The Controversy
DID JESUS LIE OR TELL THE TRUTH IN JOHN 14:6?
The mystery of which is the one and only true religious belief is answered in this article.
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James 4:14 -- Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.
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Death and the afterlife (heaven and hell) are biblical truths. To see with your physical eyes that death is real is human. To see with your spiritual eyes that heaven and hell are real is divine. The good news is, heaven or hell is a choice. The bad news is, most people choose hell (Matthew 7:13-14)! Keep reading and find out why -- and definitely finding out your own fate today.
The HOLY BIBLE is the single, original, infallible and final source authenticating the life of Jesus Christ -- prophesied in the Old Testament and carried out in the New Testament. Any other additions, traditions and writings about Jesus contradictory to the Bible should be questioned for their motive and legitimacy. The verse in John 14:6, which reads, "Jesus said to him, I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one goes to the Father except through Me," creates a perennial controversy that continues to this day. Many world religions take this said verse as greatly offensive or repulsive because Jesus claimed deity and exclusivity. Jesus, they say, was an intolerant bigot. Perhaps the question needs to be asked: Why would Jesus make such colossal claims if they were not true? There are basically two ways to analyze this verse. One is, that Jesus lied and the other is, that Jesus told the truth. If Jesus deliberately lied then He should be considered the greatest impostor and deceiver of all time unless He was crazy -- not guilty by reason of insanity, which is, of course, farthest from the truth. The second way to analyze it is that Jesus told the truth. How, then, can we determine if Jesus told the truth? The most convenient way is to say “because the Bible says so.” However, not everyone accepts the validity and final authority of the Bible. In fact, the two largest world religions, Islam and the Roman Catholic Church (with over 3.1 billion combined adherents) deny Jesus' claims to deity and exclusivity respectively as explained below.
NOTE: If we are wrong on any of our narratives herein, we STAND CORRECTED. And, by all means boldly advise us about our incorrectness with indisputable proof, and we will gladly correct them. Bringing someone (including us) into the light of truth from the darkness of deception is one of the greatest acts of love, hence, this website was created solely for this purpose. There's nothing we stand for firmly except the truth -- absolute truths about Jesus Christ -- especially His deity (Son of God) and exclusivity (the only way to Heaven). The reason why most people go to hell is because they would rather practice their own respective man-made religion or believe in secularism than to have a Christ-centered relationship. One thing we will always be is, open-minded in our beliefs to biblical constructive criticisms for our faith is solely based on the Bible. Otherwise, insidious deceptions may creep in, unbeknownst to us. Even worse, we may unknowingly become adovocates of falsehood partnering with the devil in his day-to-day scheme of deceptions!
ISLAM'S CLAIM
Islam claims the Bible has been grossly corrupted and therefore is unreliable. One of the corruptions they cite was that Jesus did not die by crucifixion (Surah 4:157). Muhammad claims that it was someone else (a Jesus-look-alike) who was crucified, and His followers including Mary (mother of Jesus) who were there witnessing the crucifixion were deceived. Muhammad had to come up with this absurd idea to back up his claim even though it defies rational thinking. Unfortunately, his message resonates quite well for there are currently over 1.8 billion Muslims worldwide who believe that Jesus did not die by crucifixion, and thus did not resurrect from the dead, contradicting Jesus in Matthew 20:17-18. The Quran was written over 600 hundred years after the Bible came into print. One thing that is absolute though, no one can accuse the Bible writers for plagiarizing the Quran. Actually, it should be the other way around! Truth be told. There are no eyewitnesses and historical evidence that the Quran can cite that it was not Jesus who was crucified. Speculations, however, say that it was Simon of Cyrene who took the place of Jesus in the crucifixion but no verifiable proof given. The burden of proof should lie on the Quran, since the Quran is contradicting the Bible. The Bible, to the contrary, has all the historical and archaeological evidences and eyewitnesses to refute the Quran. Jesus Himself after His resurrection from the dead showed His crucifixion wound marks to His disciples, including Thomas, the disbelieving disciple, whom Jesus also asked to touch the sides of His body (John 20:24-29). Moreover, there were more than five-hundred (500) eyewitnesses at one time to whom Jesus appeared during His resurrection appearances (1 Corinthians 15:6). In fact, Jesus stayed with His disciples for 40 days after His resurrection before ascending to Heaven (Acts 1:3,9). Equally remarkable, Jesus Himself prophesied His own destiny, and it came to pass with one-hundred percent accuracy! As mentioned above Matthew 20:17-18 states, "And as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, He took the twelve disciples aside, and on the way He said to them, 'See, we are going up to Jerusalem. And the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief of priests and scribes, and they will condemn Him to death and deliver Him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified, and He will be raised on the third day'" (emphases added).
