hosts behind, Moses gave them this message from God: “Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord.”

But the “stand still” order was not for long. Quickly came the command, “Speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward.” (Exodus 14:13,15) And, dear brethren, before this final act in the drama of human destiny is finished, that is precisely what we shall see—“the salvation of the Lord” leading swiftly to the glorious culmination of our hopes. To watching angels and to all mankind will be made manifest the consummation of that for which our great Heavenly father himself has planned and worked through the instrumentality of him who is the way, the truth, and the life.

In the meantime, the path of suffering and sacrifice has still to be trodden by those who follow in the Master’s steps; those who have covenanted to present their bodies a living sacrifice, counting it “their reasonable service.” It is to these that our Lord directs his words of guidance and encouragement, a three-fold message of complete assurance to all who put their faith and trust in him.

“I am the way.” The way to God through his call, “Follow me.”

“I am the truth.” The truth about God through his teaching and example in suffering and death.

“I am the life.” The life with God which can only come through the merit of his redeeming sacrifice.

“There is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12) He has “abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel”—the “glad tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.” (II Tim. 1:10; Luke 2:10) Soon the majestic purposes of God will be fully unfolded, the way will be clear to all, the truth brilliant, and life more abundant will flow from beneath the throne. There was one way, and one way only, whereby God, in his great wisdom and love, saw that this glorious culmination could be brought about, and that was, the way of the cross. There was, and there is, no other way!

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