John 8:31-32
“If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
The Truman Show is a 1998 movie starring Jim Carey as Truman Burbank, a man who grew up living an ordinary life that—unbeknownst to him—takes place on a large set populated by actors for a television show about him. His entire life had been a 24/7 reality tv hit, yet he was clueless as to its existence. The show goes on, and when it is beyond its 10,000th day of runtime, Truman starts noticing unusual events: a spotlight falling out of the sky, a radio frequency that precisely describes his movements, and rain that falls only on him. Eventually, the charade can no longer be maintained, and Truman comes into possession of the truth…and the truth is what eventually sets him free.
If you came to faith as an adult, perhaps you remember what it was like to come into possession of the Truth of the Gospel. Before that, I was under the illusion that I was probably “ok with God” since I had not committed any really serious sins like murder or some other major crime. I pretty much lived any way I wanted to, always willing to satisfy the desires of my flesh. Additionally, I didn’t pay much attention to the world around me, nor to the plight of those less fortunate than I was. Like Truman Burbank, I was blissfully ignorant…until I wasn’t. Once the Truth of the Gospel entered into my mind and then my heart, I saw my depravity, desperation, and eventual damnation. I was beginning to be set free.
In today’s passage, Jesus was talking directly to those Jews who were beginning to believe what he had to say. He was giving them a warning: IF you abide in my teachings…THEN you will be set free. British theologian and author, R.V.G. Tasker, described what it means to abide in His word: “Welcoming it, being at home with it, and living with it so continuously that it becomes part of the believer’s life, a permanent influence and stimulus in every fresh advance in goodness and holiness.” In other words, to experience the freedom that Jesus has purchased for us on the Cross of Calvary, we need to live out our new lives as his disciples, willing to follow Him wherever he leads us, and to live in accordance with his commands.
“You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
There is nothing like the freedom we can have in Jesus. No money can buy it, no status can obtain it, no works can earn it, and nothing this earth offers us can match it. It is tragic that not every Christian experiences this freedom, which can never be found except by abiding in God’s word and being Jesus’ disciple. We experience it in increasing measure as we increasingly yield our lives to His Word. At the moment of salvation, we are free from condemnation and secure in our Heavenly home, but as we abide more in Him, He releases more freedom into our daily lives. None of us should settle for anything less!
