Getting Free & Staying Free, Pt. 3

He who sins is a slave to sin. Sin is that which separates us from God
and others. It is the barrier of all barriers. Get free from sin through Jesus.

Getting Free & Staying Free, Pt. 3

"And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."

(John 8:32)

In John 8, Jesus teaches us a profound truth. He says it twice: the truth shall set us free. This is such a powerful and true statement. How do you respond to Jesus when He tells you this? The Jews in Jesus' day who first heard Him say these words responded in arrogance. They told Jesus they were not in bondage. Denying that they were in spiritual bondage only illustrated the truth of what Jesus told them. They could not experience the freedom of Jesus because they were already enslaved in their chains of pride.

I met last week with a mom who is in the battle of her life. Barring a miracle, cancer will take her life. While in her home, one of our pastors and I administered the Lord's Supper to her and her teenage daughter. Even though in obvious pain and in the grip of the awful disease of cancer, she had this peace in her life. Though in physical bondage to the disease, her soul was free.

In John 8:33, Jesus' words hit too close to home for the Jews who had spurious or fickle faith. Instead of them recognizing Jesus as the truth and His way as the way to life, forgiveness, and freedom from sin that enslaves, they responded just the opposite. They had much religious pride and became accusatory toward Jesus. I interpret their words to mean, "We are fine! You are the problem!" Jesus offered them a mirror so they could look at themselves and confront the sin within, but they would have none of that, and they thrust that mirror of self-evaluation to the ground with indignance and rage.

In John 8:34-35, Jesus addresses the root issue: sin. He who sins is a slave to sin. Sin is that which separates us from God and others. It is the barrier of all barriers, and it is not someone else's sins; it is my sins. Those in physical slavery are not free to move about and live their own lives, but those who are free can. One is controlled by another; the other is free to make decisions, to truly live. Jesus was surely not condoning slavery but using an analogy that people could understand.

John 8:36, "Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed," is much like verse 32: "And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." Jesus said in John 14:6 that He is the way the truth and the life. Knowing Jesus and His power in your life is what makes you free from sin. Jesus offers us a life of victory over sin and the ability to conquer what has hurt us or the things that continue to trip us up. He is the only One who can truly help you overcome and be free. As the song "Graves into Gardens" says, "You turn mourning to dancing. You give beauty for ashes. You turn shame into glory. You're the only one who can. You turn graves into gardens. You turn bones into armies. You turn seas into highways. You're the only one who can."

To get free from sin, you and I must have a relationship with God through Jesus, His Son. This is the first and critical step. A spurious or fickle faith will not cut it. How do you know you have a false faith? There is no fruit in your life, no real peace, no ability to overcome sin in your life. Will you humble yourself before God and receive Him in your life today?