The Gospel of John | Exclusive Authority – John 14:1-14
Jesus Christ offers the fullness of salvation in His obedience, stemming from his unique relationship as both Fully God and Fully Man
Jesus continues His farewell discourse to the disciples with the realization beginning to set in to the disciples that Jesus would be going to die (although, they would not yet understand the scope of what Jesus would be accomplishing). Thus, He begins by exhorting the disciples to not be dismayed or afraid but to be complete in their understanding of who Jesus is and what He came to do. The role of Jesus Christ in the world is the direct expression of the will of the Father taking on flesh in the person of Jesus Christ. While this may be a scary and difficult time for the disciples who will watch the death of their Lord, they are to not be fearful or concerned knowing that God could not be defeating. Jesus explains His connection to the Father as a means of establishing the authority by which things occur and to further clarify that God will be sovereign and victorious even in the face of death.
The world says that many things different things offer paths to salvation. For some, that is through our own self-righteous obedience. For others this is by the continued to offering of perpetual sacrifices to appease God. Some even go so far as to worship many gods of our own creation to cover our bases to appease every aspect of creation. Jesus Christ, in one of His more well known claims, states that salvation is only available through His as He is the Way, Truth, and Life. All other gods are false gods and only the One, True God who took on flesh in Jesus Christ offers any hope of salvation for mankind. Furthermore, this hope is not one that promotes and placates the desires of the flesh but involves our total submission to God as King and Lord. As we bow before Jesus Christ, the authority that stems from the Father through the Son by the Holy Spirit dwells within us and we submit our thoughts, our words, and our actions to be fully redeemed by the work of Jesus Christ.
The Exclusive Claim of Jesus Christ
In Thomas’ questions with Jesus, Jesus makes an exclusive claim to salvation that could only come from someone with the unique attributes and nature of Jesus Christ. Boldly, Christ proclaims that He is the way, the truth, and the life as He lays claims to be the exclusive path towards eternal salvation. The people of Israel sought access to The Father in a culture that largely celebrating a polytheistic expression of faith. The Jews maintained a strict monotheism while the world around them worshipped various gods, worshipping them as a means of salvation for the people. Christ, however, does not leave this pluralism as an option while also claiming to be one with the Father. Salvation comes from Jesus Christ and Him alone. Being eternally begotten from the Father as one who is eternally sent from the Father and of the same essence of God, Jesus, being fully God and fully man, holds a unique nature that affords Him the right to die for the sins of mankind, shedding His blood for the sins of people, and then leading the people of God to return to right relationship with God forever. This claim that ONLY Jesus Christ can provide salvation set the standard for life in the one true God made flesh in Jesus Christ.
The Gospel of John makes it clear that God desires for everyone to come to know Him and worship Him. Furthermore, this is for our good that we bow before the Lord saves out of the abundance of love of His being. However, as the Lord, salvation will occur on God’s terms, not on our own. Through our sin and rebellion against God, the distance between us and God had been unsurmountable from our perspective. Only through God’s willingness to take on flesh for the sake of His people can the distance between God and man be bridged for those who put their faith in Jesus Christ. Nothing that originates in man will be able to meet the righteous requirements of faith in Jesus Christ. Not the culturally created gods that falsely attempt to provide hope through obedience with the promise of personal pleasure and not the acts of man to fully follow God on our own. Jesus provides the way, the truth, and the life. He is the authentic path to salvation that all must follow Him to be saved. Yet, none who are willing to turn and bow to Jesus Christ are turned away. By bowing to Jesus Christ as Lord and King over our lives, we put our faith into Jesus’ work on the cross to pay the penalty of our sins Himself. We follow Jesus Christ, being fully united with Him in His death, burial, resurrection, and ascension.
- What does it mean that Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life?
The Unfolding of Authority
John 14 provides us with an unfolding understanding of the authority from a Trinitarian perspective. The Father sends the Son, who will send His Spirit to reside within us. This is not to say that Father, Son, or Spirit are submissive to one another or created out of one another. Each person of the Trinity is coequal and coeternal, existing throughout all creation in relationship with one another. Thus, just as the Son’s Father stems from being eternally sent by the Father, for those in Jesus Christ, our authority comes by the will of God as well. The Spirit inside of us speaks as a testimony of our having been marked and paid for by the blood of Jesus Christ. Jesus, then, directs the disciples to pray and ask in the name of Jesus, whose authority is from the Father. We ask, not for our own selfish ambition or our own desires, but, having crucified the flesh, according to the will of The Father through Jesus Christ by the power of the Spirit.
Faith in Jesus Christ is not a faith that encourages selfishness in the hearts of the believer, but one that submits to the will of God in the world. Our temptation will always be to attempt to morph or misappropriate God’s will to be inline with our own. In truth, following Jesus Christ means submitting our will to the will of God. Hence, Jesus exhorts His disciples that those who follow Him will act according to the will of God, rather than their own. The works of Christ’s followers should directly reflect the will of God in a balance of the righteous requirements of faith with the extending of grace to others. Obedience is not what saves us, at least not our own obedience. Following Christ fully transforms even our actions to reflect the nature of God through what we do. The continued ministry of Jesus Christ occurs in the people of God by the power of the Spirit within us. We will do even more things according to the will of the Father, who sends His son, who gives us His Spirit to indwell within us. By this, the world will see the effect of God’s redemption in the world.
- How does Jesus connect the works of mankind with the effects of salvation and why is this significant?
Discussion Questions
- What are some of the ways that the world offers to fulfillment or to salvation? How do these contrast with the truth of scripture?
- In what way does Jesus connect Himself to the Father? Why is it important that Jesus Christ and the Father are of one substance and equal with one another?
- Where do we struggle to submit our life to the will of the Father? What happens when we hold on to aspects of our life rather than submit them to the Lord?
- Where does our authority come from? How does this impact the expression of our faith in our day to day life?
About The Author
Daniel Burton is the founder of The Gospel Outpost. He is passionate about discipleship and seeing people grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ. To find out more about him, check out his Author Page.
