Reference Scripture: John 8:31-32, KJV
Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
When you think about freedom or becoming free from bondage, what comes to your mind? A lot of us walk around in bondage and look to be free but are not sure how? We are enslaved to ways of thinking, mindsets and lifestyles and desire freedom, but we are not. Sometimes we even know what to do, and we know better and yet somehow, we look back on our lives, and we are in the same place, seemingly stuck.
There are obviously multiple reasons for that but in this segment, I would like for you take a journey with me into some of the most profound things Jesus ever said about being free. Mind you, every word Jesus has ever said is profound, but we will be focusing on John 8:31-32.
In verse 31, John starts out by saying that the next words Jesus said were directed to the Jews who believed on him. Take a minute to meditate on that statement. Jesus was used to speaking to large crowds and with that came the performing of signs and wonders. In this instance, these words were spoken about the same time Jesus happened to be in the temple courts teaching the crowds and the religious leaders brought to him a woman that had been caught in adultery. In short, Jesus exposed the hypocrisy of the leaders, and the woman was spared from being stoned. The leaders continued arguing with Jesus about theological issues and as this is going on, despite the Jewish leaders' stance, some of the Jews believed on Him. Knowing this, you must understand that believing on Jesus came at a great cost, especially if it became public knowledge. It is to this group of Jews, who risked it all that He is speaking to.
He told these people that only those who continued in His words were his disciples. A disciple is defined by the online dictionary as a learner, follower, and adherent who accepts and helps spread the teachings of another. This is the first step to freedom according to the Word of God.
Now, think about your life. What you are experiencing today is a direct product of whatever or whoever has or is still discipling you. The way you think and process information and make decisions that ultimately affect your life is because of who has had your ear all this while. Your life is not an accident or a mere coincidence.
Many of us are at a place in our lives where we earnestly believe God and His Word but are not free. Why? There is a lack of discipleship. We have not taken the time to really learn, follow, become adherents of what He has said to us while teaching and spreading those things we have learned to others. We are not making the effort to really meditate on His word to the point the word begins to unravel how we think and begin to build a new way of thinking in us.
If you have been keeping in God’s word, freedom is inevitable, that is the promise, just keep holding on. If you are spending more time meditating on what the world has to offer instead of God’s word, you will know that and it will lead to bondage. Freedom takes effort, and part of that is discipleship.
Now taking a close look at verse 32, it reads: and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
The original word in the Greek for know in this passage is defined as to know absolutely in a great variety of applications and with many implications followed that are not clearly expressed to others. It is also defined as to allow, be aware of, have knowledge, perceive, be resolved, be sure, understand.
Now let’s look at John 17:17 KJV; Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. Now re-examine the definition for know that we have just explored and imagine you are that intimate with the Word of God: you are applying the word in a variety of ways, have various application of it in your life, you are aware of it, you are resolved, you are sure, can speak of it, you understand it. When you believe and keep in the Word, you become discipled by the word!
Another scripture we should look at is John 1:1 KJV. It states, "in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God".
From that scripture we know Jesus is the word, and thinking back to our reference scripture, you will indeed know the truth and the truth will make you free! Another way to put John 8:32, you shall know Jesus, and Jesus will make you free!
Make a conscious effort to be discipled by Jesus and you will indeed be free!
