One of the most sublime utterances of Jesus is found in John 8:31-32, "If you continue in my word then you are truly disciples of mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free." They are words of great promise yet great mystery for those who heard them back in that day, as well as today. They promise to make people free, but free from what? They responded to Jesus by saying they were not slaves, what did He mean free? He told them of the slavery that holds us all in a death grip and that is sin. The reality of sin is that each one of us is born into it, and it is inbred into us from day one. It enslaves us and we are prone to do things that cause hurt to ourselves and those around us, and eventually will destroy our lives and lead us to death for eternity apart from Jesus Christ and all of the new reality in glory.
Jesus said that the way to freedom is conditional. It is dependent on what we decide to do about Jesus Christ and His word preserved for us in the Bible. He said if we continue in His word, then we are His followers, those who are learning from Him daily. That is the path to freedom. Any other way is a cruel delusion and snare of the enemy of all humanity the devil. It isn't accepted by very many in today's culture that there is only one singular path to peace with God and to heaven, but Jesus said that is exactly the case. No one can come to the Father but by Jesus, and even then it is the convicting, drawing action of the Holy Spirit that enables us to move forward to decision. Offensive as it may be to some, that is the path to freedom taught by Jesus.
When truth is received, it brings the freedom from sin that we all need. But it also brings a division between people. Now, this might sound like a bad thing, since we as a nation seem to be more divided than ever before in our history. But it isn't. Rather, it is a positive division that reaches across all races, economies, classes, even families. It divides humanity into two categories- those who belong to God through faith in Christ and those who do not. It is those who are continuing in the faith and those who are not. It is those who are continuing in the words of Christ in obedience and deepening faith who are His followers. They will be increasingly distinct from the corruption and sin of this world and will be able to demonstrate the higher life of a follower of Jesus Christ. This is a godly and positive division enacted by Jesus Himself.
So don't be afraid of the right type of division. Take your stand for the truth, and demonstrate the path of freedom to people who are enslaved, and do not even realize it. It is no accident that the freedoms we enjoy in our nation were derived from truth, the truth of the Bible that our founders recognized. It will be no accident for you either, when you stand for truth in your personal life, that freedom from sin and that which destroys will be increasingly abundant for you. The truth really will set you and me free.
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