Free and Don’t Know It

John 8:30-36 “As he spake these words, many believed on him. 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.”

Text John 17:17 “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.”

Having rebuked the unbelieving, Jesus encouraged and enlightened those that “believed on him” (vs.30). They would be encouraged by the liberation of truth; the truth shall make you free” (vs.32). The liberty that Jesus spoke of was not a social liberty, but spiritual! “Make you free” is a word that means exempt from liability and comes from a word that means, unrestrained so as to go at pleasure as a citizen. In Christ we are not only exempt from the penalty of sin, but we can be exempt from the persuasion of sin! As citizens of another country we do not have to submit to the domination and rule of sin; we are no longer the servant of sin.

They would be enlightened by the learning of truth; “ye shall know the truth” (vs.32). Conversion not only brought a change in our nationality, we are now citizens of heaven, but a change in our nature. The conformation of that change is the presence of a companion, the Holy Spirit; “if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his: (Romans 8:9). Jesus said, “he will guide you into all truth” (John 16:13). He is our guide, conductor, a teacher to bring us into a fixed position of rest in truth. This is important because the more truth we rest on the greater the area of our liberty. Limited truth, limited liberty; abundant truth, abundant liberty!

The problem is many fail to enjoy their liberties because they fail to seek the truth; “Thy word is truth.”