The Truth That Sets Us Free
To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31-32).
Freedom is a paradox. Jesus teaches us that only by being in a right relationship with him can we have freedom. This flies in the face of all common sense ideas about freedom. We think that freedom means being able to do whatever we want. That idea of freedom is an illusion. It is slavery waiting to happen. The reason the common sense idea about freedom is false is that real freedom is essentially spiritual in nature. God created man to be like himself and for himself. This means that we are essentially spiritual. We are worshippers by nature. And if we don’t worship the living God who alone is worthy, we will worship some false god by default. Since Jesus Christ alone can bring us into a right relationship with the Father, knowing him and holding his teaching are indispensable for real freedom. Whether we are free or not depends upon the character of the one we worship. Read more