John 8:31-35 English Standard Version
The Truth Will Set You Free
31 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” 33 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’?”
34 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. 35 The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever.
A recent study asked us to answer this question for ourselves: Who is Jesus to you?
When we first accept Jesus into our hearts by faith it is possible that the answer to that question was not on our minds. We seek God’s help for different reasons. Why we feel the need to be saved is really not the point here. It is more about our expectations of salvation and what happens next.
We might find the peace of God at first. Restless hearts might find rest first. Loneliness might find a true friend. A rebel might find a victorious warrior to follow.
In the end we all discover the abiding presence of the Son is willing to reveal Himself in truth as only Jesus can do. As disciples we will grow in Christ and discover we need another aspect of this living God who is “all in all”.
Only God can be everything to everyone and still remain personal to each one of us.
There is no perfect answer to who is Jesus without recognizing His abiding presence.
His warning about being a slave to sin was directed at those Jews that faced Him in that moment because He had not yet been betrayed and put to death.
His death was the game changer.