The truth will set you free, It is a well-known statement, which subtly invites us to inquire about the true aspects of life events, with the purpose of judging them well, and making the most accurate decisions regarding them.
It is basically a promise of freedom with one condition, the essential condition of knowing “the truth”, now, around this statement, some important questions can arise, which can only be answered by analyzing the origin and context in which this famous story arose. expression.
The truth will set you free…
A long time ago, a humble and now well-known carpenter named Jesus preached the kingdom of God teaching great, deep but simple teachings about this kingdom in the main temple of an Israeli city called Jerusalem, Jesus had many followers, but also great enemies and detractors.
Where did it come from?
It was then that in the middle of a revealing speech, after his words made many people believe in him and his message, he said the following words:
… If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. John 8:31-32
In this way, Jesus established a condition to know the truth and consequently be free; that condition was to remain in his teachings and be a true disciple of his cause.
At that time (as today), the people were quite confused… lived in a country dominated by the Roman Empire, were victims of constant abuse by those in power, paid high taxes to the empire, and were practically forced (the Jews) to practice the official religion of the timeplagued by empty rituals, which led them to live in permanent chaos.
In that place there were rites for everything, civil laws were mixed with religious law, and there was a whole priestly class that, although they lived thanks to the Jewish religion and its laws, did not cover the true spiritual needs of the people, it is before this decadent panorama that Jesus appears and preaches the kingdom of heaven.
What is the truth?
The Truth according to the dictionary, is the conformity between what a person manifests and what he has experienced, thinks or feels… live in truth At that time it was simply to show congruence between what was said or done and what was thought. and the main facts of that moment were that truth itself had become flesh in the person of Jesus, to bring order and freedom to a society in need of change.
Back then there were many people who stopped doing the things they really should, for living “slaves” trying to satisfy the complicated religious doctrines of their spiritual leaders.
Many people did not follow Jesus for fear of the unknown, and for sticking to tradition (Matthew 15:2-9), many felt fear because they did not know him, which can be well understood, taking into consideration that his teachings were quite different. , and even challenging, compared to those traditionally given by the priestly class of the moment.
However, it is necessary to clarify that Jesus He was not simply a person speaking the truth, he was (as he himself points out) the “truth itself” speaking, the Bible says:
“Jesus said to him: I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through me.” John 14:6
Imagine, if these words today can seem radical, how much more would they be, in a time in which the story of Jesus Christ had not been written, nor had it influenced the entire world, how much more difficult it was for those people to believe.
Free from what?
Now, if we return to the text of chapter 8 of John, we can say that we know that Jesus is the truth, his words are true, they are spirit and they are life, as John 6:63 says so well, and if we believe that the truth will make you Free, the key question is: Free from what? What is the need we have to be liberated? This is answered by the dialogue that arises just after Jesus affirmed “the truth will set you free”.
“They (the Jews) answered him: We are Abraham’s lineage, and we have never been slaves to anyone. How do you say: You will be free?“. John 8:34.
This is where really The biggest problem of humanity is revealed, The reason why there is so much destruction and decay, so much hunger and misery on this planet, the reason why it seems that God is millions of light years away from us, is called sin, and humanity’s oldest problem. , the problem that Jesus, God made man came to solve.
Jesus knows very well what he came for, and he does not waste time with his listeners, they know very well who they are and he also shares their culture and lineage, that is why he answers:
(…) Verily, verily I say to you, that everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. And the slave does not stay in the house forever; the son does remain forever. So, if the Son sets you free, you will be truly free. John 8:34-36
Do we need freedom?
The reason why we need Liberty It is because the yoke of sin has enslaved us and dominates us in our affections and intentions forever, until the moment in which we truly become disciples of Jesus, we come to know the truth and this has a liberating effect on us. our conscience.
This step has been taken by many, both now and in ancient times, about this the Apostle Paul writes:
And he (Jesus) gave life to you, when you were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked, following the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now works in the children of disobedience, among whom all of us also once lived in the desires of our flesh, doing the will of the flesh and of the thoughts, and we were by nature children of wrath, the same as the rest. Ephesians 2:1-3
The truth will set you free…
Truth has a genuine liberating power over the human mind, seduced, corrupted and enslaved to the attractive and deceptive sin in many ways since ancient times, we must thank God for the liberating power of his truth, which not only sets us free, but also warns and helps us to avoid falling on paths that are not convenient…
Thanks to Jesus we can better evaluate our decisions and paths, see things more clearly, in the light of truth, through the word of God, and adjust to what the good and perfect will of God wants and requires of us.
By the truth of God we can also free others, from enslaving power that exert lies, deceit and manipulation of sin in the world and that is directly promoted by Satan as the Bible says:
We know that we are of God, and the whole world is under the evil one. But we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us understanding to know him who is true; and we are in the true, in the Son of him Jesus Christ of him. This is the true God, and eternal life. 1 John 5:19-20
If you believe in Jesus as savior of the world and personal savior, you have a great commitment to God and to society, God expects you to speak the truth of the gospel, He wants to use you as an instrument of freedom, there are already promises of freedom and salvation on your life, but there is also life for all those who hear the truth from your lips, let us remember what the proverbs say:
“The truthful lip will remain forever; But the lying tongue only for a moment” Proverbs 12:19.
Remember, if you keep the word of God you will be a true disciple of Jesus and LThe Truth Shall Set You Free.