In the Beginning: The Book of John

(John 14:1-6[HCSB])

1 “Your heart must not be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in Me.

2 In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if not, I would have told you. I am going away to prepare a place for you.

3 If I go away and prepare a place for you, I will come back and receive you to Myself, so that where I am you may be also. 4 You know the way to where I am going.”3

5 “Lord,” Thomas said, “we don’t know where You’re going. How can we know the way? ”

6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

Except through Me

There is so much information here about the true identity of God that most either miss it or ignore it, treating the passage as a platitude but not as hard fact.

Glossing over this passage in John has a purpose that, for the moment, circumvents the stark reality and buys the reader some time … but not much time. It becomes clear in very short order that either Jesus is telling the truth or He is a liar.

Addressing both pathways have a similar effect: one is faced with the dilemma of a man either delusional or God Himself! Choosing the former allows us to return to our old behaviors for a time; the latter prevents us from successfully reentering the old life with our previous abandon.

So if no one comes to the Father except through (by) Jesus, then what about those who do not believe or refuse to accept this simple solution?

If we refuse to take Jesus at His word, then we are in agreement that:

 Our hearts will be troubled;

 The Father’s House does not exist;

 Jesus is not preparing a place for us;

 He is not coming back.

We cannot accept only the parts we like; so if it is an “all or nothing proposition” which side do you choose? With Him or without?