Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
Parallel translations
- WEB Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me.
- KJV Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
- BSB Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
- NASB Jesus *said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me.
- NLT Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Jesus declares, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life,' and that no one comes to the Father except through Him. It is a foundational claim to His exclusive role in salvation.
Overview
In one of the great 'I am' sayings, Jesus identifies Himself as the only path to God, the embodiment of truth, and the source of eternal life. He is not merely a guide to the way but the way itself. The verse stands at the heart of the gospel's exclusivity: access to the Father comes solely through the person and work of Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 40
- Acts 4:12There is salvation in none other, for neither is there any other name under heaven, that is given among men, by which we must be saved!”
- John 10:9I am the door. If anyone enters in by me, he will be saved, and will go in and go out, and will find pasture.
- Eph 2:18For through him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father.
- John 11:25–26Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will still live, even if he dies.
- John 1:4In him was life, and the life was the light of men.
- 1 Jn 5:20We know that the Son of God has come, and has given us an understanding, that we know him who is true, and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.
- John 1:14The Word became flesh, and lived among us. We saw his glory, such glory as of the one and only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth.
- 1 Jn 5:11–12The testimony is this, that God gave to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
- Isa 35:8–9A highway will be there, a road, and it will be called The Holy Way. The unclean shall not pass over it, but it will be for those who walk in the Way. Wicked fools will not go there.
- John 1:17For the law was given through Moses. Grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.
- John 8:32You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”
- Heb 7:25Therefore he is also able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, seeing that he lives forever to make intercession for them.
- 1 Pet 3:18Because Christ also suffered for sins once, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring you to God; being put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit;
- John 5:21For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son also gives life to whom he desires.
- 2 Jn 1:9Whoever transgresses and doesn’t remain in the teaching of Christ, doesn’t have God. He who remains in the teaching, the same has both the Father and the Son.
- Rev 20:15If anyone was not found written in the book of life, he was cast into the lake of fire.
- John 15:1“I am the true vine, and my Father is the farmer.
- Matt 11:27All things have been delivered to me by my Father. No one knows the Son, except the Father; neither does anyone know the Father, except the Son, and he to whom the Son desires to reveal him.
- John 5:25–29Most certainly, I tell you, the hour comes, and now is, when the dead will hear the Son of God’s voice; and those who hear will live.
- John 6:51I am the living bread which came down out of heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. Yes, the bread which I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”
- Rev 22:17The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” He who hears, let him say, “Come!” He who is thirsty, let him come. He who desires, let him take the water of life freely.
- John 8:51Most certainly, I tell you, if a person keeps my word, he will never see death.”
- John 17:2–3even as you gave him authority over all flesh, he will give eternal life to all whom you have given him.
- John 10:28I give eternal life to them. They will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.
- 1 Jn 2:23Whoever denies the Son, the same doesn’t have the Father. He who confesses the Son has the Father also.
- Heb 10:19–22Having therefore, brothers, boldness to enter into the holy place by the blood of Jesus,
- John 6:33For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world.”
- John 18:37Pilate therefore said to him, “Are you a king then?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this reason I have been born, and for this reason I have come into the world, that I should testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.”
- John 14:19Yet a little while, and the world will see me no more; but you will see me. Because I live, you will live also.
- John 6:57As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father; so he who feeds on me, he will also live because of me.
- John 10:7Jesus therefore said to them again, “Most certainly, I tell you, I am the sheep’s door.
- 1 Pet 2:4coming to him, a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God, precious.
- Col 3:4When Christ, our life, is revealed, then you will also be revealed with him in glory.
- Rom 5:2through whom we also have our access by faith into this grace in which we stand. We rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
- 1 Cor 15:45So also it is written, “The first man, Adam, became a living soul.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.
- John 6:68Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words of eternal life.
- Rom 5:21that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
- 1 Jn 1:8If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
- Rev 1:5and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us, and washed us from our sins by his blood;
- 2 Cor 1:19–20For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us, by me, Silvanus, and Timothy, was not “Yes and no,” but in him is “Yes.”
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Christ at the center
John declares him plainly: the eternal Word made flesh, the Lamb of God, the great 'I AM' — bread, light, door, shepherd, way, truth, life, resurrection — that you may believe and have life in his name.
How John 14:6 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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