John 14:6

Context

In the Farewell Discourse following the Last Supper, Jesus tells his troubled disciples that in his Father's house are many mansions and that he goes to prepare a place for them (vv. 1–3). When he adds, "And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know," Thomas, one of the Twelve Apostles, asks how they can know the way when they do not know where the Lord is going (v. 5). Verse 6 is Jesus' answer to that question. Shortly afterward, when Philip asks him to show them the Father, Jesus replies, "he that hath seen me hath seen the Father" (v. 9).

Interpretation

• The relationship among the three terms: One interpretation holds that "the way" is the central term and that "the truth" and "the life" describe what kind of way it is. Another places the three terms in parallel, taking Jesus to be at once the means of access to God, the revelation of God, and the source of life.
• Exclusivist reading: Most Protestant denominations and evangelicals read this verse to mean that there is no salvation except through Jesus Christ. They cite Acts 4:12 and 1 Timothy 2:5 alongside it.
• Inclusivist reading: This view holds that salvation comes only through Christ but that Christ's salvation may extend even to those who do not explicitly know him. Roman Catholic theology since the Second Vatican Council and some Protestant theologians take this position.
• Pluralist reading: This view treats the verse as the confessional language of a particular community of faith and holds that other religions also offer paths to salvation. Major denominations regard this view as inconsistent with the teaching of Scripture.

Controversies and Issues

This verse stands at the center of the debate over religious pluralism. In Korea, a frequently cited example of this debate is the 1992 excommunication by the Korean Methodist Church of professors at Methodist Theological University over their views on religious pluralism and the resurrection. Some also point out that the verse, while expressing exclusivity, was spoken to comfort troubled disciples, and that the question of how to treat adherents of other religions should therefore be distinguished from the question of the ground of salvation.

Related Passages

• John 14:1–9
• Acts 4:12
• 1 Timothy 2:5
• John 10:9