The question appears to be a misquote, as John 14:6 states: “I am the way, the truth and the life, nobody can come to the Father except through me”.
This is unless the questioner was purposefully playing around with idea that in the Word of God is life and this life is light of men (John 1.4).
This statement by Jesus encapsulates three important features that every quest for the ideal life embraces, whether this is philosophical or theological (religious). The three features are the ideal, the practices for attaining the ideal and the worldview that establishes how to go about determining the ideal.
What is a worldview?
This is the perception that one has of oneself and the world in which one lives. One's worldview forms the very beginning of each one’s quest and establishes the reasons why one would seek an ideal. If one is satisfied with the environment in which one lives, there will be no quest for any ideal. If one is dissatisfied with one’s lot in life, then one will seek a better life, which becomes the quest for the ideal.
The worldview becomes the foundation for developing the ideal. As an extreme example, if one lived in a tent in a desert, one might begin to dream of living in an igloo in Canada. Or vice versa, if one lived in an igloo, one might begin to dream of living in a tent in a desert somewhere in Northern Africa. However, whatever ideal one develops, this will depend on the depth of contemplation one might have in relation to one’s dissatisfaction.
Most people see the opposite of death and suffering as being the ideal that they seek. This means for most people, life and happiness become their ideal.
Happiness is not just a state of reprieve from suffering; rather, happiness is an existence where positive emotions, attitudes and aspirations contribute to a state of well-being and elatedness that is void of any doubt, discontent, disbelief, dissatisfaction, distress, disease or pain of any kind whatsoever. A state of perpetual happiness probably seems like an illusion. Nevertheless, to know only happiness, really is an ideal that people consider worthy to seek out as the ultimate goal. However, true happiness is only knowable if eternal life is possessed.
Life, the opposite of death, is the ideal posited by Jesus.
When speaking about the major religions, the ideal eternal habitation may differ, but one thing they all have in common is the desire to be absent the pain and suffering that people experience in this world. Yet, surprisingly, the practices required to obtain this ideal are often a means for contention and hostility. For these practices are what appear to produce much of the conflict that humans experience (for example, Shiite and Sunnis).
The practices to obtaining the ideal differ, on one side of the spectrum, from that of deprivation of possessions to, on the far side, that of positive affirmation for possessing worldly goods and enjoying life on Earth in the belief that it will never end.
Suffering and duty seem to be the most common means of attaining the ideal. Although, Buddhists see avoidance of suffering as one’s duty, while some Hindus and Roman Catholics see self-affliction as the means by which they are able to progress towards their ideal. Muslims are very much obligated to perform duties and rituals to obtain favor from their deity, so they can achieve their ideal, as are Hindus, Buddhists, and Christians belonging to the Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Coptic traditions.
Among Christians claiming to be Protestants, Fundamentalists, Evangelicals, or Pentecostals, duty does not appear to be a major component of their religious practices in respect to rituals and rites, except for baptism and communion and a commitment to their basic beliefs, which superficially are to love the Lord their God with all their heart and their neighbor as themselves. The love tenet, of course, is spoken about often within all Christian traditions.
Notably, Jesus posited truth as the practice that ought to be upheld—not lip service.
The worldview that each one knows differs not only among the different community expressions but also from individual to individual within each community. Superficially, there appears to be a unity among community members engaging on their journey, but each individual has his or her own story and thereby a personal worldview to go with it.
The reason people have personal worldviews is each one of us has a different upbringing that is affected by varying sets of circumstances that elicit different responses and contribute to forming different dispositions and attitudes towards life; even if we were brought up in the same community and the same household with the same parents. The path towards the ideal then becomes different for each one regardless of community expectations and practices.
The claim made by Jesus is that He alone is the way.
Jesus is the way, the truth and the life because the path which he has taken leads to life and opens the door for all who follow to have access to the Father, from Whom all have been taken as prisoners of sin and death by the Evil One by virtue of our own actions and the actions of the first man and woman (Romans 5:12).
Essentially, no one asks to be born into a world of suffering just to live a futile existence bound by death. Once we recognize the reality of our existence, we begin to look for a way out of having to suffer. We can join in with the evil ones of this world and perpetuate injustice with the merciless cowards who manipulate and position themselves to lord it over the rest of the population. Or we can detest evil, recognize the futility of our own inability to combat it, and acknowledge our need to know the Creator of Heaven and Earth, if we are to find a solution for our dilemma, which is to suffer and die, or cause others to suffer and die before we do the same.
