Chapter 14

Do all religions lead to God?
Does faith contradict reason?
Read John chapter 14

I Am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life

1 “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. 4 And you know the way to where I am going.” 5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”

8 Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. 11 Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.

12 “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. 13 Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask me for anything in my name, I will do it.

Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit

15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you for ever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.

18 “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. 21 Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.” 22 Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, “Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?” 23 Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. 24 Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father’s who sent me.

25 “These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. 28 You heard me say to you, ‘I am going away, and I will come to you.’ If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.29 And now I have told you before it takes place, so that when it does take place you may believe. 30 I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no claim on me, 31 but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. Rise, let us go from here.

ONE WAY

The only way? We might not have a problem with Jesus claiming to being the way, the truth and the life (v6), but to accept that he is the only way… well, that’s harder to swallow! And yet if Jesus is God the Son, he has the authority to make this incredible statement. Are you still questioning whether it can be true? So are some of the disciples; but that’s why Jesus does so many miracles, so as to leave them in no doubt as to his true identity (v11). There is no other possible explanation.

Think it through…
  1. Are you trying to gain acceptance with God in some way other than coming through Jesus?
  2. Do you ever worry that if you become a true follower of Jesus, you won’t be able to keep it up? If so, there’s help at hand. When someone becomes a true Christian, God by his Holy Spirit comes and lives inside them, giving them the power to live as they should.
Next chapter
The gospel in a nutshell

Browse below for a selection of helpful verses from John’s gospel answering important questions

Questions about Jesus

BLANK - invisible
Who is Jesus?

JOHN 1:1
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

JOHN 1:14
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

JOHN 14:9-11
Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.

JOHN 20:30,31
Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

Why did Jesus come?

JOHN 10:10
I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

JOHN 1:29
The next day he saw Jesus coming towards him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”

JOHN 3:16
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

JOHN 6:35
Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.

JOHN 8:12
Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

JOHN 14:6
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Why was Jesus hated?

JOHN 5:40
Yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.

JOHN 5:44
How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?

JOHN 8:47
Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.

JOHN 13:9,20
And this is the judgement: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.

JOHN 15:24,25
If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would have no sin; but now they have seen and also hated both Me and My Father. But this happened that the word might be fulfilled which is written in their law, ‘They hated Me without a cause.’

Why did Jesus have to die?

JOHN 10:11
I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

JOHN 1:29
The next day he saw Jesus coming towards him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”

How it affects you

BLANK - invisible
How can I be forgiven?

JOHN 3:16
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

JOHN 3:3
Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

JOHN 1:12
But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.

JOHN 6:37
All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.

JOHN 10:9
I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.

JOHN 8:36
So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

JOHN 20:28,29
Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

What if I don’t believe?

JOHN 3:18-20
Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgement: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.

JOHN 3:36
Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.

JOHN 5:40
Yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.

JOHN 8:24
I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am he you will die in your sins.

Is Jesus the only way?

JOHN 14:6
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

JOHN 5:23
Whoever does not honour the Son does not honour the Father who sent him.

JOHN 10:1
Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber.

I’m a good person – I don’t need Jesus

JOHN 8:34
Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin.” 

JOHN 8:24
I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am he you will die in your sins.

Does life become easy if I follow Jesus?

JOHN 16:33
I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.

If I trust Jesus, what happens to me when I die?

JOHN 5:24
Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgement, but has passed from death to life.

JOHN 10:28
I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.

JOHN 14:1-3
Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.

I’m afraid of what others might say if I become a Christian

JOHN 12:42,43
Nevertheless, many even of the authorities believed in him, but for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God.

JOHN 5:44
How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?

Scripture quotations are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, published by HarperCollins Publishers, ©2001 by Crossway). Used by permission. All rights reserved.