The Truth Shall Make You Free

“The truth shall make you free”. Just about everyone has heard that phrase. And it’s true! The truth shall make you free. But unfortunately, not everyone knows who said it or where it came from. Most importantly, there are folks who do not know the complete statement. Without knowing that, “The

truth shall make you free” can be taken out of context, the phrase can become subjective and malleable to the whims and ways of man. It can also become very opportunistic, seizing a moment to support what isn’t true.

Here’s the full and complete statement as made by Jesus Christ.

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. (John 8:31-32).

We must “know” the truth for it to be able to set us free. So what is this knowledge? This is the type of knowledge that has seeped into our bones. It is perception and discernment, a familiarity deeper than mere acquaintance and awareness of the subject matter. For example, you may know of a person but may not really know that person. There is a superficial knowledge, then there’s a knowledge so intimate that you know it from the inside out.

Only when we have this type of knowledge of the truth is it able to loose us from the world and unto the divine.

Knowledge of the truth makes us free, so what is this that we have knowledge of? As Pilate once asked Jesus, “What is truth?”

Truth is Jesus and the reality of Him as the expression of God. The many expressions of God that compose Christ include righteousness, holiness, mercy, and love. Truth, in a short answer is God. In a practical sense truth is God’s essence and of all things that consist thereof.

So this is truth, and the knowledge of truth will set you free from the world, and open unto you the divine. But let’s back it up a few more steps.

There is a huge difference between knowing and being. Knowledge of the truth is not the same as truth as part of your being. James speaks of this difference as it relates to faith.  

“Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?” (James 2:17-20)

You can have belief in God, but do you have faith in Him? It will be obvious as to which for faith will be part and parcel of your existence.

Truth, of which faith is a subpart thereof, is the same. When truth is in you and you in it, truth will be made manifest in all that you do. This is different than someone adhering to the doctrine and principles of truth. Doing is not the same as being.

Jesus said, “If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed”

Notice Jesus said continue “in” my word. He did not say continue “doing” my word, a huge difference as we just demonstrated.

Jesus is the word. If we continue in Him, and we know that He will continue in us, then we will be His disciples indeed!

According to Vines Expository Dictionary, a "disciple" was not only a pupil, but an adherent; hence they are spoken of as imitators of their teacher” (See John 8:31; 15:8)

Again we see the same difference. A pupil learns, the adherent is becoming.

The truth is Jesus and God through Jesus shall set us free from the world and sin. Being like Christ, learning and growing into Christ, is by definition, discipleship.

Bill Hitchcock