Our scripture this morning is John 8:31-36.
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.”
Jesus tells those gathered “you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free”. He Himself is the very word of God, present and part of the creation of all things (John 1:2-3), the way, the truth and the life (John 14:6). Jesus wants us to understand that through Him, we can know God and be freed from slavery to sin.
The sad part is that we have let sin into our lives by choice. It wasn’t forced on us, we made a conscious decision to obey our selfish desires rather than accept the blessing of a relationship with our creator. Jesus tells us “everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin” and we shake our heads and deny it.
He closes this lesson by telling us “if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed”. This is His promise, that by believing in Him, we can be saved from the power of sin and death. Eternal life can be ours through repentance and acceptance of the forgiveness He brings. Nothing else can redeem us; only Jesus can save us.
Gracious God, we are grateful that You love us so much, sending Your son to free us from the evil of sin. Bless us to go in Your name to tell the world of the freedom You offer to all. Amen.