As we continue our march through the blessings and the riches and treasures that are ours in Christ, we come to John 8, and we are looking at the fact that we are free. We have looked at freedom before. We are free from the power of sin. We are free from the law. We are free from the penalty of sin, and so we have a lot of freedoms that are found in Jesus Christ. We are going to look at one that is also a freedom, but a little bit different freedom.
In John 8:31 it says, “So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed 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.’” This passage is talking about those who are listening to Jesus and believing His message. He is making it clear who His true followers are. It is not those who mouth some words saying they believe and are going to go about their way. He was saying that if they remain in His Word and live it out and embrace it then they are truly His disciples, or followers. We can tell we are disciples of Christ by how we handle the Word of God, and whether we believe it and try to live it. Obviously, none of us live it perfectly, but we are truly followers in Jesus.
Then He continues saying, “and you will know the truth and the truth will make you free.” This is the freedom we are going to focus on for a moment. We have a freedom that is based upon truth. This truth that He is talking about must go back to probably two different things. First is the gospel. How is it that we become a true follower of Christ by understanding what Jesus has done for us on the cross? Only by knowing that truth and receiving the gospel and believing in Christ can we be set free from the penalty and the power of sin, and we are set free to follow Him. We know that truth. We have believed in and embraced that truth, and we are set free to become the children of God . . .
