By Joy Le Page Smith, MA

Once a person takes the path Jesus called “the way,” Christ’s perfection covers every sin—our every imperfection–ever made. Based on our trust in what He has done by dying on the cross for us we abide in His perfection. We are now in God’s kingdom. It is different from “the world” we see—where shilly-shally wavering can occur for the most part, rather than seriously pondering “what happens next.” Jesus’ teaching makes it clear “what comes once life ends. Following “the way” puts us in His kingdom while we are still here on earth. Our rewards come next. Choosing to live His way as a state of being for our souls brings major rewards in the here and now as well.

“The way,” Jesus taught finds us “in the world, but not of it.” God’s kingdom is comprised of “righteousness [right doing], peace and joy in the Holy Spirit,” (Romans 14:17). He promised to send a “helper” to us, that is His Holy Spirit. We come to sense that Presence within and know we are never alone.

A passage in John 1:12 says, “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name.” When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the man, “Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven,”(Matthew 9:2).

There is one qualifier that Jesus stated, one many in the world will not receive. Jesus made it clear that there is only one way to Father God. He said, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No man comes to the Father except through me,” (John 14: 6). Yes, it is the Father who gave His son that we might have eternal life. We reach our Heavenly Father through placing our trust in His son Jesus. No other way opens the door to heaven. And imagine this: It is the Father who is beckoning you to choose “the way.” Jesus assured us of this when He said, “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day,” (John 6:44). Choosing “the way” means God will always be with us—Father, Son and Holy Spirit—three in one . . . and resurrection from death is assured for all “. . .who receive Him and believe in His name, to them He gave the right to become children of God. 

Although hard things come to all in this life, the Father will forever take care of His children. Jesus said, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

“He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne,” (Revelations 3:21). This is talking about an eternal life in Heaven! Sitting with God in His throne—image what a time that will be!

If you are choosing “the way” Jesus taught and have asked Jesus Christ to forgive you for your sins, your “belonging needs” are met. Yet, identifying oneself as God’s child is a choice.

Your growth as a follower of the teachings of Jesus will benefit from finding a church to attend. The Bible is a light for our pathway; God’s Word to us guides our lives. The Bible has two Testaments, the Old Testament, and the New Testament. Reading the New Testament first may be best as Jesus’ life and teachings start there. The Old Testament tells the story of God’s creating the heavens and the earth, then drawing a people to Himself. His first people were the Israelites (the Jews). The story of their faltering and failures along with God’s mercy and steadfast love are in the Old Testament. After Jesus’ life, death and resurrection, God’s people are those who identify themselves as followers of Jesus Christ, who identified His Father as God and taught what it means to be on “the way.”

Several posts on this website that will enrich your heart while helping your faith expand. Search for them by these titles:

Can we trust the Bible to be true?

Glean the Essence of the Bible’s Appeal 

How can the Bible be more easily understood?