Title: True Freedom (John 8:31-59)
Contents
There are many people who think that believing in Jesus is ultimately about living a right life like other religions. These are the thoughts of parents who send their children to Sunday school without living a religious life. Our generation has already thrown it away, so anyway, the purpose is to raise my children to lead a righteous life. When I go to church, I hear good things, so I have a vague idea that it is good for children.
But the problem is that there are surprisingly many people who say they are believers but come to church with these thoughts. Is it really for character cultivation that we come to church to worship and fellowship with?
What we need to know is that Jesus did not have to die on the cross if our purpose was to live righteously in this world. It was a problem that could be solved by giving good lessons, like Confucius and Buddha.
If so, we only have the Bible, another moral lesson book or ethical guidebook. What is Jesus really trying to tell us? Why did Jesus have to die on the cross instead of just giving a good lesson? We must always think about these issues while reading the Bible.
Jesus has so far spoken of himself as the light, making it clear that he belongs to heaven. That's why he said that we only do what pleases our Heavenly Father. When he said this, many people said that they believed in Jesus (8:30).
But here Jesus said to the believing Jews, "If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free" (verses 31-32). Why did he suddenly say, "The truth sets you free"?
The world speaks of freedom a lot. In the midst of the oppression of the dictatorship that our country has suffered for a long time, we cried for freedom. Since history, in many countries, freedom has been very prized. That is why they say that freedom is guaranteed in a country where democracy is realized. It refers to political freedom against the oppression of dictatorship.
So we always compare like this. Compared to North Korea, we pray that we are thankful that we worship freely. I feel free to live in the world and be able to go anywhere. Are we really free now? Is this what the Bible really says about freedom?
In Genesis 3, what promise does the devil offer to tempt humans through the serpent? “God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (verse 5). So man tried to be free from God. In the Garden of Eden, dwelling in the Word of God itself was considered bondage and oppression.
But refusing to be in the Word of God was being subject to the devil. What humans did not know was that being in the Word of God was not a bondage, and that falling away from God was not just freedom, but a terrible bondage to be bound to something else.
Humans who rejected God's word in this way were bound by the power of the devil who rules over sin. In this regard, Jesus declared to the Jews who believed in Him, “Your father is the devil” (verse 44). Then he said, "You do not believe in me" (verse 46). What is Jesus' intention in saying this to those who say they believe in Jesus?
If we look again at verse 31, it is said, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples.” Now, the Jews say they believe in Jesus, but they reject Jesus’ words and do not follow him. If you are a disciple of the Lord, you are abiding in the word of the Lord.
But what was revealed through the Jews now was that he was being held captive by the power of his father the devil. That is why even God's Word (the law) is used to condemn others. Jesus is talking about a woman caught in adultery right now with the Jewish people getting drunk.
Likewise today, it is our law and the Bible to attack and strike others with the law. However, in the text Jesus is saying that the purpose of the law is not to condemn others, but to deliver sinners according to the original purpose of the law. What the law originally wanted to show is love.
It means that God's love can deliver people from their sins. This is the true intention of God contained in the law. That is why Jesus came to this earth and clearly revealed God's intention. Humans who are bound by the power of sin do not know how to use even God's law for good.
In verse 47, Jesus said: “He who is of God hears the word of God, and you do not hear, because you are not of God.” It's not that we don't belong to God because we don't listen to God's Word, it's that we don't hear the word of God because we don't belong to God. Fundamentally, unless we change people who are bound by the power of sin to those who know the power of God, they will never know the word of God.
The only solution must be to set them free. Jesus will carry the cross as He said. Therefore, the only way to know the truth is to abide in the word the Lord has spoken. In this sense, what Jesus is saying now is that the truth is only Jesus Himself. When the Lord, who is the truth, comes and overshadows us who are bound and oppressed by the power of sin, we can see the Lord and enjoy freedom by the truth.
So the Bible always tells us what we became through Christ. So, to be free by knowing the truth is set free from the power of the devil who rules over sin! End! This is not it.
That freedom means being held back by the Lord in the Word of God with the freedom that man originally had. Of course, this does not mean that we are bound by the law again. This freedom that even the law cannot bind us is given in Christ. This is true freedom.
He used to be a slave to sin, but those who believe in Jesus Christ are set free through Christ. In other words, we have become servants of the Lord (Romans 6:22). You are a servant of the Lord, not a servant of the law. Please don't get me wrong. Being a servant of the Lord is a life that transcends even the law, and in fact, it is the image of the Son of God (Romans 8:14-15).
Now, what Heavenly Father wants us to do is to live according to the Word. What God wants us to do is to live up to the promises. 'Who is the descendant of whose' or 'who is our ancestor' are words used to refer to descendants who inherit the achievements and deeds of their ancestors. Abraham's descendants means knowing where Abraham lived his faith.
Abraham lived his life by trusting only in Jesus Christ and believing in the promise of Jesus Christ (verse 56). When we believe in Jesus Christ today, we mean that we believe in Jesus Christ, who is God's promise, and live by trusting only in Him. When a certain believer speaks of Christ, we just need to honor Christ together. This is living as promised.
However, we criticize that if anyone only speaks of Christ, you are the only one who knows Christ well. I am jealous of whether you can say that only your interpretation of the Bible is correct. Instead, we just need to exalt Christ together. Believers are those who are called to freedom because of this work. May you enjoy freedom in Christ.
The reason we always find it difficult to live according to the Word is that it is difficult because we are trying to keep the law by making the Lord's Word into a law with our own strength. All you have to do is do what the Lord tells you to do. He controls us because we have the Holy Spirit in us.
As is often said, believing in Jesus is not just about living a right life. Nor is it for self-improvement. We must live for the truth because we were freed in Christ as children of God who knew and served the devil as our fathers under the power of the devil.
To be set free is to live according to Jesus Christ, as opposed to the image of murder (verse 44) and lying (verse 44), as the father the devil did when he was bound by the power of sin. If he went the way of the cross, we should be walking the way of the cross in the same way. That is the life that bears the fruit of the Holy Spirit by the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23).