We live in an incredible time, when counterfeits to truth and righteousness abound on every side.  And the more dangerous those forms of counterfeit are, the more effectiveness and power they seem to have in our society today, isn’t it?  Look at the Muslims—the fastest growing religion. Or the personality cult behind so many celebrities, that knowingly thumb their nose at God, and almost taunt Him to do something about it.

What does Jesus—the Way, Truth and the Life—really mean?  Well, let’s ask it this way:  Does it take moral courage to be a Christian?  You better believe it. Does it take physical courage to be a Christian?  Sometimes.  Does it take mental courage to be a Christian?  Definitely.

“Ambition, covetousness, the mania to follow the fashions, the customs, and practices of the world in order not to be thought singular, will soon obliterate all lines of distinction between the Christian’s lines of pursuit and the practices of the world.  The love of pleasure is not to be cherished and indulged. When the human being, formed to do service for God, finds his time absorbed with plans that the Lord has naught to do with, he may well inquire, What end do I have in view? Whose service do I really enjoy? What does this eager strife for distinction amount to?”  –In Heavenly Places, p. 165

How has the Bible been robbed of its power?

“The Bible has been robbed of its power, and the results are seen in a lowering of the tone of spiritual life. In the sermons from many pulpits of today there is not that divine manifestation which awakens the conscience and brings life to the soul. The hearers can not say, ‘Did not our heart burn within us, while He talked with us by the way, and while He opened to us the Scriptures?’ Luke 24:32. There are many who are crying out for the living God, longing for the divine presence. Philosophical theories or literary essays, however brilliant, cannot satisfy the heart. The assertions and inventions of men are of no value. Let the word of God speak to the people. Let those who have heard only traditions and human theories and maxims hear the voice of Him whose word can renew the soul unto everlasting life.” –Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 40

So what is the answer?  Well, another question, like unto it:

What was Christ’s favorite theme?

“Christ’s favorite theme was the paternal tenderness and abundant grace of God; He dwelt much upon the holiness of His character and His law; He presented Himself to the people as the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Let these be the themes of Christ’s ministers. Present the truth as it is in Jesus. Make plain the requirements of the law and the gospel. Tell the people of Christ’s life of self-denial and sacrifice; of His humiliation and death; of His resurrection and ascension; of His intercession for them in the courts of God; of His promise, ‘I will come again, and receive you unto Myself.’ John 14:3.” –Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 40

 Shouldn’t we do combat with the opponents of the gospel?

“Instead of discussing erroneous theories, or seeking to combat the opponents of the gospel, follow the example of Christ. Let fresh truths from God’s treasure house flash into life. ‘Preach the word.’ ‘Sow beside all waters.’ ‘Be instant in season, out of season.’ ‘He that hath My word, let him speak My word faithfully. What is the chaff to the wheat? saith the Lord.’ ‘Every word of God is pure. . . . Add thou not unto His words, lest He reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.’ 2 Timothy 4:2; Isaiah 32:20; Jeremiah 23:28; Proverbs 30:5, 6.” –Ibid., p. 40

What is the cause of the widespread iniquity of today?

“‘The sower soweth the word.’ Here is presented the great principle which should underlie all educational work. ‘The seed is the word of God.’ But in too many schools of our day God’s word is set aside. Other subjects occupy the mind. The study of infidel authors holds a large place in the educational system. Skeptical sentiments are interwoven in the matter placed in school books. Scientific research becomes misleading, because its discoveries are misinterpreted and perverted. The word of God is compared with the supposed teachings of science, and is made to appear uncertain and untrustworthy. Thus the seeds of doubt are planted in the minds of the youth, and in time of temptation they spring up. When faith in God’s word is lost, the soul has no guide, no safeguard. The youth are drawn into paths which lead away from God and from everlasting life.

“To this cause may in great degree be attributed the widespread iniquity in our world today. When the word of God is set aside, its power to restrain the evil passions of the natural heart is rejected. Men sow to the flesh, and of the flesh they reap corruption.”  –Ibid., p. 41

Did you catch it?  When does scientific research become misleading?  When it casts doubt upon the word of God.

And what is causing so much mental weakness and inefficiency?

“And here, too, is the great cause of mental weakness and inefficiency. In turning from God’s word to feed on the writings of uninspired men, the mind becomes dwarfed and cheapened. It is not brought in contact with deep, broad principles of eternal truth. The understanding adapts itself to the comprehension of the things with which it is familiar, and in this devotion to finite things it is weakened, its power is contracted, and after a time it becomes unable to expand.”  –Ibid., p. 41

All this is false education.

So then, what will true education do?

“The work of every teacher should be to fasten the mind of the youth upon the grand truths of the word of Inspiration. This is the education essential for this life and for the life to come.

