John 8:31-32 (ESV)
So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, [32] and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
When will you know the truth? Jesus said, “If you abide in my word.” Why will this set you free? The Jews could not understand him. Neither can most of us. Like the Jews we say, “we have never been slaves to anyone!” But Jesus, like always, speaks to the spiritual, not the natural. Even a natural slave will be free, spiritually, if he abides in Christ’s word.
What kind of freedom is Jesus talking about though? Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. [35] The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. [36] So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” John 8:34-36 (ESV)
The big problem the Jews had, as do most people in the earth including and especially Christians, is that they do not believe that they commit sin. We learned earlier from Paul’s exposition to the Romans that the primary goal of the Law was to define sin for and expose sin in mankind. Paul made it very clear in Romans that all men sin, even those who try so desperately to obey the Law, like he did. Romans 7 shows Paul in literal desperation because he cannot perfectly obey God’s Law and thus finds himself sinning uncontrollably. The problem is that people did not and have not taken Jesus at his word.
Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me. [43] Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word. [44] You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. [45] But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me. [46] Which one of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me? [47] Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.” John 8:42-47 (ESV)
It is not until Romans 8 and the first epistle of John that we learn the real secret of being set free that Jesus speaks about in John 8. Paul taught us that we must live according to (set our mind upon) the Spirit in order to please God. He said that anyone who sets their mind on the flesh will die. John adds to this by defining what Jesus meant when he told the Jews that they must abide in his word. He says, “And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming. [29] If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him.” 1 John 2:28-29 (ESV)
Remember, Jesus told the Jews they could not hear him because they were of their father the devil who is the father of lies. A liar cannot hear the truth. John tells us how to change fathers. Practice righteousness. Paul teaches us all that none of us are righteous, yet John tells us to practice righteousness. How? We abide in Christ by washing (immersing) ourselves with Christ’s word. We live according to the Spirit by living according to Christ’s word. When we fail, we repent, and Jesus is faithful to forgive us our sins. So, practicing righteousness = abiding in Christ = continually washing oneself in Christ’s word = living according to the Spirit = repenting of one’s sins as soon as you realize you have sinned by comparing your actions to Christ’s word.
The one who practices righteousness is not subject to The Law because he willingly fulfills the Law. He has chosen to be a son rather than a slave and so he no longer needs a taskmaster (the Law). Instead, God writes the Spirit of the Law upon his heart as he willingly obeys his Father. He is free from the Law and lives under the grace, the unmerited favor, of his Dad. This is the truth that will set you free.
