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Articles, Bible studies, and sermons that contain John 8:34:
John 8:31-36
Excerpted from: Remaining FreeVerse 31 reiterates what we have already seen: Living by God’s word is the key to remaining God’s people. If we are His people, we will walk in His way, which He alone defines. That should be obvious, but nominal Christianity has a false concept of freedom. It believes it has been delivered from God’s commands. Instead, it says it walks in love, not understanding that God’s instructions define what love is. Progressives say that if two people of the same sex love each other, they can marry. They say a woman should love herself and abort if a pregnancy is unwanted. God’s Word defines love very differently.
Yet notice that Jesus links abiding in His word—every word of God—with knowing the truth and becoming free. God’s way leads to freedom, but it is freedom as God defines it, not as humanity defines it. While the carnal mind strives to be free of God’s law (Romans 8:7), true freedom lies in worshiping the true God in the way He instructs. That is how we remain free from bondage to this world, to its ruler, and to sin itself. Being free of those things and being one with God is true freedom.
Verse 32 mentions knowing the truth as a result of abiding in God’s word, and that leads to the truth making us free. The Greek word under truth is alethia (Strong’s 225). It signifies the essence or the reality of a thing, which goes beyond just having facts. One may have the facts about an event, but that isn’t going to make one free. The spiritual reality that Christ is talking about is understood through living His way, as He says, but ultimately, it is talking about knowing Him. He says in John 14:6 that He is the way, the truth, and the life.
So, it is not some sort of abstract, Zen enlightenment we should seek in order to be free, but rather the divine embodiment of what is real, which is Christ. This is why, in verse 36, He says that if the Son makes us free, we will have true freedom. The truth that leads to freedom, and which keeps us from returning to the house of bondage, comes from and through the Son. Seeking truth and seeking spiritual freedom means seeking Him.
If we want to be free from spiritual slavery, we must go to Him. He is the one who sets free, just as He did with ancient Israel. Remember, He is the focus of this feast. But if there is trouble in that relationship, we cannot expect to be free. We are in danger of becoming enslaved, if we are not already.
What the Jews say in verse 33, on the surface, appears to be one of the most absurd statements recorded in the Bible. They had been enslaved by the Egyptians, the Babylonians, the Persians, the Greeks, and were, at that time, under the thumb of the Romans. It seems bizarre that they could say this with a straight face.
Now, it is possible they were simply lying for the sake of not losing this debate. We see that happen today—someone will straight up lie during an argument, or even just a conversation, because of how he wants to be perceived. Appearance means more to him than truth—than reality.
Maybe that was the case here. However, it is also possible that the Jews meant something different than the way it comes through in this translation. The word translated “bondage” means slavery or service. What is important, though, is that the slavery or service described by this word can either be voluntary or involuntary. So, even though the Jews had been conquered numerous times, and they knew it, they may have been asserting that they had never voluntarily served anyone—it was always under duress. When ancient Judah was conquered by Babylon, the Jews proudly rebelled and refused to submit to Nebuchadnezzar’s yoke, even when God’s prophets told them to. In other words, they may have been asserting that they had retained their honor. They had never willingly submitted to servitude but had always opposed it, because servitude was seen as … . . .
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