“And let it not be thought that this will prevent the study of the sciences, or cause a lower standard in education. The knowledge of God is as high as heaven and as broad as the universe. There is nothing so ennobling and invigorating as a study of the great themes which concern our eternal life. Let the youth seek to grasp these God-given truths, and their minds will expand and grow strong in the effort. It will bring every student who is a doer of the word into a broader field of thought, and secure for him a wealth of knowledge that is imperishable.

“The education to be secured by searching the Scriptures is an experimental knowledge of the plan of salvation. If we hold on to anything of the  world,  especially self-indulgent sins, then we frustrate the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives, and we will have to go over  the  same ground again and again—for this is not the way, truth and life.

“Such an education will restore the image of God in the soul. It will strengthen and fortify the mind against temptation, and fit the learner to become a co-worker with Christ in His mission of mercy to the world. It will make him a member of the heavenly family; and prepare him to share the inheritance of the saints in light.”  –Ibid., p. 41–42

How does Satan present the law of God, today (from a million popular pulpits)?

“Satan represents God’s law of love as a law of selfishness. He declares that it is impossible for us to obey its precepts. The fall of our first parents, with all the woe that has resulted, he charges upon the Creator, leading men to look upon God as the author of sin, and suffering, and death. Jesus was to unveil this deception. As one of us He was to give an example of obedience. For this He took upon Himself our nature, and passed through our experiences.  Hebrews 2:17. If we had to bear anything which Jesus did not endure, then upon this point Satan would represent the power of God as insufficient for us.  Hebrews 4:15. He endured every trial to which we are subject. And He exercised in His own behalf no power that is not freely offered to us. As man, He met temptation, and overcame in the strength given Him from God. Psalm 40:8. As He went about doing good, and healing all who were afflicted by Satan, He made plain to men the character of God’s law and the nature of His service. His life testifies that it is possible for us also to obey the law of God.

“By His humanity, Christ touched humanity; by His divinity, He lays hold upon the throne of God. As the Son of man, He gave us an example of obedience; as the Son of God, He gives us power to obey. It was Christ who from the bush on Mount Horeb spoke to Moses saying, ‘I AM THAT I AM. . . . Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.’ ‘I AM the Way, the Truth, and the Life.’ ‘God with us’ is the surety of our deliverance from sin, the assurance of our power to obey the law of heaven.”  –The Desire of Ages, p. 24

How far did Jesus have to go in proving Satan’s ways false?

Philippians 2:8

“In stooping to take upon Himself humanity, Christ revealed a character the opposite of the character of Satan. But He stepped still lower in the path of humiliation. ‘Being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.’ As the high priest laid aside his gorgeous pontifical robes, and officiated in the white linen dress of the common priest, so Christ took the form of a servant, and offered sacrifice, Himself the priest, Himself the victim. Isaiah 53:5.

“Christ was treated as we deserve, that we might be treated as He deserves. He was condemned for our sins, in which He had no share, that we might be justified by His righteousness, in which we had no share. He suffered the death which was ours, that we might receive the life which was His. ‘With His stripes we are healed.’”  –Ibid., p. 25

When His nature is united with our nature—what does that really mean?

Isaiah 9:6

“By His life and His death, Christ has achieved even more than recovery from the ruin wrought through sin. It was Satan’s purpose to bring about an eternal separation between God and man; but in Christ we become more closely united to God than if we had never fallen. In taking our nature, the Saviour has bound Himself to humanity by a tie that is never to be broken. Through the eternal ages He is linked with us. ‘God so loved the world, that He gave His only-begotten Son.’ John 3:16. He gave Him not only to bear our sins, and to die as our sacrifice; He gave Him to the fallen race. To assure us of His immutable counsel of peace, God gave His only-begotten Son to become one of the human family, forever to retain His human nature. This is the pledge that God will fulfill His word. ‘Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder.’ God has adopted human nature in the person of His Son, and has carried the same into the highest heaven. It is the ‘Son of man’ who shares the throne of the universe. The I AM is the Daysman between God and humanity, laying His hand upon both. He who is ‘holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners,’ is not ashamed to call us brethren. Hebrews 7:26; 2:11. In Christ the family of earth and the family of heaven are bound together. Christ glorified is our brother. Heaven is enshrined in humanity, and humanity is enfolded in the bosom of Infinite Love.” –Ibid., p. 25

If you are burdened down with cares, fears and worries today—what does He say to you in His word?

Matthew 11:28

“Jesus invites the weary and care-laden sons and daughters of Adam to come to Him, and lay on Him their heavy burdens. But many who hear this invitation, while sighing for rest, yet press on the rugged path, hugging their burdens close to their heart. Jesus loves them, and longs to bear their burdens and themselves also in His strong arms. He would remove the fears and uncertainties that rob them of peace and rest; but they must first come to Him, and tell Him the secret woes of their heart. He invites the confidence of His people as the proof of their love for Him. The gift of the humble, trusting heart is more precious to Him than all the wealth that riches can bestow. If they would only come to Him in the simplicity and confidence with which a child would come to His parents, the divine touch of His hands would relieve them of their burdens.

