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The Truth - Way - Life
In John 14:6 "Jesus answered, I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
Lao Tzu, who wrote the Tao Te Ching (600 years before Christ), preached a similar philosophy, and many scholars believe Jesus incorporated the teachings of Lao Tzu into His own message.
Tao = road, path, or way.
Te = integrity, personal character, virtue, or inner strength.
Ching = great book.
Tao Te Ching could roughly be translated into: The book (of philosophical ideas) that leads to the path of integrity (truth), and the development of personal character and inner strength.
Or, as Jesus put it, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father (experiences the Kingdom of Heaven) except through me."
Meaning, if one chooses to experience the Kingdom of Heaven (joy, peace, and inner strength), they must follow the WAY of living (or path) that Jesus outlines in his message.
However, understanding that the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John) weren't written until between thirty and seventy years after the crucifixion (A.D. 60-100), I've always wondered if the translation got mixed up, while being passed down through oral tradition.
To me, it just made more sense to think that Jesus would've actually said the following: "I am the truth and the way and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
I think comprehending the TRUTH in the life-philosophies of Jesus must come first.
If you don't know the TRUTH, you can't choose the WAY. If you don't choose the WAY, you won't attain the abundant LIFE (of joy, peace, and inner strength, that IS the Kingdom of Heaven).
Let's take a look at Jesus's words in Matthew 7:13-14, as He says, "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it."
Lao Tzu, who wrote the Tao Te Ching (600 years before Christ), preached a similar philosophy, and many scholars believe Jesus incorporated the teachings of Lao Tzu into His own message.
Tao = road, path, or way.
Te = integrity, personal character, virtue, or inner strength.
Ching = great book.
Tao Te Ching could roughly be translated into: The book (of philosophical ideas) that leads to the path of integrity (truth), and the development of personal character and inner strength.
Or, as Jesus put it, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father (experiences the Kingdom of Heaven) except through me."
Meaning, if one chooses to experience the Kingdom of Heaven (joy, peace, and inner strength), they must follow the WAY of living (or path) that Jesus outlines in his message.
However, understanding that the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John) weren't written until between thirty and seventy years after the crucifixion (A.D. 60-100), I've always wondered if the translation got mixed up, while being passed down through oral tradition.
To me, it just made more sense to think that Jesus would've actually said the following: "I am the truth and the way and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
I think comprehending the TRUTH in the life-philosophies of Jesus must come first.
If you don't know the TRUTH, you can't choose the WAY. If you don't choose the WAY, you won't attain the abundant LIFE (of joy, peace, and inner strength, that IS the Kingdom of Heaven).
Let's take a look at Jesus's words in Matthew 7:13-14, as He says, "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it."
That passage clearly describes choosing the WAY.
It's as if he's saying, "Now that you understand the TRUTH in My message, which WAY will you choose to go? MyWay to Heaven or the highway to hell?"
One can't intelligently choose the WAY (between two options) if one doesn't know the TRUTH of where each of those roads will lead (to LIFE or destruction).
One can, however, choose the wrong WAY (path to destruction), which could lead to a deeper study (or understanding) of the TRUTH contained in Jesus's life-philosophy.
It all boils down to understanding the universal TRUTH contained in the WAY that leads to the abundant LIFE.
The Matrix is the wide path that leads to destruction (that many will choose). God's TRUTH points to the narrow path that leads to LIFE (and only a few will find it).
This is why I believe The Christ Mind, as embodied by Jesus, intended to relay the message in the following order:
TRUTH - WAY - LIFE.
Again, one must know the TRUTH of the nature of the path, before one can consciously choose if this is the WAY in which, he will proceed.
If he chooses the WAY (path, route, road) instructed by The Christ Mind, he will inherit the abundant LIFE (Kingdom of Heaven).
It's as if he's saying, "Now that you understand the TRUTH in My message, which WAY will you choose to go? MyWay to Heaven or the highway to hell?"
One can't intelligently choose the WAY (between two options) if one doesn't know the TRUTH of where each of those roads will lead (to LIFE or destruction).
One can, however, choose the wrong WAY (path to destruction), which could lead to a deeper study (or understanding) of the TRUTH contained in Jesus's life-philosophy.
It all boils down to understanding the universal TRUTH contained in the WAY that leads to the abundant LIFE.
The Matrix is the wide path that leads to destruction (that many will choose). God's TRUTH points to the narrow path that leads to LIFE (and only a few will find it).
This is why I believe The Christ Mind, as embodied by Jesus, intended to relay the message in the following order:
TRUTH - WAY - LIFE.
Again, one must know the TRUTH of the nature of the path, before one can consciously choose if this is the WAY in which, he will proceed.
If he chooses the WAY (path, route, road) instructed by The Christ Mind, he will inherit the abundant LIFE (Kingdom of Heaven).
Have you visited www.TheTruthTheWayTheLife.com ???
