John 8:31-32 Amplified Bible
The Truth Will Make You Free
31 So Jesus was saying to the Jews who had believed Him, “If you abide in My word [continually obeying My teachings and living in accordance with them, then] you are truly My disciples. 32 And you will know the truth [regarding salvation], and the truth will set you free [from the penalty of sin].”
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
Sometimes the Bible is described as a telescope. A telescope is not something to look at but an instrument to look through, to bring that which is too distant for us to see closer. When we do what is far away, hard to see becomes clearer to us.
When we look at our life and history through the lens of the Bible, what once seemed distant, hard to understand – God – slowly comes into focus. Through Scripture we are brought close to God. Through Scripture we are brought near to events that happened thousands of years ago. We zoom in, for example, on the life of Christ, who became human and came to live among us (John 1:14).
John 1:14 The Message
14 The Word became flesh and blood,
and moved into the neighborhood.
We saw the glory with our own eyes,
the one-of-a-kind glory,
like Father, like Son,
Generous inside and out,
true from start to finish.
God, unexpectedly, abruptly but gently, intruded into mankind’s experience.
Jesus walked among us. Jesus wanted the people of his day to believe in him as the One who reveals the truth about God and what God is doing in this world.
But instead they were slow to catch on, they wanted to hang on to old legalisms, refusing to admit to anyone that they were slaves to sin and could not keep the law perfectly. Jesus urged them to accept him as the eternal truth and life who could bring them out of this slavery and give them new life forever with God.
Are we any different?
As we daily encounter the Word of God, how challenging, how utterly complex is to accept God on his terms, not ours, moving from our world to His Kingdom?
Even those who profess hardcore belief, are we fully relying on the Spirit’s help?
Are we authentically listening, are we authentically hearing, as God speaks to us and breathes into us his life and truth? And believing the truth sets us free-free to serve him in our daily work, play, relationships, and every other facet of life?
Why is the Truth of Jesus even .01% Relevant Today?
The Book of John remains profoundly relevant today, offering readers profound insights into the deeper nature of faith, of hope and love, and eternal life also.
Its emphasis on the divinity of Christ and the transformative power of belief provides a foundation for personal spiritual growth. In a world seeking truth and meaning, John’s Gospel invites us readers to encounter Jesus in a deeply personal way, encouraging them to live out their faith with love and integrity.
John 8:31 New American Standard Bible 1995
The Truth Will Make You Free
31 So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine;
In this moment, Jesus speaks to those who have already shown belief in Him, urging them to deepen their faith through committing to actual visible action.
He underscores that true discipleship is characterized by our adherence to His teachings. This means that belief is not merely an intellectual agreement but a transformative process that involves living out His words in our everyday life.
The call to “hold to my teaching” suggests that Jesus had in mind a continuous, active effort to align one’s life with the principles that Jesus was teaching, such as love, mercy, forgiveness, a life grounded in genuine sacrifice and humility.
This passage from John invites believers to reflect on the nature of their faith.
In that moment, it is quite the confrontational statement, challenging them to consider whether their transitional actions now reflect the teachings of Jesus.
By doing so, by trying to shift their mindsets from their world to the Kingdom, they not only affirm their transitioning, transforming identity as His disciples but also committing themselves to experience a deeper relationship with Him.
This commitment to His teachings is a journey of growth and transformation, prayerfully leading to a more profound understanding of His truth and love.
John 8:32 New American Standard Bible 1995
32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”
The idea of truth in this context is deeply connected to the teachings of Jesus and the gospel.
It implies that through reading, studying and understanding and accepting these teachings, one can move towards achieving a profound sense of freedom.
This sense of freedom is not merely physical or political but is spiritual and emotional, liberating individuals from the chains of sin, guilt, and ignorance.
The truth referred to here by Jesus is the truth of God’s love, grace, and the salvation offered exclusively through their confession of Jesus Christ Savior.
By embracing this truth, by bear hugging this truth, believers are then set free from the burdens that would otherwise hang a thousand pound millstone on their necks, weigh them down, such as fear, doubt, the pressures of the world.
This freedom allows for a life lived in alignment with God’s will, characterized by hope, peace, joy, and a sense of purpose. Moreover, it invites believers to live authentically, in harmony with their true selves as originally created by God.
The verse calls for a sure commitment to seeking and living by the truth, which in turn guides, leads, to a transformative experience of liberation, fulfillment.
Job 9:1-13 The Message
Job Continues
How Can Mere Mortals Get Right with God?
9 1-13 Job continued by saying:
“So what’s new? I know all this.
The question is, ‘How can mere mortals get right with God?’
If we wanted to bring our case before him,
what chance would we have? Not one in a thousand!
God’s wisdom is so deep, God’s power so immense,
who could take him on and come out in one piece?
