“And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” —John 8:32

In the movie Braveheart, William Wallace encourages a force of Scots to stand against the overwhelming force of their English oppressors. Wallace gives a stirring speech before the wavering Scottish fighters, and at the end says “They may take our lives, but they won’t take our freedom!”

Freedom.

Such a powerful word. Regardless of our time or place, freedom or liberty is a consistent cry of the heart.

A friend of mine from an African country told me that in his homeland that no one dares to speak out against their own government, because if word got out about his opinions, he would disappear. This kind of tyranny happened regularly in his country.

For many of us who live in the US, we have no idea what others experience under government systems that don’t have the freedoms that we were born into.

But why is freedom such a powerful desire? What is it about liberty that is so compelling?

Again, Jesus gives us insight: our desire for freedom is a reaction against the oppression that each of us experience, every day. Let me take you back to a discussion that Jesus had with a group of people, nearly 2,000 years ago:

Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Ah, here we are: freedom. “…you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

But, notice where this freedom comes from: it originates from the truth that is in Jesus. Jesus is using a play on words. Here is my paraphrase, “If you are in truth my disciples, you will remain faithful to my teachings. And you will know the truth, that the truth will set you free.”

Notice that truth is the foundation of Jesus’ freedom. Not a simple telling of a truth, nor truth as an abstract concept. The truth is that freedom is found in Christ. and Jesus is describing how his disciples will experience freedom from the bondage of sin that holds people as slaves.

Here is where he is going: Jesus didn’t come into our world to make mean people nice, or create a new religion/philosophy—there are plenty of those around. Jesus came to free us from the tyranny of sin.

We—every person on planet earth—are all prisoners under the oppression of sin. The problem for us is that since it has been with us since childhood, we have normalized it. “It’s just the way it is.”

But God had a better idea. Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection would pay for every offense that we’ve committed against God, bringing forgiveness from God and a fresh new start. We would be purchased out of slavery to sin to live in the freedom of God’s own people.

What is interesting about Jesus’ words, is that some of the hearers in Jesus’ day were looking for a political freedom. Listen again to Jesus’ words:

Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

But, some of the hearers took issue with Jesus:
“But we are descendants of Abraham,” they said. “We have never been slaves to anyone. What do you mean, ‘You will be set free’?”

The truth is that Israel had been in bondage to nation after nation: Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Persia, Greece and in Jesus’ day, they were in bondage to Rome.

Really? “Never been slaves to anyone?”

But now that Jesus has their attention, he refocuses his words away from the political to the spiritual reality in their lives:
Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave of sin.”

This is no small issue.

Ever sinned? Yeah, me too. “Everyone who sins is a slave to sin…“, Jesus says. This is weighty.

Our quest for freedom isn’t realized through political, moral or philosophical systems, but in the freedom that Christ gives. This is one reason you see the house churches in China flourishing under the tyrannical leadership of the CCP. These believers experience true freedom, even under a system that despises and actively persecutes them.

Jesus finishes his thoughts with this:
A slave is not a permanent member of the family, but a son is part of the family forever. So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free. —John 8:31–36

Jesus tells his people, as long as you remain enslaved to sin, I cannot help you. His purpose is to liberate us from sin and bring us into God’s family—more than a slave or servant; as true family. And when we follow Christ, that is what he does: slavery to sin is behind us and we become part of the family of God.

That is true freedom.

I have traveled around the world to 6 different continents in my short life, and met many amazing people. And I am grateful to live where I do. But wherever you live, if you miss this, you will miss the very purpose of Jesus’ mission.

Because of his great love, he came into our world to free us from the kingdom of darkness and bring us into the kingdom of light. He came to purchase our freedom from the slave market of sin, adopting us as the children of God.

This is where the cry of the heart is satisfied. This is where true freedom begins.

“…if the son sets you free, you are truly free.”

Bill Herried is lead pastor at CenterPoint Christian Fellowship in Tacoma, Washington. He has an undergraduate degree from the University of Washington in Seattle, and Master of Divinity from Corban University in Salem, Oregon. He is married to the most extraordinary woman on the planet. Together they have 3 adult children and 4 grandchildren and loves a good biryani. You can learn more about Bill on his blog, Your Daily Encouragement

Image by Michael Bußmann from Pixabay