John 8:31-36
Thoughts from Stuart Poteet
Dive Deeper
“So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” 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’?” Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”
John 8:31-36
Behind the Scenes
Today’s passage has the potential to really rub people the wrong way. Have you ever considered yourself a slave needing to be freed? Clearly the Jews to whom Jesus was preaching had not. They were taken aback when Jesus said that they needed to be set free. The Israelites had been freed from the Egyptians many years ago – who then could they need to be set free from?
The truth is we are all born slaves. As a result of the Fall when sin entered the world, we are now born with a sin nature. The definition of “slave” is “a person entirely under the domination of some influence or person.” Because we are sinful beings, we embody this definition of being under the domination of a sin influence.
It’s often easy to look at others and pinpoint the sin in their lives to which they may be slaves. “She is a slave to her ambition” or “He is a slave to his addiction.” However, anything that we put ahead of God in our life is considered an idol, and therefore sinful. The first of the ten commandments states “You shall have no other gods before me.” (Exodus 20:3)
The passage continues in verse 5 to say “You shall not bow down to them or serve them…” The Old Testament established that to put anything before God was to serve someone other than God. We know from history and even the current day practices that liberation of those living in physical slavery has been passionately pursued by many. However, shouldn’t we also desire spiritual liberation for ourselves and others?
Make it Real
In the same conversation that Jesus informed the Jews they were slaves to their sin, He also provided the solution and key to freedom: “If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” That’s it. The Son must set us free. And how does the Son set us free? “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16). We must BELIEVE in Him. We must believe that Jesus’s death on the cross sanctifies and frees us from our sin.
Upon our sanctification, we now abide in Christ, and we are no longer slaves to sin. “You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.” (John 15:14-15) A servant or slave is not a permanent member of the household, but a Son is (verse 36). As such, our transformation from slave to friend through faith in the Son, solidifies our invitation to eternal life in heaven. What a beautiful story of liberation!
Kristen Krimmel
ACF Devo Team
End in Prayer
Heavenly Father,
We thank you and praise you that you do not leave us living in the bondage of sin. Thank you for redeeming us and saving us from the slavery to sin in which we were born. Thank you for welcoming us into your fold and extending us eternal life with you in Heaven.
I love you,
Amen!