Jesus essentially teaches us that He has laid the pathway down so that we can walk in the way He has made for us to follow with His help, providing we hate evil—that is, sin and its consequences.
Jesus also teaches us that if we continue in the way that he made for us by contemplating His word, we will begin to know the truth about ourselves. In doing so, we discover what we need to do to overcome the obstacles that are causing us to suffer from our slavery of sin unto death. The reality is the truth will set us free from our ignorance (John 8:31-32). However, Jesus says that when He Himself sets us free, we will be free indeed (John 8:36), because He will ensure that we escape the grip of sin and are set free from its tentacles (1 John 5:18).
For those of us who receive the new life: this begins immediately. Eventually we will be appointed to bear fruit for eternal life once we experience on a daily basis what it is like to know love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness and self-control. Others (but not all) will desire to know how to get what we possess, and we will become peacemakers who sow the fruit of righteousness in peace. This life will flow over into eternal life; for when we die we will go into the presence of the Father—the reality is we who enter God's rest (Hebrews 4:11), begin to know the Father's presence while on Earth, before we leave for our eternal home.
However, unlike other religious leaders, who claim to be an incarnation of God or Divine, Jesus demonstrated that He is the way to life because He demonstrated the truth that unless one has the power over death, anyone claiming divinity is deceived. Hence, no one can come to the Father except through Lord Jesus Christ, because He paid the ransom price to redeem a sin ravaged world, and He has risen from the dead. Now Lord Jesus baptizes all those who belong to Him with the baptism of the Holy Spirit and fire (Matthew 3:11).
A defining feature of being a true ancestor of Abraham (the father of all who believe and are saved—Romans 4;11-12) is that we have an experience with the Son of God The Psalmist (110:1) tells us that there are two Lords; the book of Proverbs (30:4) tells us that God has a Son, and Jesus not only claimed Himself to be the Son of God (John 10:36), but also asked the question of others as to who they thought might be the Christ:
- Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question, saying, “What do you think of the Christ? Whose son is he?”They said to him, “The son of David.” He said to them, “How is it then that David, inspired by the Spirit, calls him Lord, saying, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand, till I put thy enemies under thy feet’? If David thus calls him Lord, how is he his son?” (Matthew 22:41-45)
The true religion of Abraham is one of experiencing a relationship with the Son of God (Gen 12:1-3; 13:14-17; 15:1-6). The Israelites, while given the Mosaic Covenant with which they were to be representative of God as the chosen nation on Earth, all needed to have an individual relationship with the Son of God to secure their salvation (Deuteronomy 10:16). The Son of God searches the hearts of those people who draw near to God (James 4:8; Rev. 2:30; Jer. 17:10). Nevertheless, this Covenant with a nation of sinners was doomed, although foreknown and necessary to bring about the salvific act of One Man to redeem the world that was stolen by Satan from the First Man (1 Jn 3:8; John 3:17; Rom.5:18;). The only way anyone is able to return to the Father is through Lord Jesus Christ; hence, He is truly the way to eternal life.
Atheists may think that these three features of reality do not affect them. The reality is atheists are no different to anyone else in this respect.
The atheists’ ideal is to find a way to overcome death and suffering.
The practices by which they attempt to do this are through scientific investigation to prolong life forever and purportedly keep the golden rule, which is according to one atheist on Quora: "Don't be an asshole."
However, atheists' worldviews originate from an egoist's perspective: “I exist; so up yours. If I do not like you; stiff. I am wiser than the Creator God, because as far as I am concerned, He does not exist. If necessary, I will do whatever, whenever to whomever, because it is always a matter of the survival of the fittest.”
This worldview factors into the atheists’ ideal of wishfully hoping that something might turn up to prolong their life before they die and they themselves having sufficient money to participate in cryonics: their prospect of immortality. However, it is too bad for those who don’t have the money to pay for being frozen until the discovery eventuates. Moreover, if such a discovery were to happen, the other critical issue that needs to be taken into account to ensure that atheists definitely participate in their wishful immortality creates a disconcerting problem; because they cannot personally take care of their bodies after they are dead. This raises the question: Can atheists really trust their fellow believers to keep their word and ensure they can also share immortality in the event of such a discovery? Since atheists have no absolutes, everything is always uncertain for them.
In summary, John 14:6 is a concise statement of human reality found in every culture concerning every individual, irrespective of what each one believes. Jesus probably made this pithy statement not only to sum up human need but also to crystallize the solution for everyone's dilemma.
