Truth is Freedom; John 4-8

May the mumbling commence!

What is truth?  It is a question that Pilate asks of Jesus in the gospel according to John (18:38).  In this time of pluralism, it is a question that gets a lot of thought.  Any ultimate truth claims are seen with great suspicion.  Many assume that any claim to ultimate truth is faulty by definition. 

When approached from a human point of view, this assumption appears to be true.  But there is much more than the limited human point of view.  The human point of view sees heavenly or divine truths through the reflection of a mirror (1 Corinthians 13:12).

But what is truth from a divine or godly point of view?  Truth is freedom.  Read from John chapter eight:

Then Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, "If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free." 

They answered him, "We are descendants of Abraham and have never been slaves to anyone. What do you mean by saying, 'You will be made free'?" 

Jesus answered them, "Very truly, I tell you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin.  The slave does not have a permanent place in the household; the son has a place there forever.  So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.  I know that you are descendants of Abraham; yet you look for an opportunity to kill me, because there is no place in you for my word.  I declare what I have seen in the Father's presence; as for you, you should do what you have heard from the Father." 

They answered him, "Abraham is our father."

Jesus said to them, "If you were Abraham's children, you would be doing what Abraham did, but now you are trying to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. This is not what Abraham did.  You are indeed doing what your father does."

They said to him, "We are not illegitimate children; we have one father, God himself." 

Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and now I am here. I did not come on my own, but he sent me.  Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot accept my word.  You are from your father the devil, and you choose to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks according to his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.  But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me.  Which of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me?  Whoever is from God hears the words of God. The reason you do not hear them is that you are not from God." 

The Jews answered him, "Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?" 

Jesus answered, "I do not have a demon; but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me.  Yet I do not seek my own glory; there is one who seeks it and he is the judge.  Very truly, I tell you, whoever keeps my word will never see death." (Verses 31-51)

Truth is freedom.  When we seek the truth from the Word of God, we no longer have to worry about what we say.  The truth will be revealed to us.  If we claim to have the truth, we must measure our words carefully. 

Have you ever heard the saying that a liar has to have a perfect memory?  It is true.  The people who Jesus spoke to claimed to have never been slaves to anyone.  That’s funny.  Did they forget about the time of slavery in Egypt?  And what about the time in exile, did they forget that, too?  What about the occupation of Rome that was current in their day? 

Slavery was all around them.  If it was pointed out to them, they would see it.  But Jesus pointed them to the slavery that has enmeshed humanity from the very beginning.  To sin is to be a slave. 

Think about it.  Have you ever experienced being a slave to the consumerism that dominates America?  We have become slaves due to debt.  It is the lie of the American dream.  It is the lie of entitlement.  And there are many other brutal slave masters – drugs, power, fame, fortune, sex…  The list can go on and on. 

We are trapped by the culture of sin that we live in.  Freedom is to be found only in embracing the truth of God’s Word, the Son.  Then, we can become free of the slavery to sin.  We can claim a new Master, who adopts us into His Family.  This Master has our best interests in mind. 

We can only truly excel if we give our life to Him and seek His glory not our own.

Enough mumbling for now… 

Peace Out