“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. They answered him, We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free? Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. I know that ye are Abraham’s seed; but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you.” (John 8:31-37 KJV)
Have you ever noticed that some folks claim that just believing is enough. Many do not want to “continue in (his) word.” Yet Jesus made it clear that believers are to be taught to obey everything he had commanded (Mt. 28:20).
It is this continuance in his commanded word that produces knowledge of “the truth” and completely liberates the believer. Of course, there are those who think they are not slaves of any sort. Yet, habits continue unchecked, attitudes grow worse, behavior goes unchallenged and un-changed.
But note the words of the Lord in our passage, “I say unto you, whosoever commits sin is the servant of sin.” In common vernacular, it is not about your heritage, your parentage, or your religious connections. It is about who you serve and who holds eternal authority and power over you (vss. 34-35).
Note: the Son is both eternal and has authority to liberate servants. Therefore, if the Son declares you to be free, then you are truly free (v.36). But liberty is not yours if you “kill” or silence his word (v.37). If you continually reject and turn deaf ears to his word, he cannot free you. If you are not convinced of and submitted to the transforming power of his word, you’ll never be truly free. His teaching must be the liberating authority over your life.
Dear Father, thank you for your Son, Jesus Christ, who taught us the Word of God. Empower us with the determination to continue in obedience to his commandments that we may truly be free. This I pray in the name of Jesus. AMEN
Be encouraged today “in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage” (Galatians 5:1 KJV),