“I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life, no one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).

All of us have seen signs alerting us to the fact that the road we are about to drive on is a one-way street.  These warning signs are posted for the protection of those people who find themselves traveling down the avenue.  The trouble is if you are going the wrong way on a one-way street an accident could happen—cars could collide—people could be seriously injured.  It’s not good to be going the wrong way down a one-way street.

Now some people may think that one-way streets don’t make a whole lot of sense.  They might wonder why you can’t travel down both sides of the street just like any other road.  One-way streets are exclusive by nature—only those traveling the right way are given access to that road.

In some ways, God’s plan of salvation is like a one-way street.  Jesus in the Gospel according to St. John says, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life, no one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).  Jesus is the one-way street that leads to our heavenly Father.  Jesus proves Himself to be the only way to heaven by what He did during His life and ministry on earth.  He took on human flesh in His birth in Bethlehem.  Jesus grew up just like any other boy during his times except He never disobeyed His parents, He never broke any of the commandments and He always followed His heavenly Father’s will for His life.  Then this Jesus willingly took on your sin and my sin and died for us on Calvary’s cross.

But why the cross you might be asking—why did God have to send His only Son to suffer and die for the sins of the world? From the beginning of time humans have concocted their own plans of salvation. All such plans focus on good works. Human nature tells us that we must DO something to GET something. Our human minds do not comprehend the idea of FREE, UNDESERVED LOVE. Here are some of the ways humans try to get to heaven:

"I just have to do enough good things. If I live a decent life, take care of my family, treat my neighbors well and obey the government, then God will reward me with eternal life." The problem? God says, Be holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy (Leviticus 19:2). God doesn't ask us to do as many good things as we can; he demands that we do everything he has commanded. Anything less falls short and deserves eternal death.

"If I do more good things than bad things, God will let me in." This solution has the same problem as the previous thought. God does not accept any sin. The apostle James wrote, For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it (2:10). God is not willing to sweep any or even the smallest sin under the carpet; he will punish all sin with eternal death.

"Well, I'm much better than that guy down the street. I don't drink too much or beat up my wife. I'm certainly better than all of the murderers in prison. I think God will let me in." Unfortunately, God doesn't ask us to be better than someone else. He requires that we be perfect and holy like him. Again, this line of thought leads to death.

Rather than trying to come up with our own solutions to get to heaven, we'd be much better off listening to God's solution. God knows that we cannot provide the perfection he requires. God knows that we have sinned and that He must punish that sin. Yet, God has provided the perfect solution in His Son, Jesus Christ. The apostle Paul wrote, God made him who had no sin to be sin for us so that in him we might become the righteousness of God, (2 Corinthians 5:21). God punished our sin. He punished Jesus by sending him to die on the cross. Jesus' death paid the debt of our sins in full, and the sins of the whole world. In exchange for our sins God gave us Jesus' righteousness. God credits the perfect life that Jesus lived to us.

We don't have to DO anything because Jesus has already done it all. As a result of what Jesus did, God gives us forgiveness for our sins and eternal life for FREE. Life eternal is the gift of God. Jesus is the only way to get to heaven. He is the one-way street that leads to our God and heavenly Father.  There is no other way to get from here to there. And our great God has provided us with many tools to make that happen.  He gives us the gift of Baptism.  This gift is for all people for God’s desire is for all to be saved from the new born baby to the oldest senior citizen—God’s heart is for the salvation of His people and since He is the only one who can grant this forgiveness and newness of life it doesn’t matter the age of the person, God’s gift of baptism is for all.  St. Peter tells us that “baptism now saves you” (I Peter 3:21).

God also sustains that faith through the Sacrament of Holy Communion as He invites us to feast on the body and blood of Christ.  The Bible teaches us that Christ offers us His real presence in the bread and wine offered at the Lord’s Supper and that in the eating and drinking of this sacred meal we receive the forgiveness of sins and the hope of life eternal with our God in heaven.

And through His Word God continues to correct us when we stray away from Him, to draw us back to Himself as we confess our sins, to forgive us through the soothing message of the Gospel, to comfort us, to reassure us, and to redirect us along His path for our life—helping us to follow Him down that one-way street paved by our Lord and Savior that transports us from earth to heaven, from death to life eternal.

If you have any questions about God’s plan of salvation or Jesus as the One Way to the Father please contact the pastors at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Grand Haven, Michigan and we would love to be able to tell you even more about our best Friend, our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.  You can reach us via e-mail at pastors@sjlcs.org

God’s blessings on your day and your walk with the Lord!

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