John 8:31, 32 - True Freedom Is In A Relationship With Christ!

John 8:31, 32 - True Freedom Is In A Relationship With Christ!

John 8:31, 32 (NASB)  Jesus therefore was saying to those Jews 
who had believed Him, "If you abide in My word, then you are truly 
disciples of Mine; and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make 
you free." 

John 8:31, 32 (AMP)  So Jesus said to those Jews who had 
believed in Him, If you abide in My word [hold fast to My teachings and 
live in accordance with them], you are truly My disciples. And you 
will know the Truth, and the Truth will set you free. 

Freedom is not unrestrained indulgence in anything we may want 
to do when we want it. Freedom is being who we really are, 
creatures shaped by God for fellowship with Him, creatures who find joy 
and fulfillment only in loving and serving Him. Freedom is freedom 
to be who we are intended to be. And the way to freedom is marked 
out by the words of Jesus Christ. [Victor Bible Reader's Companion] 

Sin promises freedom but cannot deliver. Only Jesus Christ can 
give true freedom--freedom to master sin and reach one's God-given 
potential. [Disciple SB] 

Knowing Jesus is freedom from the power of sin. Sin has a way of 
enslaving us, controlling us, dominating us, and dictating our actions. 
Jesus can free you from this slavery that keeps you from becoming the 
person God created you to be. If sin is restraining, mastering, or 
enslaving you, Jesus can break its power over your life. [Life Application 
SB] 

When a person "hold[s] to My teaching" (8:31) he orders his or 
her life by it, and in doing so begins to experience reality! It is 
this, the experience of that reality portrayed in the words of our 
Lord, that makes us free. We are free from the shadowy world of 
illusion through which men stumble, grasping at phantoms that appear 
desirable but which in fact bring only suffering and pain. We are freed by 
Christ's words to know what is right and good, and by choosing the right 
and good we discover that which is best for us and for others. The 
greatest freedom of all is freedom from sin and its effects. [Victor 
Bible Background Commentary] 

The Son makes you free (v. 38), so trust Him and follow Him. His 
truth makes you free (v. 32), so study it, believe it, and obey it. 
Satan imposes slavery that seems like freedom (2 Pet. 2:19); Jesus 
gives you a yoke that sets you free (Matt. 11:28-30). [Chapter by 
Chapter Bible Commentary by Warren Wiersbe re John 8:30-59] 

  God's truth never restricts you; it always sets you free! Are 
you discouraged? Is there a sense of bondage in a particular area of 
your life? A lack of victory over a certain sin? A harmful addiction? 
It is possible that you do not yet understand a truth about God 
that can release you. 
  If you feel powerless to meet the challenges before you, take 
encouragement from the promise of Php 4:13: "I can do all things through 
Christ who strengthens me." If you are defeated by circumstance, hold 
on to the truth of Ro 8:28 that God can work your most difficult 
situation into His good. If you are enslaved to a particular sin, work the 
truth of 1John 1:9 into your life, which promises that if you confess 
your sin, God is faithful to cleanse you from all unrighteousness. 
All of these truths await the Holy Spirit's implementation into your 
life when you allow Him to do so. 
  It is one thing to know about the truth. It is yet another 
thing to experience the truth of God being worked out in your life. 
God's truth will have no effect upon you unless you accept it and 
believe it. Perhaps you have already read and heard accounts of God 
working mightily in the lives of others. But have you allowed God to 
implement those truths into your life? What truth about God would you like 
to be experiencing in your life? Ask Him to implement that truth 
into your life today. [Experiencing God Day by Day by Henry and 
Richard Blackaby re John 8:32 mod.]