John 3:16–18, 14:6–11; 1 Timothy 2:3–6

Bible Studies for Life
Chair and Armstrong Professor of Religion, Department of Religion, Samford University

Jesus the One and Only
John 3:16–18, 14:6–11; 1 Timothy 2:3–6
Whenever my wife and I set off on a road trip, we like to plot the most direct route with MapQuest.com. However, there are many occasions when we prefer to take a more circuitous journey, using minor roads off the beaten track to see much more interesting places along the journey. Many people assume that the same is true with our spiritual journey, that the pilgrimage of faith can take different routes through many religions and in the end we will all discover God for ourselves. Nothing could be further from the truth as far as the New Testament is concerned. Over and over again, writing to people in the first century who were accustomed to a diversity of religions, the early disciples declared that Jesus is the one and only way to God.

One Son (John 3:16–18)
Jesus’ uniqueness is related to His own eternal relationship to the Father as the “only begotten Son,” or the “one and only Son.” John reminds us of one of the most basic and yet profound mysteries of our faith — that the One who came to be our Savior is none other than the eternal Son of God. The person who came to demonstrate the nature of God’s love stressed the greatness and indispensable nature of that gift. The Father gave His unique and beloved Son, so that we might experience the same loving relationship the Father and the Son have with each other. This implies that without knowing the Son, we cannot experience the love of God the Father. Jesus’ uniqueness is not centered on His ministry of word and deed, of teaching and healing, however vitally important these aspects of His life were. His uniqueness is that He “comes from above;” (John 3:31) He reveals who God is because He is the eternal Son of God who became human. The response of those who encounter Him is to “believe,” to put our trust, our hope, in Him because “eternal life” is found in Him and in Him alone. This idea may upset our contemporary intellectual climate, which is offended by absolute claims to truth, but this is the claim Jesus makes for Himself.

One Way (John 14:6–11)
In a Gospel in which Jesus makes various “I am” statements about Himself, the claims that He is the “way, the truth and the life” and that no one can come to the Father except through Him are astounding. They fit well with Jesus’ earlier sayings that He is the “gate” and the “shepherd” because He embodied Himself as the way of access to God. Whereas in Judaism the “way” was often associated with God’s law and wisdom, Jesus identified a relationship with Himself as the way in which we discover truth. Once again, the language of Father and Son speaks of the intimacy of the relationship between God and Jesus into which His followers are drawn. Through knowing Jesus, we can experience God as a loving parent and find our unique identity in that relationship. Jesus does not only teach us aspects of truth — He is the truth. He does not merely point us on some journey toward life — He is the life. If we have Him, then what else do we need?

One Mediator (1 Tim. 2:3–6)
In this passage, Paul reflected on both the universalism of the Christian message and its particularity. Universally Paul reminds us that God’s desire is that the whole of humanity experience His love and grace. His desire is that “everyone be saved!” For Paul, this salvation is to “come to a knowledge of the truth” not only intellectually but also by experience. However, if God’s desire is for all to be saved, then there is only one way that this can occur — through the “one mediator between God and humankind — Christ Jesus, Himself human.” God’s grace is generous. His love has no limits as to the way in which He has expressed His desire that men and women come to know Him and experience His forgiveness, His mercy, the gift of eternal life. This ought to encourage within our lives a similar generosity of desire that family members, friends and colleagues discover the Christian message for themselves. God’s grace compels us to take this message of His love for the whole world to as many people as we can reach.