John 8:31-32 (KJV) Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;
And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
Disciples are those who choose the Lord Jesus as their teacher, who learn from Him in order to obey, who follow where He leads. Here He says only those who continue to do this are true disciples. The proof of discipleship is in perseverance. Some appear to begin well, but soon leave Christ’s teachings and go their own way. Such were never true disciples, not “disciples indeed”.
Christ came to set men free. What is this freedom? Not political freedom, not freedom from physical slavery, but freedom from the bondage of sin. Along with that He gives freedom from guilt and punishment, from the condemnation of God’s holy law, from fear of death, from the chains of the world and its empty way of living, from the bonds of possession, from any tie that would prevent us from fully following Christ and serving God . It is spiritual freedom He gives. And it is a “glorious liberty” which is possible only in the way of Christ.
How does Christ give this freedom? Through the knowledge of the truth. A true disciple comes to know Christ who is the Truth and the truth about Christ – who He is and why He came to earth and what He accomplished here. He will also learn the truth about himself and about salvation and the meaning of other great teachings Christ has given. This knowledge of the truth is the only way to liberation.
Men are held in bondage by the lies of Satan and other men, especially lies in religion, by sin, by unbelief and by ignorance of the truth of Christ. The truth that sets men free is Christ’s truth alone.
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