“Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:32
How does knowing the truth make us free? When we know what is true, we can clearly see that which is false. Truth shows us sin for what it really is: destructive, debilitating, burdensome. We can be free of it. We don’t have to give in to it any longer, now that we are a new creation in Christ (Rom. 6:18). We are no longer enslaved by sin, unless we allow ourselves to be. “Everyone who sins is a slave to sin” (John 8:34). Whatever you give in to is what you are enslaved to. We can be slaves to sin, or slaves to righteousness (Rom. 6:20-22). The choice is ours. To the child of God it should be obvious what to choose – the result of sin is death, but the result of righteousness is holiness and abundant, eternal life.
The Pharisees here thought they were free (c.f. John 8:33). But in reality they were enslaved to the attitudes of their culture – pride, superiority, looking the part, “having a form of godliness but denying its power” (2 Tim. 3:5). A life lived in submission to God is a life of true freedom. For His yoke is easy and His burden is light (Matt. 11:30).
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