“Jesus, our compassionate Saviour, is the way, the truth, and the life. Why will we not accept His gracious offer of mercy, believe His words of promise, and not make the way of life so hard? . . . The ways of Christ are ways of pleasantness, and all His paths are peace. If we have made rough paths for our feet, and taken heavy burdens of care in laying up for ourselves treasures upon the earth, let us now change, and follow the path Jesus has prepared for us.”

“We are not always willing to come to Jesus with our trials and difficulties. Sometimes we pour our troubles into human ears, and tell our afflictions to those who cannot help us, and neglect to confide all to Jesus, who is able to change the sorrowful way to paths of joy and peace. . . . Oh, that all, ministers and people, would take their burdens and perplexities to Jesus, who is waiting to receive them, and to give them peace and rest! (Signs of the Times, Mar. 17, 1887).”  –Lift Him Up, 277

Why is it such a hard struggle to give up our own will and way?  (Don’t we like the feeling of control that this gives us?  But this very control is what is killing us. . . .)

“It is a terribly hard struggle to give up your own will and your own way. But this lesson learned, you will find rest and peace. Pride, selfishness, and ambition must be overcome; your will must be swallowed up in the will of Christ. The whole life may become one constant love sacrifice, every action a manifestation, and every word an utterance of love. As the life of the vine circulates through stem and cluster, descends into the lower fibers, and reaches to the topmost leaf, so will the grace and love of Christ burn and abound in the soul, sending its virtues to every part of the being, and pervading every exercise of body and mind.” –The SDA Bible Commentary, Ellen G. White Comments, vol. 5, p. 1091–1092

So Jesus being the Way, Truth and Life—what does that mean for you and I—living in the 21st century?

Looking at an experience of some young believers that I know—giving up television, eating sugar and animal products because they saw that television was wasting so much time, and that their cholesterol levels were so high that they just didn’t feel good.  Isn’t this what walking with Jesus means in the 21st century, in practical terms?

John 14:1-6.  Do you see how these two thoughts are interconnected?  If He truly is the Way, Truth and Life for you and I, then what must we do?

“Christ himself was the truth. The world would not listen to His pleadings. They would not accept Him as their guide; therefore they could not discern unseen things; spiritual things were unknown to them. But His disciples had discerned in Him the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and His promise to them was that they should have His abiding presence. They should have an experimental knowledge of the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom He hath sent. He who had begun a good work in them would perform it unto the day of Jesus Christ.” –Signs of the Times, November 18, 1897, par. 2

Their great Teacher gave them the assurance that He had to go away, in order to give them the best of all gifts.  What do you think it was?

“The thought that their Teacher was going to leave them filled the disciples with sorrow; but Christ comforted them with the assurance that He was coming again to take them to the place He would prepare for them. He assured them that if He went not away, He could not provide them with an advocate; that if they only knew of the blessings that were to come because of His departure, they would not mourn; they would rejoice in the presence of the Holy Spirit, who was to be with them always. He told them that if He went not away, they could not do a greater work; but that, deprived of His personal presence, by faith they would see and know Him, and by continuance in His love, by showing their appreciation of the truth in revealing to others what the truth is, by obeying His commandments and bearing a living, vital testimony, by doing His work that He would leave in their hands, carrying it forward to completion, they would become representatives of Himself.

“‘I will not leave you comfortless,’ Christ continued; ‘I will come to you. Yet a little while, and the world seeth Me no more; but ye see Me; because I live, ye shall live also. At that day ye shall know that I am in My Father, and ye in Me, and I in you. He that hath My commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth Me; and he that loveth Me shall be loved of My Father, and I will love him, and will manifest Myself to him.’”  –Ibid., par. 3–4

Do you think the Lord is aware of all that it has cost you to serve Him?

The Lord will recognize every effort you make to reach His ideal for you. When you have a failure, when you are betrayed into sin, do not feel that you cannot pray, that you are not worthy to come before the Lord. “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” With outstretched arms He waits to welcome the prodigal. Go to Him and tell Him about your mistakes and failures. Ask Him to strengthen you for fresh endeavor. He will never disappoint you, never abuse your confidence.

Christ knows the strength of your temptations and the strength of your power to resist. His hand is always stretched out in pitying tenderness to every suffering child. To the tempted, discouraged one He says, “Child for whom I suffered and died, can you not trust Me?”

Words cannot describe the peace and joy possessed by him who takes God at His word. Trials do not disturb him, slights do not vex him. Self is crucified. Day by day his duties may become more taxing, his temptations stronger, his trials more severe; but he does not falter; for he receives strength equal to his need. Just think—if Jesus were the Way, Truth and Life for the world, what a different world we would live in; it would be heaven down here—but it isn’t yet, is it?  That is why we must show Him to a fallen world, as the Way, Truth and Life.

Jerry Eaton