God Beyond Religion: Why John 14:6 is not exclusive

 

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

John 14:6 is used by many as what I call a clobber verse. It is used as a proof text that states that Jesus and Christianity is the only way to God. I have posted it above and I’m quite sure most people would say, well isn’t that what it clearly says? My answer is a resounding no! First of all it is important to point out that it is an answer to a question and not statement of teaching initiated by Jesus to inform everyone. Thomas had asked him how they would know the way, and if Thomas had not asked the question, no one would have ever heard of John 14:6. While there are many examples of Jesus standing or sitting before crowds and proclaiming a truth he wanted to teach, this is not one of them. John’s gospel was written well after all the others. John is recalling some of the teachings of Jesus that other gospel writers did not include. It is a very esoteric gospel and far more spiritual in nature than the others. If this was meant to be the clobber verse that so many have made it become, he would have proclaimed it in the Sermon on the Mount but he did not.

What was John’s message in this gospel? Well, he began the gospel with what he deemed most important. John chapter one begins with the Logos. It is actually a creation story that describes events that precede those in Genesis chapter one. Genesis chapter one speaks of creation and John chapter one speaks of before creation. When one defines Logos, John chapter one would read… “In the beginning was consciousness, and consciousness was with God, and consciousness was God.” Jesus understood that he was the incarnation of God Consciousness. That was/is the source of the “I AM.” When Jesus referred to I AM, he was referring to God Consciousness incarnated in human flesh. In fact, if one believes that John wrote about what Jesus had taught him while with him, (and I do believe that) he was taught that God Consciousness was in the world before his incarnation, but not very many recognized it. However, to all that recognized it he gave the power to understand that they were indeed children of God. You may say, where do you get that? Here, John 1:10-12 “He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him.  (11)  He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.  (12)  Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— “ What was in the world? Jesus? No, God consciousness. How do we know this? John answers that in verse fourteen by telling us that in Jesus, God Conscious became flesh and dwelt among humanity. It was not that God Conscious was not in the world prior to Jesus, but that not many recognized it.

So then, if we go back to John 14:6, it is saying. “God Consciousness is the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to an understanding of God being the parent except through God Consciousness.” Paul sheds some light on the universal aspect of Jesus mission in Galatians 2:16. Gal 2:16 “yet we know that no one is justified by the works of the law but by the faithfulness of Jesus Christ. And we have come to believe in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by the faithfulness of Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified.” It is the faith OF Christ that justifies everyone. It is an act that was done by God and does not need anyone to add to it. It is just a fact. Paul further explains this universal mission of Jesus in Romans. Rom 5:18  “Consequently, just as condemnation for all people came through one transgression, so too through the one righteous act came righteousness leading to life for all people.” Eternal life is a fact. Jesus came to show humanity that it has eternal life, and actually had it before Jesus came into the world. The writer of Hebrews explains that one of the major missions of Jesus was to die, be resurrected so that humanity could overcome its fear of death.  John states that the purpose of him writing his gospel was twofold. First it was to believe that God Consciousness became flesh, and in believing one would be awakened to the reality that therein was life, eternal life.  If we are created in God’s image, that would mean two things. We are first and foremost consciousness which is spirit, and we are eternal.

So then, when Jesus said I AM the way, the truth, and the life he was simply saying that if one grasps the teaching that humanity is God Consciousness incarnate, the knowledge came THROUGH him!