"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." John 8:31,32
Truth and freedom go together. That is the way God designed it to be. Lies and bondage go together as well. The path a person chooses to follow will impact their life and generations that follow. In the Gospel of John, the person of truth, Jesus Christ, gives his children the pathway of truth and the freedom it brings.
The True Jesus
Jesus said many false Christs would come in His name (Matthew 24:5). These come in the form of a false gospel. Jesus is the only true God and brought into the world grace and truth. There is no other god and no other way to find eternal life but through the true gospel of Jesus Christ, "Jesus said to him, I am the way, and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." John 14:6.
True Conversion
A faithful follower of Jesus Christ who has received a new nature will produce a change in heart and life of a person. John 3:20,21 "For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works be exposed, But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God." Jesus is the true vine, and every branch that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does not bring fruit, he prunes bearing fruit (John 15:1,2).
Hearing the Truth
In John 10:27, Jesus said that "my sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me." Since you are a disciple, Jesus said you would know the truth, and that truth brings freedom to your life (John 8:31,32). The contrast Jesus made is to those that believe the father of lies, the devil (John 8:44-47).
The Spirit of Truth
The Holy Spirit is the indwelling supernatural helper leading us into the truth. In John 14:16,17, Jesus brings comfort to his disciples with the blessing of the coming Spirit of truth, "And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even as the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you."
The Word of Truth
We are in a battle for what is truth. In John 17:15-19, facing death, Jesus prayed for his disciples to be removed from this world and sanctified in the truth, "Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth" John 17:17. He acknowledged that absolute truth came from the heavenly father, and God's word is foundational for living in God's kingdom.
There is no greater joy in ministry than to walk alongside those that are pursuing truth. I pray that you and those you love will follow Jesus in finding freedom in Christ!
Serving Christ,
Jeff