John 8:31-38 (ESV)

³¹ So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, ³² and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” ³³ 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’?” ³⁴ Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. ³⁵ The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. ³⁶ So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. ³⁷ I know that you are offspring of Abraham; yet you seek to kill me because my word finds no place in you. ³⁸ I speak of what I have seen with my Father, and you do what you have heard from your father.”

After Jesus’ last dialogue with the Pharisees, many listeners believed in him. At the same time, those hostile to Jesus increased their determination to get rid of him. Jesus instructed those who trusted to abide in his word. Jesus knew some were genuine disciples, and others were “fair weather” disciples who walked with him only until things became difficult. So Jesus taught those with him that if they were truly his disciples, they would remain in his word. It can frustrate us to think that some who associate themselves with Jesus or enjoy the benefits of being around Jesus may not be really converted, yet we must remember that Jesus addressed this very thing. He taught those who said they believed in him that they must remain under his teaching to be set free. This tripped them up. How could they be set free? They weren’t enslaved to anyone. Sure, they were under Roman rule, but they weren’t slaves. And to top it off, they were the descendants of Abraham. How could Jesus say they were slaves? Jesus pointed out that all of humanity is born into a state of slavery. He used the phrase “truly, truly” to emphasize this fact. He wanted to be clear to all who heard him teach. None but Jesus himself has been able to live a life totally free from sin. It just can’t be done.

Every soul is born with a wish to do things her own way instead of God’s way. But when we trust in Jesus, we are liberated from our bondage to sin. Upon conversion, for the first time, we are set free so that we can live right. The indwelling power of the Holy Spirit gives us the ability to say “no” to sin and “yes” to righteousness, even though our sinful nature keeps us from living as victorious as we really are in Christ. But thank God that although we battle our sinful nature on a moment-by-moment basis, if we are honest followers of Jesus, we are truly free. One day, when we see him face to face, our old self will be forever cast off, we will want nothing but what our God desires, and we will do everything in harmony with who we are in Christ. What genuine hope the promise of freedom brings to those who believe! Praise Jesus for your freedom today!