Jesus said in John 8:31, "the truth will set you free." OR at least that's as much of this verse as many would like to make it read. Of course, with the word 'truth' comes our definition of whatever we would like it to mean. For example, we may begin a search for truth pertaining to how create wealth. So we look in books about finance, investing, money management, etc., to start ourselves on our way toward being financially secure but never consider looking to see what God has to say about it. Another example is when someone decides that they are lonely and wants to seek a companion. They begin their search through internet dating sites, asking friends to set them up, going to various types of clubs looking to meet that special someone with whom we may find one or two things in common. Yet again, many people never consider looking to see what God has to say about companionship and marriage. And many people define the 'truth' of a situation as whatever 'feels right' to them.
We could go on and on looking at different scenarios and how people go about looking for the 'truth' about a situation. The problem is sources of truth that change are by definition 'unreliable.' The very fact that they change tells us that there is no guarantee that what is now known as the truth will not change over time. So our search must be for a source of truth that has been shown over time to be both 'unchanging' and still found to be 'reliable' (and by 'reliable' I mean that it is shown to be correct).
I want to now talk to Christians! Those who do not know Jesus as their Lord and Savior can read this post, but I think we need to begin with those who confess Jesus as Lord. In the Church where I pastor, as well as others that I have pastored, I often ask the question of 'Why do we not do what we say we believe?' I may ask, 'Do you believe God created the heavens, the earth, and all they contain?' The answer is usually an overwhelming 'yes!' I then ask, 'Do you believe the Bible to be the Word of God and without error?' Again, usually an overwhelming 'yes!' Then why do we find it so hard to do what it says? And I say 'we' because at times I am right there also. We don't have space to look all through Scripture to examine this inconsistency of the human/Christian way of thinking, so let's just look at John 8:31 again.
But, this time let's look at the context in which this phrase appears to see what it really asks us to do.
"So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed in Him, "If you continue in My
word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth
will make you free."" (John 8:31-32)
Let's look at some of the 'key' phrases in this passage:
1. 'those Jews who had believed in Him' - forget about whether one is a Jew or not, the issue is 'believed in Him.' Being able to tap into the truth Jesus is talking about requires 'belief in Him.' Let's assume for a moment that those we are talking about are truly believers and look at the second item.
2. 'IF you continue in My word' - IF is a big word. The presumption is that one must begin a life in the Word of God AND 'continue' in it. This means not just a casual reading, but diving in head first and most of the time being in over our heads. We come up for air and breathe in Jesus to help us stay afloat as we strive to 'continue.' It is only with His continual help that we can continually be living His Word.
3. The first of three promises comes as 'then you are truly disciples of Mine.' Being a disciple is hard! The word translated as disciple, mathetes, means to apply to your life the teachings of the one you are following. So, being a disciple means believing in Jesus AND continuing (living out the teachings) in His word.
4. The second promise is 'you will know the truth.' I think this is very simple and very hard at the same time. It is simple in that believing in Jesus and continuing in His word will bring us face to face with the many truths contained in God's word. The very hard part is then allowing Jesus to give us the strength to live them.
5. The final promise is that 'the truth will make you free.' Once we accept God's truth, obey it, and start living it out, we will be set free because we need never wonder if we made the right or wrong decision. Obeying God in His way is always the right decision.
Let's bring this all together. I am addressing this to Christians remember! As followers of Jesus Christ we have been given a great gift, a great example, and a great source of power. God promises us that His word is true. He tells us that so we can live a victorious life. We never need wonder if we made good or bad decisions as we walk through life. The Great Commission commands that we make disciples of others even as we ourselves are growing as disciples. Jesus gives us an example of discipleship through His life as He obeyed His Father. Usually in the face of adversity, He 'continued' on following and being obedient. But Jesus also left us the Holy Spirit as a source of supernatural power to enable us to 'know the truth,' 'continue in His word,' and allow the truth of His word to 'make us free.'
What if we lived our lives but this promise! If God knows past, present, and future, doesn't it make sense to 'continue' in His word through being obedient. I don't know about you, but it seems to me that if we take what we say we believe and act upon it, our lives would be greatly enriched. We would not need to spend countless hours and days seeking to find a truth when God has so graciously given us the absolute truth. Let's try it!
Pastor Jeff Woolum
FBC Perrysburg, OH
