The truth will set you free

DAILY BIBLE READING:

1 Samuel 18:5–19:24 
John 8:31-59 
Psalm 112:1-10 
Proverbs 15:12-14

BIBLE VERSE(S) FOR TODAY:

John 8:31-32 (ESV) "So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, 'If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.'"

REFLECTIONS ON TODAY'S BIBLE VERSE(S):

Freedom! We love that word. In America, we celebrate that we live in a country with so many freedoms. We like to do as we please.

Yet, even in America, "the land of the free," we have thousands of laws and the number continues to grow. Why? Because as long as there are sinful, self-seeking hearts, there will be people who use their freedoms to trample on other people's freedoms.

The irony is that to enjoy freedom, there must be constraints (laws).

Yet, in our text, Jesus has promised freedom!

John 8:31-32 (ESV) "So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, 'If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.'"

So, what is this "freedom" that Jesus is talking about and how can it be maintained?

Briefly stated, the freedom alluded to in this verse is the freedom from bondage to sin. Just read the next comments that Jesus makes a couple of verses later and this point becomes clear. Jesus can set us free from sin and sinful habits that would bind us and destroy us.

Further, freedom would eventually devolve into anarchy if it weren't for laws. But, this is also alluded to in this verse. "If you abide in my word..." Jesus says that the Bible becomes the instruction manual (law book) for those set free and, in fact, it works to set us free even more. As long as we are learning from God's Word, repenting deeply of where we fall short, and making the necessary adjustments, we will be getting freed from sin's chains and set free to serve, love, and enjoy our Lord.