“What do you mean by saying, ‘You will be made free’?”

I would think that’s a fair question asked by some Jews who actually believed what Jesus was telling them. (John 8:31-33)

We don’t really know if these where Pharisees or religious leaders since all we are told there was that Jesus was talking to “those Jews who believed Him”. I guess they were tracking pretty well until Jesus got to this part about them ‘knowing truth and the truth would set them free’. (32). That was when they ‘blinked’.

“We are descendants of Abraham...we’ve never been in bondage to anyone.”

Do you think they might have been dealing with some memory loss here? I mean, really...it is rather well documented how the Jews were in bondage for a long time living as slaves in Egypt and under the control of Pharaoh. Remember the story of Moses whom God sent to deliver them and lead them out of slavery? Exodus 12:40 suggest they were in Egypt for some 430 years. But I’m not judging them for making that claim given we all have our own ‘blind spots’, do we not?

So here's a question for you- If someone asked you....”Are you free?”, how would you respond? And let’s assume we are not talking about having time to go grab a meal or a cup of coffee, or to chat on the phone for a few minutes either.

Are. You. Free?

“Free from what?”, you might ask in response to that question.

Here’s an interesting thought that I don’t think I’ve ever considered before: If you asked a black African man, who was savagely taken from his tribe, shackled in chains and brought over on a slave ship to America back in the 1700’s and then sold to a plantation owner...then, asking him if he was ‘free’, he might have a pretty definitive response for you. We all know the obvious answer to that.

But what if years later, you asked his 11-year old grandson (3rd generation slave) the same question- ‘are you free’? Is it possible you might get a less emphatic response? What would he have to compare it to? If you have grown up as a slave, and have never known anything else, what does it mean to be ‘free’...if you have never tasted or experienced true freedom?

There was another time back in history when the Jewish people were enslaved and it was during the time of the Babylonian captivity which began around 590 B.C. This came on the heels of the fall of Jerusalem and many Jews were taken and lived as exiles in Babylon for around 70 years; which means that many Jews were eventually ‘born in captivity, raised in captivity, and never knew anything but...captivity’ their whole life. So back to my point that asking a person who has never known what true freedom is...if they are ‘free’...we can see why that might be a confusing question for them to answer. Does that make sense?

I suppose that is probably why those Jews asked Jesus for some clarification on what He meant by being ‘set free’. They most likely did not see themselves as in ‘need of freeing’.

So Jesus explains: “Most assuredly, I say to you – whoever commits sin is a slave to sin.” (John 8:34)

Hopefully by now, we can all agree that anyone who is considered to be a ‘slave’ is not ‘free’. Hence...a ‘slave’ would be a likely candidate to experience ‘freedom’, as would be anyone that was enslaved or even held against their will, like maybe an inmate in jail or prison, yes? Ever known someone who was ‘enslaved’ to a drug or alcohol or sex ‘addiction’?

Now let’s change up the original question, instead of asking: Are you free?, how about the question: “Do you sin?” (not a trick question, I promise!)

Whether you are a non-believer who just dropped in today to read, or maybe a new convert, or possibly a 25+ year dedicated, church member... I bet most all answered: “Why, Yes, of course I sin.” You may have even added on the ‘qualifier’ reminding me – ‘we all sin, everybody sins’. (So we've been taught)

I guess it could be said then, if we are honest with ourselves...we’ve never known anything but ‘sinning’, and ‘sinning regularly and sinning often’. No doubt, some would be quick to add they don’t ‘sin as bad or as much as they used to’, but ...they still sin. The Bible affirms that ‘all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God’. (Rom. 3:23)

So what do we do with the statement made by Jesus, who told us ‘most assuredly...whoever commits sin is a slave to sin’? And don’t stop there...as He continues on ...”and a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever.” (John 8:35)

“Whoever commits sin is a slave to sin.” And we know a ‘slave’ is not ‘free’.

Granted, when you study American history, the term ‘free slave’ arises and is used often; as it refers to ‘former slaves’ that were ‘freed’. In other words, they were no longer...slaves. They used to be, but thankfully, after much longer than it should have taken, the Emancipation Proclamation signed by President Lincoln in 1863 freed all slaves in this country.

One who is a ‘former slave’ ...no longer is bound to live as a slave since they were set free.

So if Jesus says ‘whoever commits sin is a slave of sin’, and a person candidly admits they continue to sin...’daily and often’...what does that make them, according to Jesus?

Now if one continues to be a ‘slave to sin’, can they honestly admit they are...’free’? And if they say they are ‘free’ ...but continue to ‘sin’, then are they therefore ‘sinning willfully’? This is no small sticking point if Hebrews 10:26-27 means anything to us.

Does a person ‘accidentally sin? Would a freed slave back in the 1800’s who now was doing his best to carve out his own life on a parcel of land for him and his family...disappear for a few weeks and then sheepishly make his way home and tell his wife and kids...that he ‘accidentally fell back into slavery’, apologizing to the very ones who depended on him? Why would any slave who had been freed...choose...to go back into slavery?

(Yes, I’m aware of many unfortunate and extenuating circumstances that existed after 1865, but I think you get the idea here.)

So when Jesus said we would know the truth...and that the truth would set us free, then adding the ‘exclamation point’ of “If the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed!”, I see little wiggle room there to justify why one would continue to sin.

I mean, Jesus could have said “come to Me and you will sin less”; or perhaps- “After I set you free, you will still be a ‘slave’, sort of...but not really, yet not really free either.”

I think He was pretty clear in what He stated in those verses. (John 8:32-36)

The apostle Paul would come around much later, having received direct revelation from God Himself...and he would write extensively on this matter, especially there in Romans 6. It’s pretty amazing the number of references in that one chapter alone that he makes regarding how we ‘died to sin’ , asking how one can even live in sin any longer? (2). Then he drives home the point how we were ‘freed from sin’ (7,11,14,17-18,22)

John would later come back and include those sticking points in his first letter, making statements how ‘whoever abides in Jesus will walk just like He did’ (He did not sin), and whoever abides in Him ‘no longer sins. (1 John 2:6; 3:6). In fact John makes the case that whoever is ‘born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.” (1 John 3:9). And that was not a ‘typo’ because he writes just a few chapters later, assuming we already know the obvious: “We know whoever is born of God does not sin...”. (1 John 5:18)

So are you...free? And if you have hit the ‘pause button’ and are doing some serious soul searching right now, in light of what we read what Jesus had to say, then maybe you would be willing to admit that you are not as ‘free’ as you thought you were. Which leads to my next question of: “Would you like to be?” Because truth be told, not everyone ‘wants’ to be free of sin. Take a look at John 3:19-21 for an explanation as to why.

But if you continue to sin, even if just ‘once in a while’, can the question be asked: “Why?” Why do you sin? Do you choose to sin? If you do, then that opens up another different conversation and one that should concern you greatly.

Yet the truth of the matter is...’truth’ can...set us free. And Jesus, who IS ‘The Truth’ (John 14:6) made it known early on as to why the ‘Spirit of the Lord was upon Him’...as He ‘came to proclaim liberty to the captives and...set at liberty those who are oppressed’. (Luke 4:18) 

Why does any of this even really matter?  Well, if you were taught that continuing to 'sin as a believer' has no effect on your 'salvation', (inheriting the kingdom of heaven or eternal life), I suppose it really would not matter in the long run.

But what if you are wrong?  What if you were lied to...and deceived?   Isn't that what unfolded long ago way back in the garden when the serpent lied to Eve about this very subject?  

Join me for more tomorrow....Lord willing?