The Way, the Truth, and the Life (Episode 131)

“I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me,” Jesus said (John 14:6, KJV). To those outside Christendom, this is one of the most arrogant statements Christians can make. It suggests that Christianity is the only valid faith. Frank King expounds on these powerful words of Jesus in this episode.
We have countless religions to choose from today. Also, in America, we have the right to freedom of religion. Ironically, when it comes to knowing and getting right with God the Creator, you don’t get to exercise freedom of religion. 
That worldview goes against the grain of our culture. In virtually everything, we have options. But in this matter of eternal consequences, Jesus says, in effect, we don’t have options.
Christology is the area of Christian theology pertaining to the person, nature, and role of Christ. These aspects of Christ lay at the very foundation of Christianity.
For a religious community to be deemed Christian, it must adhere to the biblical teachings regarding the person, nature and role of Christ. We can disagree on many things and still be fellow Christians. But not on these vital truths about the person of Jesus.
“The Way, the Truth, and the Life” is a loaded self-declaration. We do well to take a closer look. So, let us unpack this phrase:  
The Way
Every place in America and in the world has a specific location. Because of that, you can take your favorite navigational equipment, input your destination, and your device will guide you there. For most places, there is more than one route to get there. But as for heaven and the Father, Jesus says He is the only way. Absolutely no alternative way to God and to heaven exists. In John 10:9, Jesus refers to Himself as the door.
The Truth
Truth is not relative. Truth is not in the eyes of the beholder. It is not situation ethics. In other words, it’s not a function of the circumstances. Truth in the eyes of God is absolute. In John 17:17, Jesus says to God, “Your Word is truth.” Hence, God’s Word is the standard by which all claims, philosophies and doctrines are evaluated, relative to the truth. Jesus was the embodiment of the truth. Everything He said, taught and did was consistent with the Word of God.
The Life
Jesus says He came that we might have life (John 10:10). In that verse, the word for life is not the word bios (bee-oss), which denotes merely physical life. But He uses the word ZOH-ee, which is life in the absolute sense. Only one source exists for obtaining this true life. In John 5:24, Jesus says, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life” (KJV).
Coming to the Father
After proclaiming Himself to be the Way, the Truth, and the Life, Jesus drops the bomb. He says, “No one comes to the Father but through Me” (John 14:6, NASB). That's the point Jesus was leading up to. In other words, to come to the Father, we must follow the Way He showed us.  Accept the Truth He taught. And receive Life through faith in Him.
 

The Name of Jesus (Episode 125)

In this episode, Frank King addresses the authority of the name of Jesus when we pray to the Father, and we believe in the authority of Jesus’ name.  According to Philippians 2:9, God has highly exalted the name of Jesus and given Him a name above every other name.
The names of some people in this world carry great authority. For instance, the CEO of a large, powerful company; or the President of the United States, etc. When these individuals sign a document, their name commands respect. But no matter how great a person's name may be in this world, it pales in comparison to the name of Jesus. Every other name is subject to His.
Near the end of Jesus’ time on earth, He instructed His disciples on how to pray going forward. He said, “And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you” (John 16:23, KJV).
This was a major paradigm shift for the disciples. They were used to coming to Him for everything they needed. Why not? He was God in the flesh. He was right there with them. Whatever they needed, He had access to it in heaven.
But He was telling them that was not how it was going to work going forward. He says you will ask me nothing. But whatsoever you ask the Father in my name, He will give it to you. That means going forward, you are to pray to the Father in my name. That is also how we should pray today.
Are You Really Praying in His Name?
Frank King stresses the point that just because you say “in the name of Jesus” at the end of your prayer does not necessarily mean you are praying in the name of Jesus. You are only praying in His name when you pray consistently with the teachings and principles that He taught and modeled while on earth.
For instance, suppose on the job your boss was giving you a difficult time for no apparent reason other than the fact that you are a Christian. No matter what you do and how nice you try to be, he gives you nothing but a hard way to go.
After a while, you are at your wits end. You pray to God and ask Him to bring the fire of judgment upon your wicked boss. Then you end your prayer by saying “in the mighty name of Jesus, Amen.”
The truth is that even though you prayed that prayer in the name of Jesus, you have not prayed in His name. Why not? Because that’s not how Jesus taught that we should pray for our enemies. He says, for instance, we should bless those who despitefully use us and persecute us.
Please know that there is prayer and there is effective prayer. The question is do you just want to pray, or do you want to pray effectively?
The point is that if you are not truly praying to God in the name of Jesus through faith in His name, you are not praying effectively. If this were not an important point, Jesus would not have made it so to His disciples.

The Person of Christ (Episode 82)

The study of the person of Christ is called Christology. One r eason we should study the person of Christ is because the Christian faith is based upon and centered around Jesus Christ. Our sole source for learning of Him is the Bible. Men have written many other books about Him. Still, we can only know what there is to know about Him through what has been revealed in the holy Scriptures.
God sent His Son to be the Savior of the world. What you believe about the person of Christ determines how you relate to Him. If you believe He was no more than a morally upright human being, you will discount everything He said relating to His divinity. Only if you believe that He is who He claimed to be can you relate to Him properly.
Jesus may have looked like just another human being, but He wasn’t. He was the fullness of God clothed in the likeness of sinful flesh. Concerning this mystery, Paul writes, “For in Him all the fullness of Deity (the Godhead) dwells in bodily form….” (Colossians 2:9, NASB). Accordingly, He is sometimes refered to as the God-man.
Music Credits:
Intro Music: By Leva via Pixabay
Ending Music: By Oleksandr Savochka via Pixabay