Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:4-6 ESV)
The synoptic gospels agree that “the voice of one crying in the wilderness” was John the Baptist (Matthew 3; Mark 1; Luke 3). John the Baptist understood that he was indeed this “voice” when he answered the question posed to him by priests and Levites from Jerusalem (John 1:23). John’s message was one of baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins (Luke 1:3). He called on people the repent for the Kingdom of God was at hand (Matthew 1:2) He readily confessed that he was not the Christ (John 1:19, 25) and upon seeing Jesus declared, “Behold, the lamb of God, that takes away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29).
John the Baptist was told that a better way was on the horizon. He said, “This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.’ I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.” And John bore witness: “I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.” (John 1:30-34 ESV). He later testified, “The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.” (John 3:35-36 ESV)
Jesus was clear that he was (as is) the only way to God the Father; that belief in him is the only remedy for sin and the way to eternal life. His own words make it plain. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.” (John 3:16-18 ESV) “For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” (John 6:40 ESV) “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life.” (John 6:47 ESV)
Peter stood before the religious leaders in Jerusalem and stated, “This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:11-12 ESV) He later wrote in one of his epistles, “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit…” (1 Peter 3:18 ESV)
Speaking of Jesus, the Apostle Paul wrote, “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses. . . (Ephesians 1:7 ESV) “. . .in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” (Colossians 1:14 ESV)
For years there have been those who say there is no God. Others say there are many ways to God. Jesus did not say he was a way to God; but the “only” way to God. And he took his message all the way to the cross. “Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. (John 11:25-26 ESV) And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him. . . (Hebrews 5:9 ESV)
That’s why we praise him!