“and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free”
What does it mean to be free?
For most of us, we tend to think about freedom as being a “freedom to” not a “freedom from.”
Freedom becomes a conversations about the things that we are free to do.
“I am free to vote.”
“I am free to travel.”
“I am free to speak my mind.”
This is one side of freedom, but this isn’t what Jesus is referring to in this passage.
The freedom that is mentioned here is a “freedom from.” Through Jesus, humanity is freed from the bondage of sin and sting of death. Humanity is no longer slaves of unrighteousness but are not freed from their sins.
Knowing Jesus is knowing truth. Jesus is “the way the truth and the life” (John 14:6) because He is the only way to experience liberation from sin.
Recognizing that we are freed from something creates an appreciation for the One who rescued us.
There is an old saying that “freedom isn’t free.” This is a true statement that can be applied to both our national freedoms and our spiritual freedom.
Because of Jesus’ life, death, burial, and resurrection, we not only have a freedom to live as children of God, we have the freedom from the oppression of sin.
It is tempting to believe that lies will keep you from trouble. This is a naïve notion that we fall victim to. Lies do not bring freedom. In fact, lies bring bondage. A man unable to recognize that he is a slave is unable to be freed. Confession becomes the avenue of recognizing that our sin is enslaving us and that Jesus is our only hope for deliverance.
Live It:
• What lies are you telling yourself about your sin?
• How can a realization that God has freed you from sin, not just freed you to walk by the Spirit deepen your worship of Jesus?
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Chase Snyder
Writer, Pastor
Chase Snyder is an author and pastor in Metro Atlanta. Chase’s aim is to help people apply the Bible to their life by take their next step of faith in Jesus. He is the founder of Ministry Bubble – a content creation company that helps people turn their ideas into ministry to serve the local church. Chase writes, speaks, blogs, and hosts the Spiritual Conversations Podcast. He and his wife have two children.
