The Liberating Truth of Christ

From Bondage to Freedom

John 8:31–32 KJV 1900

31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; 32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

Introduction

Anyone who has ever been detained, hand-cuffed, or imprisoned understands the terrible reality of the loss of freedom. You are restricted from going where you want to go or doing the things you may want to do. Centuries ago, in the USA, slavery was practiced against a race of people—namely Negroes. So, if you are of African American heritage, you can personally relate to forced bondage. Also, if you are of Jewish heritage, you can personally relate to forced bondage and cruel treatment under Pharaoh and Hitler. However, through the Grace and Mercy of God, bit groups of people went From Bondage to Freedom.

There are other groups of people who suffer from bondage to other things, such as smoking, alcohol, drugs, gambling, lying, stealing, sexual promiscuity, and even false religion. Although this is not an exhaustive list, it covers a broad cross-section of the USA.

However, our text today focuses on a different type of bondage, which is not physical but spiritual—the bondage to sin. The concept of spiritual bondage is difficult for most people to grasp because it is intangible and people often struggle with things they cannot relate to through sensory perception—things they can see, hear, touch, or smell. Nevertheless, the lack of sensory perception does not dismiss their existence.

Jesus, the Master Teacher

V.31 - “Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;”

Here we see Jesus standing in the temple teaching the people. There’s been an ongoing controversy with the people accepting Jesus’ identity as Messiah. The crowd at times became very hostile, even to the point that if they could have, they would have taken Jesus and gotten rid of Him. However, they could not because His hour had not yet come. (John 7:30)

We see in the verse that some of the Jews were becoming convinced that Jesus was the Christ (John 7:40-41). Thus, we read Jesus’ admonition to those Jews who believed on Him, “If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;”

First, notice that this is a conditional statement, which subsequent verses will reveal that the condition was much needed.

What does Jesus mean by this statement?

Allow me to say, it means the same thing today, that it did when Jesus first uttered these words. To continue means to abide, stay, do not drift away.

We find the same Greek word (meno men’-o) used by Christ in John 15:7, “If ye abide in me…” Jesus says that this continuing or abiding speaks to their obedience to His word (logos - log’-os), His sayings or commandments.

If the necessary condition is met, then, says Jesus, are you My disciples indeed or truly. In other words, you will be walking the walk, and not just talking the talk.

V.32 – “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

Jesus uses the conjunction “And,” which connects it to the previous verse.” Meaning, something goes along with obedience to His word. The word of the Lord is never meaningless or void (Isaiah 55:10-11). Thus, Jesus said, “you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

What Does it Mean to “Know” the Truth?

The Greek word for “know” is ginosko ghin-oce’-ko – “to possess information about—‘to know, to know about, to have knowledge of, to be acquainted with, acquaintance.”[1] [1] Louw, J. P., & Nida, E. A. (1996). Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament: based on semantic domains (electronic ed. of the 2nd edition., Vol. 1, p. 333). New York: United Bible Societies.

What you will come to know is the truth, and the truth shall make you free. Not merely an intellectual understanding about a set of truthful facts surrounding the person of Jesus. But rather, an intimate knowledge and understanding of truth claims surrounding Jesus.

Furthermore, Jesus declares that this truth will make a person free. Free from the controlling influence of sin in a person’s life—spiritually and experientially.

What is Truth?

Today, people toss around the word truth. In our culture, it is popular to claim to possess a subjective truth expressed as “My truth.”

However, what people who adopt this view fail to understand is that “my truth” or “your truth” does not make it the truth. The “Truth” is what emanates from God. Let God be true and every man a liar (Romans 3:4).

Truth is defined as that which is true in any matter under consideration. In the context of John 8:32, truth refers to the revelation of God that Jesus manifests and more likely, to Jesus himself for he is the revelation of God. “For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.” Colossians 2:9

It was for truth that Jesus declared He came into the world: “…and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.” John 18:37

The Jewish religious leadership sought to kill Jesus because He told the them the truth. “But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham.” John 8:40

The Holy Spirit is called the spirit of truth - “We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error. I John 4:6

The Liberating Truth of Christ

“...the truth shall make you free.

Truth liberates us from the sentence of death inherited from Adam. Adam’s sin brought death, fear, and bondage. The truth of Jesus Christ brought life, joy, and liberty.

Truth is essential for Salvation

The only way anybody can be saved is by the truth. Namely, the truth about who Christ is. The truth of God is the word of God, and the word of God is the Son of God, and the Son of God is Jesus the Christ of God.

Conclusion

Truth is not simply some inanimate object or some man-made philosophy. Truth is really a person, and that person is Christ. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life, no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” John 14:6

This same Christ hung out on Calvary’s Cross, because He testified to and lived out the truth. He told the truth about His crucifixion, His resurrection, and I believe He told the truth about His soon return. Therefore, learn the truth, speak the truth, live the truth, rest in the truth, and rejoice in the truth. AMEN.