Muhammad's claim to his God-ordained prophethood should be intensely examined and questioned as well because Jesus, as portrayed in the Bible, is quite different from the Quran's portrayal. Interestingly, all of the prophets of God were Jews (Old and New Testaments) and Muhammad was Arabian! Muhammad vehemently rejects Jesus' blood atonement or propitiation for the sins of the world, which was fully accomplished on the cross. Further, Muhammad's claim if it were true, would nullify 1 Corinthians 15: 13-15, which says, "But if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised; then our preaching is vain, your faith also in vain. Moreover, we are even found to be false witnesses of God, because we witnessed against God that He raised Christ, whom He did not raised." Anyone who believes that it was not Jesus who was crucified and died on the cross but someone else has been lied to by the devil who is "a liar and father of lies" according to Jesus (John 8:44). If Muhammad told the truth then Jesus was the one who lied or, vice versa. Let the EVIDENCE be your guide!
Muhammad's claim that the Angel Gabriel was the one who delivered the Quran to him from God should also be scrutinized thoroughly. The Angel Gabriel of the Quran is quite different from the Angel Gabriel of the Bible for they contradict each other in numerous ocassions! One of these many contradictions is the Quran's narrative about Jesus not being the son of God (Surah 23:91). The Bible, however, says that Jesus is the Son of God. The Angel Gabriel of the Bible spoke to Mary by saying, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High" -- Luke 1:31-32 (emphasis added). Since there is an obvious contradiction here, who then bears the truth? Is it the Angel Gabriel of the Quran or the Angel Gabriel of the Bible? Whoever lied is the fraudulent angel Gabriel! If you listen to Muslims about Jesus, they will always say that Jesus did not claim to be the son of God. Absolutely incorrect for Jesus essentially did! Here's a profound discussion about Jesus and His disciples found in Matthew 16:13-17 -- "Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples 'Who do people say that the Son of Man is?' And they say, John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets. He said to them, 'But who do you say that I am?' Simon Peter replied, 'You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.' And Jesus answered him, 'Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Johah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in Heaven'" (emphasis added). If Peter was wrong in his answer, then Jesus would have corrected him sternly, but He didn't. Instead Jesus accepted his answer as Heaven-revealed and even blessed Peter! Amazingly, even the demons believed that Jesus was the Son of God as narrated in Matthew 8:29. Matthew 16:13-17 alone is enough to debunk Islam as the one true religion, which they stubornly claim.
THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH
Additionally, the Roman Catholic Church renders the Bible incomplete in its formation. The Catholic Church created the unbiblical Marian doctrine that teaches appealing to Mary for intercession, which is clearly in disparity with Jesus’ claim in John 14:6. You may have heard the saying, “Dead men tell no tales.” I would add my own saying, “Dead women hear no prayers.” How then, could Mary, who is dead, (no disrespect meant), truly become an intercessor for God if she cannot even hear Catholic Church believers praying the Rosary? How is it possible for Mary to hear prayers from Catholics all over the world when she is NOT God? Aren't dead people devoid of self-awareness, emotions and awareness of others? Actually, praying the Rosary was pioneered by Dominic of Prussia and Alanus de Rupe in the fifteenth century. Another belief is the Catholic tradition says Mary herself in the 13th century appeared to St. Dominic (founder of the Dominicans), and gave him the rosary, and asked that Catholics pray the Hail Mary, Our Father and Glory Be prayers instead of the Psalms. However, neither Dominic nor his order ever made this claim. Furthermore, according to Catholic tradition, Mary called Our Lady of Fatima appeared to three children near the village of Fatima, Portugal in 1917. She identified herself to them as the Lady of the Rosary. How then would you explain these alleged Mary apparitions? Here's the answer from the Bible. 2 Corinthians 11:14 states, "And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light." So figure out yourself whether Satan was responsible for those apparritions or not. Satan and his demons, as much as they could, would keep on lying to people day after day -- a relentless scheme of deception. That's the type of business Satan is in!
