The Seven I AM Statements Series #3: Jesus Christ, The Gate for the Sheep

When Jesus continue to preach to the people, telling them the testimony that the Father has commanded Him to share with the people, Jesus was able to establish the way in which we can be reconciled and made right with God the Father.

As Jesus will say in a later verse, He is the only way to the Father and no one else.

Only He is the acceptable sacrifice so that our sins will be paid and atoned for. Only He provides the way out of darkness and into the light. He is the door or the entrance to salvation and thus to heaven.

In John 10:7-9, Jesus explains the figure of speech that He spoke about,

"Therefore Jesus said again, 'I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture.'"

We know that Jesus is the embodiment of the Word and that He is the chosen One by the Father who will be the savior of the world.

As is written in John 3:17, "For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him."

God provided us the way - the only way for that matter - toward salvation. Only by entering into a relationship with Jesus Christ and accepting as Lord and Savior or as the Shepherd of our lives will we be able to experience salvation and be free from sin and enjoy good pasture.

Many times in the Old Testament did prophets gave messages about Jesus and prophesied about Him being the Savior who will redeem His people and make a way for us to be made right with God the Father and Jesus fulfilled all those prophecies.

He even showed us the way and told us in very understandable words that He is the truth and what He says is true since it comes from the Father.

So, everything else that tries to say that there is another way to get to heaven is false and is simply trying to rob us of the opportunity to enter the kingdom of God.

Jesus even says further in John 10:10 that the enemy or the thief comes only to kill, to steal, and to destroy. But Jesus came so that we may have life, and have it to the full.

There are many religions and philosophies in the world right now. But the only way or path to get to heaven and to enjoy God's favor and presence and glory is through Jesus.

He says that He is the gate for the sheep whom He refers to be His followers or His people since the sheep only know the voice of the shepherd and they follow His voice wherever He goes, whom He has called and who have received Him thereby being a chosen people as well.

Basically, only Jesus can truly satisfy the deep longing for God in our lives, not any religion and not any philosophy or way of life. The mission of Jesus is to be the door for us to enter into heaven and enjoy eternal life with God.

No one else can do that for us and no one else can be that for us because we do not have the power and we do not have the capacity to do so because all of us have sinned and fall short of the glory of God so none of us can sacrifice ourselves for the other because our sins cannot pay for the sins of others.

Only Jesus, who is sinless, can really pay for our sins and no one else. Jesus is the gate for the sheep and He calls us toward Him so that we may receive eternal life and have a home in heaven with Him.