Seventh Day Baptist
Christian Education Council
PO BOX 1678
Janesville, WI 53547
So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed 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 practices 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)
—John 8:31-38
by: Dorothy Noel.
Freedom is hard to define. Even though the Jews in this passage were not physically enslaved, they were restricted by the Roman empire. In a similar manner, sometimes we think we are free, even though we are willfully ignoring what is holding us captive. Before we can be free, we must acknowledge what is enslaving us—usually some form of sin. The best way to identify what is enslaving us is found in verses 31 and 32. By continuing in God’s Word, we learn the truth which sets us free. That word “continuing” is important. While a profession of faith is a moment in time, knowing truth is something we continually grow in. A desire for freedom is best served by a desire for the truth of God’s Word.
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