Sunday, May 15, 2005
John 8:31-38
So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” They answered him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?”
Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. I know that you are offspring of Abraham; yet you seek to kill me because my word finds no place in you. I speak of what I have seen with my Father, and you do what you have heard from your father.” (ESV)
by Nick Kersten
In this passage, Jesus was dealing with people who believed that they were justified based on their family tree, namely, their connection to Abraham. Jesus assured his hearers that it was not their physical family that brought salvation, but deep interaction with the Word of God and his truth as it is revealed through the Word.
It is important for us to make certain that we interact with God’s Word to keep our hearts accountable to the only truth that can free us. This interaction should transform every aspect of our lives, including our worship (John 4:24ff).
Copyright Information
Daily Bible Meditations are taken from The Helping Hand,a Sabbath School student quarterly for youth and adults. Copyright © 2008, Seventh Day Baptist Board of Christian Education, Inc.
Scripture quotations marked "ESV" are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Copyright ©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Text provided by the Crossway Bibles Web Service .
