According to their book, “I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist,” Norman Geisler and Frank Turek write that the following questions are “the five most consequential questions in life”:
- Origin: Where did we come from?
- Identity: Who are we?
- Meaning: Why are we here?
- Morality: How should we live?
- Destiny: Where are we going?
Regardless of your worldview, everyone wants an answer—or thinks they have an answer—for each question. Even when I was reading existential and evolutionary authors in school, many of those authors’ would have answered those questions as follows:
- Origin: We came from the goo
- Identity: We are highly-evolved animals
- Meaning: Life is meaningless (find your own meaning)
- Morality: Do what makes you happy
- Destiny: We are going nowhere but to the grave
As a follower of Jesus, we find the answer to these questions in Him:
- Origin: God created us from the dust of the earth
- Identity: We are made in His image
- Meaning: We are here to glorify God & proclaim the gospel of Christ
- Morality: We should follow the way of Christ
- Destiny: Heaven (if we follow Jesus; the alternative is eternal suffering)
Compare the different answers. Which one would you rather follow?
In the gospel of John, Jesus makes seven distinctive “I am” statements. These are each designed to help us understand Him:
| 1. I am the bread of life | 6:35, 48, 51 |
| 2. I am the light of the world | 8:12; 9:5 |
| 3. I am the door of the sheep | 10:7, 9 |
| 4. I am the good shepherd | 10:11, 14 |
| 5. I am the resurrection and the life | 11:25 |
| 6. I am the way, the truth, and the life | 14:6 |
| 7. I am the true vine | 15:1 |
This month, we are going to focus on Jesus’ statement in John 14.6: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” This statement answers the questions everybody has about life.
He is the Way: Following the way of Jesus is to know where you came from, where you are going, and how you should walk on this right path.
He is the Truth: Jesus provides reliable answers to the burning questions of life because He is the source of absolute truth. Unlike the world around us—which stumbles around in the confused arena of relative truth (aka subjective opinions)—Jesus gives us what we need to stand on solid truth. (This answers all 5 questions!)
He is the Life: Jesus is the origin of life, the source of life, and the means by which we can have eternal life. John 1 reminds us that He was in the beginning with God and all things were made by Him and through Him. Jesus Himself said He came that we might “have life and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10)
To follow Jesus is to walk securely. In Him there is confidence, purpose, and hope. Why would you follow the shifting paths of this world? Such paths might satisfy you for a time and might even seem more enjoyable, but their end is confusion, destruction, and death.
This month, we will write through scriptures dealing with this concept of Jesus being the way, the truth, and the life. I post the daily verses on instagram and facebook as well if you want additional encouragement.
To download a printable copy of the plan, click the link below:
To download the kids’ tracing and copying sheets, click the links below:
New to scripture writing? Need ideas on how to get started/stay motivated? Check out this article: How to Use Scripture Writing Plans
Special thanks to Liz Smith and Sara McBroom who help me in preparing these plans each month.
Elihu's Corner 