Truth that Sets You Free

 

So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” They answered him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?” Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. I know that you are offspring of Abraham; yet you seek to kill me because my word finds no place in you. I speak of what I have seen with my Father, and you do what you have heard from your father.”  (John 8:31-38 ESV).

 

Transformational change is a topic that many have taken up. Virtually all of the people I work with each week are seeking some change in their lives. It may be their desire to reconcile or restore a broken relationship; or, perhaps they are seeking to find change in a habitual practice that has proven to be destructive in their lives. Our reading today gives us the answer to the secret to real, lasting change. The secret to personal change is not willpower. The secret is to know and face the truth.

 

Jesus says, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (v. 31). While it is true that Jesus is ultimately the Word, here He is speaking in a more general way referencing knowing the words of truth which can only come from being His disciples. Behind every self-defeating habit in our lives is a lie that we come to believe. The Bible teaches that personal change starts with truth. The Apostle Paul says, “Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him . . .” (Ephesians 4:21 NLT). Jesus made the declaration that He alone was “the way, the truth, and the Life” (John 14:6), and because Jesus is the truth, he will always tell you the truth. This includes the Scripture. These are the words that God has breathed to us (cf. 2 Timothy 3:16-17); they are truth.

 

We have come to recognize that what we are told by the media certainly lacks credibility. It simply is not always the unadorned truth. We’ve even become skeptical about the things we hear from what once might have been reliable sources. The only means through which we can know the truth is in relationship with the One who is Truth. From there we can trust the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to guide us in that truth we experience in the Scripture. As long as we build our lives on a foundation of lies, misconceptions, deceptions, or half-truths, we will never change. Today commit yourself to examining every source against the truth of the Scripture. That is your path to freedom and transformation.