The Rosary has no (zero) biblical precedence. The only model prayer that Jesus taught His disciples was the "The Lord's Prayer" found in Matthew 6:9-13. Appealing to Mary for her intercession is a Catholic Church invention started in the early part of the 3rd century primarily for salvation purposes (making Mary as Co-redemptrix because of her sinlessness, the immaculate conception doctrine). Mary as mediatrix or the "Queen of Heaven" is not rooted in Scripture for it denies John 14:6. In fact, consulting or appealing to the dead is an ABOMINATION to God (Deuteronomy 18:10-13). In 1854 Pope Pius IX, with the support of the overwhelming majority of Roman Catholic bishops, whom he consulted between 1851 and 1853, proclaimed the Marian doctrine in accordance with the conditions of papal infallibility (popes make no mistakes) that would be defined in 1870 by the First Vatican Council. If it were true that popes do not make mistakes why then did the Catholic Church outlaw the sales of indulgences that were approved by Pope Leo X on March 1517? Indulgences were sold for the remission of past, present, and future sins. They were sold with the idea that it would cover the actual guilt of sins and could release souls from Purgatory, defying Jesus as the propitiation for the sins of the world (1 John 2:1-2). It is clear as daylight that the two Marian dogmas (Immaculate Conception and Assumption) were established by the popes in the 19th and 20th centuries. The Dogma of Assumption was issued by Pope Pius XII in 1950, and the Second Vatican Council declared Mary to be the "Mother of the Church." Clearly the Marian doctrine is NOT an inspiration from God! Actually, these said dogmas contradict and defy the truths about Jesus Christ found in John 14:6, 1 Timothy 2:5-6, Acts 4:12 and 1 John 2:1-2.
VIRGIN MARY'S ROLE
Mary's one and only role was earthly, being favored by God to conceive in her womb the Son of the Most High (Luke 1: 30-31). In spite of this glorious event, Jesus Himself did not put Mary on a pedestal. Luke 11: 27-28 records this profound exchange: "And it came about while He said these things, one of the women in the crowd raised her voice, and said to Him, 'Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts at which You nursed.' But He said, 'On the contrary, blessed are those who hear the word of God, and observe it.'" If Mary were truly an intercessor for God, Jesus perhaps would be replying to the woman differently by saying in today's lingo, "Amen!" instead of rebuking her. Nowhere in the Bible it is said that Jesus consulted with Mary regarding spiritual matters -- not even once! Only Jesus who is one of the Persons of the Godhead, and ALIVE, has the exclusive intercessor/mediator role as recorded in the Scriptures. Besides John 14:6 the Bible also says, “For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time” (1 Timothy 2:5-6). Another similar verse is 1 John 2:1-2 stating, "My little children, I am writing these things to you that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world." Nowhere in the Bible that designates Mary or any pope-canonized saint as an intersessor, mediator or advocate with the Father. Clearly the Bible unequivocably says that you cannot add man-made doctrines to it. Proverbs 30: 5-6 state, "Every word of God is flawless; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him. Do not add to His words, or He will rebuke you and prove you a liar" (emphasis added). Clearly the Catholic Church added their own doctrines, which are significantly in contradiction with the Bible!
THE JESUS-TOLD-THE-TRUTH ANALYSIS
The “Jesus-told-the-truth” analysis can also be substantiated by the science of logic, which deals with the strict rules or principles of valid and sound reasoning. For example, the syllogism, “All humans are mortal. Queen Elizabeth II was human. Therefore, Queen Elizabeth II was mortal.” That is one example of sound reasoning. No sane and educated person can dispute its logical truism. Moreover, in logic there is also what we call the law of non-contradiction, which states, “Where there are two contradictory statements or propositions they cannot both be true in the same sense and at the same time.” For example, if one person says “the world is round” and another person says “the world is flat” these form two contradictory statements. Hence, they cannot both be true. If the world is actually round (which it is) then it cannot be flat in the same sense and at the same time. One is true and the other is false. There is no gray area!