He moves mountains before they know what’s happened,
flips them on their heads on a whim.
He gives the earth a good shaking up,
rocks it down to its very foundations.
He tells the sun, ‘Don’t shine,’ and it doesn’t;
he pulls the blinds on the stars.
All by himself he stretches out the heavens
and strides on the waves of the sea.
He designed the Big Dipper and Orion,
the Pleiades and Alpha Centauri.
We’ll never comprehend all the great things he does;
his miracle-surprises can’t be counted.
Somehow, though he moves right in front of me, I don’t see him;
quietly but surely he’s active, and I miss it.
If he steals you blind, who can stop him?
Who’s going to say, ‘Hey, what are you doing?’
God doesn’t hold back on his anger;
even dragon-bred monsters cringe before him.
Psalm 31:3-5 New American Standard Bible 1995
3 For You are my [a]rock and my fortress;
For Your name’s sake You will lead me and guide me.
4 You will pull me out of the net which they have secretly laid for me,
For You are my strength.
5 Into Your hand I commit my spirit;
You have ransomed me, O Lord, God of [b]truth.
Psalm 40:9-11 New American Standard Bible 1995
9 I have proclaimed glad tidings of righteousness in the great congregation;
Behold, I will not restrain my lips,
O Lord, You know.
10 I have not hidden Your righteousness within my heart;
I have spoken of Your faithfulness and Your salvation;
I have not concealed Your lovingkindness and Your truth from the great congregation.
11 You, O Lord, will not withhold Your compassion from me;
[a]Your lovingkindness and Your truth will continually preserve me.
Psalm 51:5-11 New American Standard Bible 1995
5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
And in sin my mother conceived me.
6 Behold, You desire truth in the [a]innermost being,
And in the hidden part You will make me know wisdom.
7 [b]Purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
[c]Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
8 [d]Make me to hear joy and gladness,
Let the bones which You have broken rejoice.
9 Hide Your face from my sins
And blot out all my iniquities.
10 Create [e]in me a clean heart, O God,
And renew [f]a steadfast spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me away from Your presence
And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.
What or who is “the truth” that “will set you free” (John 8:32)?
What is the condition for being set free by “the truth”?
What qualifies as “the truth?”
What do you understand about the phrase “will set you free?”
When you see that word “freedom” what thoughts, feelings arise?
What qualifies people as Jesus’ disciples?
What is the flip side of what Jesus said in John 8:31?
What does John 8 32 us teach about?
What does it mean to worship him in spirit and truth?
What did Jesus mean when he said “I am the truth”?
What is the meaning of truth biblically?
Christ Jesus said, “Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32). That’s a wonderful promise that can be taken seriously, especially when you and I feel the need for some sort of healing – whether the difficulty is injury, illness, financial hardship, a troubled relationship, or anything else.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
25 (0) By David:
(1) I lift my inner being to you, Adonai;
2 I trust you, my God.
Don’t let me be disgraced,
don’t let my enemies gloat over me.
3 No one waiting for you will be disgraced;
disgrace awaits those who break faith for no reason.
4 Make me know your ways, Adonai,
teach me your paths.
5 Guide me in your truth, and teach me;
for you are the God who saves me,
my hope is in you all day long.
6 Remember your compassion and grace, Adonai;
for these are ages old.
7 Don’t remember my youthful sins or transgressions;
but remember me according to your grace
for the sake of your goodness, Adonai.
8 Adonai is good, and he is fair;
this is why he teaches sinners the way [to live],
9 leads the humble to do what is right
and teaches the humble [to live] his way.
10 All Adonai’s paths are grace and truth
to those who keep his covenant and instructions.
11 For the sake of your name, Adonai,
forgive my wickedness, great though it is.
12 Who is the person who fears Adonai?
He will teach him the way to choose.
13 He will remain prosperous,
and his descendants will inherit the land.
14 Adonai relates intimately with those who fear him;
he makes them know his covenant.
15 My eyes are always directed toward Adonai,
for he will free my feet from the net.
16 Turn to me, and show me your favor;
for I am alone and oppressed.
17 The troubles of my heart are growing and growing;
bring me out of my distress.
18 See my affliction and suffering,
and take all my sins away.
19 Consider my enemies, how many there are
and how cruelly they hate me.
20 Protect me and rescue me;
don’t let me be disgraced,
for I take refuge in you.
21 Let integrity and uprightness preserve me,
because my hope is in you.
22 God! Redeem Isra’el
from all their troubles!
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
Loving God, Living God, Loving Hope, Living Hope, Loving Living Life His Way! "Many things are possible for the person who has hope. Even more is possible for the person who has faith. And still more is possible for the person who knows how to love. But everything is possible for the person who practices all three virtues." - Brother Lawrence (1605-1691), Practicing the Presence of God (1692). 