John 8:31 “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
Are you free? The Jews of Jesus’ day thought that they were. Thus, their shock when Jesus spoke the words above. Their response was as follows: “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?” And Jesus’ answer? “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin.” And those who practice sin are slaves to a liar, one who is called “the Father of Lies.” They actually believe someone who is working to destroy them. They embrace the lie that to sin is the best way.
The same holds true today. Look around you. What do you see? Are people free from sin or slaves to it? Are they speaking truth or error? Are they living in ways that are truly the best for them, or are they believing in things that they think are best but which are leading them to destruction? So, how does one know if they are deceived?
Well, we don’t have to wonder, for it’s all been written down for us. Jesus said in the passage above that if a person practices sin, they’re a slave to it. So, what is sin? How does one know? Again, it’s the Word of Christ that we must look to. That’s one of its main purposes – to expose what sin is. It serves as a revelation of God’s eternal law and a standard against which we can compare ourselves. So, have you ever done this, or are you happy to just go along as you’ve always done? Do you trust that if something seems good to you it IS good? Do you think if it seems good it must be true?
Well, the Word of God tells us that we best not depend on our own ideas about such things. So many today talk about “their truth,” as if something can be true just for them although others might not agree. But is “their truth” a real thing, or is it just a figment of their imagination? Could they be bound by false thoughts and ideas and so blind to falsehood that they call it “truth”? What would the One Who called Himself “the Truth” say to them? What would He say to you and me? Well, in Proverbs 14:12 we have this answer: “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.”
It’s such a bondage, this way of death. It’s to live life based on lies, lies about where we came from, why we’re here, and where we’re going. Lies about the most basic things, like what our gender is, what our purpose is, what happiness is, and what will give us peace. There are many answers being given to these questions, but which of them are true? And if we don’t know the truth about such things, how can we know how to live?
But to all of this, Jesus gives us an answer. But why believe Him? Well, do you know anyone else who is like Him? Do you know anyone else who turned water to wine, walked on the water, stilled the wind and waves with a command, gave sight to the blind, and raised the dead? Do you know anyone else who loved you enough to die for you, and do you know anyone else who arose from the dead? Do you know anyone else that could say, “Which one of you convicts me of sin?” and no one give an answer? If so, by all means listen to them. Follow them. But if not, why would you choose their way?
So, would you be free? Free from sin and the death to which it leads? Free from the lies that fill this world? Free from the anxiety and fear that results from all the uncertainty that surrounds us? Well, if that’s what you want, there’s only one way to have it. Freedom comes by believing and abiding in the Word of Christ. It’s a narrow way. And often it’s a hard way, but in the end, it’s the only way to an abundant and eternal life.
Leave a Reply