Truth Shall Make You Free

Background Scripture: John 8:23-59
Lesson Scripture: John 8:25-36

Introduction

Truth and freedom are values and principles that nearly all people desire. The facts and realities of life, our health, our beginning, our end, and our well-being are sought for by almost everyone. To know the truth about our eternal destiny is a basic desire of the soul, though often unrecognized.

“Throughout history, God has used a remnant to maintain a witness to the truth. According to the Scriptures, He will continue to do so until the end. The true faith, lived by a faithful remnant, has never been extinguished. And it never will be.” 1 All true believers, the children of God, love the truth, and they love to live in the freedom that truth brings to their hearts, lives, and souls. They also love the hope of eternal life that living the truth secures for them.

Key Verse

These are the things that ye shall do; Speak ye every man the truth to his neighbour; execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates (Zech. 8:16).

Lesson Scripture

Studying the Lesson

During the years that Jesus was on the earth, there were numerous prominent and influential religious sects. These were comprised of Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes, and Zealots. Samaritans could possibly be included in this list, but of all these, perhaps the Pharisees were the most prominent and influential. They emphasized tradition and the interpretation of Jewish law while teaching strict adherence to ritual purity and remaining separate from gentile people. They also believed in the resurrection from the dead, which the Sadducees did not believe in.

On this occasion, these Pharisees were once again confronting Jesus. Jesus had just told them that they were “from beneath” and that they were “of this world” (John 8:23) in addition to admonishing them they would die in their sins. Upon these observations and comments, they asked Him, “Who are you to bring such accusations against us? Who are you to say we will die in our sins?”

Jesus then made a profound statement about the correlation of truth and freedom. “Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” At this point, the Pharisees made a very ludicrous claim, stating that they were never in bondage. Abraham’s descendants had often been in bondage. They were enslaved and oppressed by Egypt, by the Assyrian empire, and by the Babylonians; they were under Persian rule for many years, then under Greek rule, and finally leading up to the time of Christ, under Roman rule. They were brought into captivity many times because of leaving God and worshiping heathen gods. They were physically and politically enslaved because of departing from serving Jehovah, and they were also bound spiritually, which was the worst bondage of all. Now Jesus had came to give his life and bring forgiveness for sin and deliverance from sin and the bondage that sin brings.

Furthermore, Jesus said that a servant, slave, or bondman does not receive an inheritance; it is only the children who have right to it. How true this is in the kingdom of God! The one in bondage to the demands of a selfish, corrupt nature and enslaved to sin has no promised inheritance from the Father in heaven, but the one who is set free is indeed an heir on all points. “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage . . . but . . . the Spirit of adoption. . . . The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ” (Rom. 8:14-17). When we accept the truth, we no longer remain enslaved but are made free and adopted into the family of God. This is truly being made free!

Practical Truths for Today

“Truth is genuine fact. Falsehood is something which is not reality and consequently nothing at all. . . . There are facts which are evil in themselves but still truths.” 2 Truth as it relates to life, its beginning, the creation of the world, sin and its consequences, the end of the world as we know it, and all that is revealed concerning the end of time and eternity is that which has been divinely revealed in the Word of God, the Bible. The Bible has stood the test of time and will continue to do so until time is no more.

Proverbs 30:5-6 says, “Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.” These verses clearly teach we must not add to the Word of God. To take away and disannul the Word of God is also just as sinful. All other thoughts and words are truth only in as much as they do not contradict that which is set forth in the Bible. The Holy Spirit of God will never advance or set forth something contrary to the Word of God.

The many doctrines taught in the Word of God are too numerous to mention here. Nevertheless, the doctrines of repentance, justification by faith, giving and taking reproof, the holy kiss, feet washing, and Holy Communion are a number of important ones. The church, which is the pillar and ground of the truth, teaches and embraces these doctrines.

In 2 Timothy 4:3, we read, “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine.” Keeping sound doctrine means continuing to practice them as they were originally given. If we profess to live the truth and yet do not practice these doctrines, are we living an untruth? Being disobedient and yet maintaining that we are saved is really what the Pharisees were doing in Jesus’s day. How many Christians on judgment morning will be found liars? Concerning this matter, John wrote as follows: “He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him (1 John 2:4-5).

Light and truth are found together numerous times in the Bible. Though they are perhaps different concepts, they are related and work very closely together. Light brings clarity, making things visible. It brings understanding, and it relates to guidance. Truth is the revelation of things as they really are. Truth enables honesty and integrity. Truth is understanding Scripture as God intended for his human family to understand it. God’s light illuminates our understanding, and God’s truth is the foundation of our faith.

Jesus wrote, “Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth” (John 12:35). Today, the church of God has light and truth. However, if the human aspect of the church does not live, move, and walk in the light of truth, the darkness will overtake us. The freedom that truth brings will remain with us only as long as we teach and are obedient to all points of doctrine.

An honest acceptance of the truth about ourselves, our sins, and our conduct will result in repentance. If it does not, then we have not yet come face to face with the truth. Such an honest assessment will result in godly sorrow for sin. A truly sorrowful heart will seek to amend its ways and find favor with God. God promised that when we “confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). Upon being cleansed, we become free. Free from what? Free for what? Free to do what? “Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty” (2 Cor. 3:17). The freedom and liberty that comes from embracing the truth does not do anything to liberate the flesh. In Romans, we read, “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing” (Rom. 7:18). We are rather set free from the power of the fleshly self-life and are at liberty to serve the Lord. We can serve Him, not by constraint, but lovingly and willingly. We are free from the condemnation of sin! We are free from the sentence of sin! We are made alive in Christ Jesus!

Illustration

The Roman Senate had found it convenient to farm its taxes and customs to capitalists, who then undertook to pay a given sum into the treasury, termed in publicum. Tax gatherers so received the name of publicani. Contracts of this kind fell naturally into the hands of the equites, the richest class of Romans. Going down a chain of command were the actual customhouse officers, who examined each bale of goods exported or imported, assessed its value, wrote out the ticket, and enforced payment. The latter were commonly natives of the province in which they were stationed, being brought daily into contact with all classes of the population. It is this class to which the term publican is referred to in the New Testament. These publicans were encouraged by their superior in vexatious and even fraudulent exactions, and remedy was almost impossible. They overcharged and brought false charges of smuggling in the hope of extorting hush money. 3

Zacchaeus was one of these, a chief tax collector, and had grown rich by overcharging the people. He was not appreciated and was even looked down upon and despised. He was a sinful, covetous man and in bondage to his own desires. This man heard about Jesus, and something about Him greatly stirred his heart; he wanted to see Him. Zacchaeus, being a man of little stature, climbed into a sycamore tree to see Jesus. Apparently Zacchaeus was in earnest and wanted an audience with Jesus. He told him, “Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house” (Luke 19:5). This sinful man humbled himself in the presence of truth and was set free from the bondage of his greed and dishonest gain. Jesus recognized him as a son of Abraham (Luke 19:9). He was made a son of Abraham in the true gospel sense.

Questions

1. Why is liberty so often thought of in terms of liberating the flesh?
2. What are some activities and attitudes we indulge in that actually enslave us?
3. If social pressures unduly influence us, are we in bondage? Would God have a greater freedom for us?
4. 1 Gladwin Koehn, Reflections, p. 379
5. 2 John Holdeman, Mirror of Truth, p. 270
6. 3 New Ungers Bible Dictionary, pp. 1254-1255

Source: COGICM Daily Bible Readings (Daily Bible Readings, PO Box 124, Glenn, CA 95943).