The Truth that Sets Us Free

UV 4173/10000 The Truth that Sets Us Free “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8 v 32 Jesus told the Jews around Him that if they abide in His word, they would be His disciples. By abiding in His word, we come to know the truth. Jesus is the truth personified and when we know Him truly, we are set free from the bondage of sin and from the penalty of sin. Sin is any shortcoming or falling short of God’s glory. By knowing Jesus, we are able to overcome the shortcoming, the falling short. We are freed from the clutches of the father of sin- the enemy of humanity. Jesus points out to the Jews of the time that we can be either the children of God by believing and abiding in Him or be children of the evil one. Children of the evil one could not recognize or accept Jesus. They wanted to murder Him and disregarded His word. Children of God recognize that Jesus is the Son of God sent by the Father in heaven to redeem mankind. Hence, the latter respond with love towards Jesus. Hence, it is not an abstract principle of truth that sets us free but Jesus Himself through His teachings, through His sacrificial death on the cross and His resurrection proclaiming victory over sin and death and all shortcoming or “hamartia”. The follower of Jesus, therefore, enjoys more freedom and not less as he is set free from the attraction or seduction of sin, he is set free from the weaknesses of his own flesh and mind, he is set free from the fear of death and eternal judgement. Fear restricts us and when we are set free from all kinds of fears, we are like stall fed cattle, being fattened for the killing, that have been set free suddenly. We rejoice in the freedom we have in Christ, the power over sin and death, curses and disease. This truly results in a paradigm shift- the patterns of our thinking, speaking, doing, reacting now conform not to the desires of our flesh or mind but to the will of God expressed in and by Christ.