A closer examination of John 14:6 allows us to also apply the law of non-contradiction to construct a firm foundation for truth or falsehood. We can say “Jesus lied in John 14:6” or “Jesus told the truth in John 14:6.” Clearly, these are two contradictory statements. In Jesus’ three-year earthly ministry, there has never been any evidence of Him telling a lie. In fact, when He was falsely tried under Pontius Pilate, the charge was not lying but rather blasphemy by His claiming to be the Son of God (Matthew 26:63-65). Even Pontius Pilate said, “I am innocent of the blood of this just person” (Matthew 27:24). The only factual conclusion that can be drawn is that Jesus, being the embodiment of truth, did not lie. To lie would fly in the face of His character, which withstood the test of time and the suffering He endured at the hands of the Romans and the Jewish leaders of His day. Furthermore, there was no motivation for Jesus to lie. When people lie it is for the purpose of gaining an advantage. One becomes hard-pressed to see any advantage in Jesus' lying in John 14:6. Was the advantage, if there was any, being put to death? Quite absurd, isn't it?
The verse that immediately precedes this familiar passage in John 14:6 was a question that His disciple Thomas asked, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way" (John 14:5)? The way is Jesus’ divine and sound teachings, which illuminate the path to righteous living and culminating with eternal life with Him in heaven. However, disbelieving Him as the only way to the Father causes you to be condemned already (John 3:18) preventing you from entering the kingdom of God. Your final destiny then according to the Bible is hell -- the lake of fire that cannot be quenched!
WORLD RELIGIONS
To date there are over 4,200 recognized world religions, which perhaps go directly against the teachings of Jesus Christ. Thus we can conclude with full certainty that all religious beliefs, worldviews and traditions that reject John 14:6 as absolute truth must be false! That is simple logic. Denying John 14:6 as truth is like denying oxygen sustains life. Christ is the “spiritual oxygen” who gives eternal life in heaven to those who entirely believe in Him. Christianity is exclusive because it excludes anything and everything contrary to Jesus' teachings. John 14:6 should be the light-bulb moment when seeking absolute truth, the opposite of subjective truth. Furthermore, it is unbiblical to do the “Jesus +” things (e.g., Jesus plus Mary plus sacraments -- a Roman Catholic Church doctrine) to attain salvation. Jesus is the ONE and ONLY way to attain salvation. "There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12). Man-made religion or man-conceived enlightenments (like Buddhism), which is self-serving, can never save. Otherwise, God would not have sent His Son to atone for the sins of mankind, if religion, which is good-works-based can offer salvation. Christ did it all and no need for us to sweat it out. Only have unwaivering faith in Him, repent of your sins, and follow His commands. Thus your salvation is guaranteed!
CONCLUSION
There is a modern adage that says, “When truth offends …. speak truth anyway.” Jesus spoke truth to both His critics and adversaries and to all who came across His path. He, however, spoke truth in love (Ephesians 4:15). Jesus remained true to His very nature and character from birth all the way to His death. He could have saved Himself from an excruciating death by crucifixion had He only retracted His claims that He was the Messiah and the Son of God. Since Jesus is the ABSOLUTE TRUTH He did not retract His claims and stuck to his guns. He paid the price for us all and shed His blood on the cross to wash away our filthy sins. No greater love than this! Unlike this temporal and depraved world, Heaven is a place where “… death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away” (Revelation 21:4). Another exquisite description of Heaven is found in Revelation 7:15-17 -- "Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple. And He who sits on the throne will dwell among them. They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat; for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes." For those who are not saved as previously stated, their final destiny is hell, which is the lake of fire. "And if anyone's name was not found written in the Book of Life, he was thrown into the lake of fire" (Revelation 20:15).
Thank you for your valuable time in visiting our website. God bless you for He love us all preciously. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son and whosoever believes on Him shall not perish but have an everlasting life" -- John 3:16.
DOXOLOGY: "Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of His glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen." (Jude 1: 24-25).
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