John 8:21-32

David Kramer challenges us to align our lives with God's truth so we can be set free in all areas

David Kramer

Houston, we've got a problem - or, if the truth will set me free, how come I'm not?

If every aspect of your life is in order and you've overcome every issue and/or bondage then I suggest you stop reading this, gather your family and friends and go out to celebrate.

On the other hand you might want to read on if:

1) You've been told that the truth will set you free, you have risen up in hope, mustered together some measure of faith and lived free for a while only to fall back captive to fear, failure or sin just when you thought you had won.

2) You've lived pretending to yourself (and others) that you're free when deep down you know you still are not.

3) As a result of either of these you've given up and written off that area of your life as just how it is and will remain.

Maybe the Bible isn't altogether true after all? Wow! If that's true then I'm in very serious trouble. Which bits are and which bits are not and how do I tell the difference?

OR - MAYBE JESUS NEVER ACTUALLY SAID, ".....THE TRUTH WILL MAKE YOU FREE....." - excuse me! Oh yes He did!

In John 8:21-32 Jesus is confusing His audience! Just read verses 21-30, imagine yourself there at the time and see if what He was saying seems to make much sense or answer their questions. Then in verse 31 we read that Jesus said to those who believed in Him, "...If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free".

What He's saying to us who believe, even though we don't understand it all, is:

1. Your 'believing' is evidenced by your abiding. What does 'abide' mean? It means to settle somewhere, dwell there, remain there, make your home there. In this case to live like what Jesus says is true even when we don't really understand Him, there is no outward evidence to support that position and in fact things might look exactly the opposite.

2. That means you can genuinely ('indeed' - in deed, by your deeds) be called His disciple.

3. Therefore you will come to know the truth. The term 'to know' here does not refer to merely having a piece of information. It is actually referring to knowledge born out of experience that in turn is born out of becoming closely and intimately acquainted. When Adam 'knew' Eve she fell pregnant and had a child.

4. When we become intimately acquainted with a truth, where previously we were in captivity to a lie, that truth births freedom from what previously held us in bondage.

Now that's gospel - good news!

One final thought. The Gospels tell us that Jesus tried more than once to prepare His disciples for his arrest, crucifixion, burial and resurrection, but they couldn't and wouldn't receive His word. Think what a difference if they had. Of course they would have been mortified and cut apart by witnessing His indescribable suffering. But, they would have known the truth. They could have supported, strengthened and encouraged one another with the truth, "In three days time this will be over. This is not the end but the doorway into the future".

That truth would have set them free from fear, it's all over, a sense of failure, what now etc. etc.

To misquote the old hymn; "Oh what joy we often forfeit, Oh what needless pain we bare..." All because we fail to abide, as a result are less than true disciples in some aspect of our life, thus do not know the truth and thus miss the freedom He has for us to enjoy.

It does not have to be that way!