The Truth Shall Set You Free
For as long as there have been tyrants, men have longed for freedom. Men have no desire to be in bondage to another man. We are inspired by men who strive to break the shackles of tyranny through words and war. Whether it is Scotland being led by William Wallace against the tyranny of England, or the American colonists fighting for independence and freedom from England, the cause stirs our souls. Whether it is being done wisely or foolishly, the Iranians’ revolution to throw off the bonds of their Muslim overlords is a movement we want to stand behind in principle. People have fought the institution of chattel slavery in Western Civilization and around the world, understanding that men, no matter their ethnicity, are created to be free.
But what does it mean to be free? Free from what? Free to do what?
As Jesus speaks to the Jews who believed in him at the Feast of Tabernacles in John 8, he tells them that they shall know the truth, and the truth will make them free (Jn 8:32). Jesus’ words have been used (and misused) for everything from new scientific knowledge to children coming clean with their parents. But what does Jesus mean by them?
We need to understand what it means to “know the truth.” Knowledge of reality, the truth, is not grasping a few superficial facts about something. To truly know something, you must understand its purpose. True knowledge is a right relationship with reality that puts me in a position to be productive or fruitful in every sense.
Let me illustrate. I can know what a handsaw looks like and even recreate a handsaw, becoming the world’s great manufacturer of handsaws. However, if I believe that a handsaw is made to drive nails, I don’t know what a handsaw is. If I try to use a handsaw to drive nails, I destroy the handsaw, frustrate myself, and don’t accomplish the driving of the nail.
Knowing the truth is understanding reality. Understanding reality means that I must know everything about everything, every permutation, and how everything relates to everything else. No finite mind can do this. The only other alternative is to submit to and trust someone who knows everything about everything.
God created all that there is. That doesn’t mean that he merely brought things into existence (although that was necessary). It means that he has a design and purpose for all things. He knows how everything is supposed to relate to everything else. He has a design, a purpose, for you as a male or female. He designed you to relate to him, others, and the non-human creation in particular ways. When you submit to his knowledge, which is reality, the truth, then you are free. That is, you can operate to the full potential for which God created you.
Sin enslaves you. This is what Jesus told the Jews in that same discussion. Sin perverts God’s design in your thoughts, words, and deeds. When you submit to sin, you have a bad and unhealthy relationship with reality. Sin deceives you, telling you that not submitting to God’s commands is true freedom, but that is like saying not submitting to the manufacturer’s design of your vehicle and using it as a boat is true freedom. Sin is a lying slave master.
The truth of which Jesus speaks in John 8:32 is revealed in him. “The law came through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” (Jn 1:17). Jesus is “the truth” (Jn 14:6). He is God’s Word through whom everything was created, who designed and ordered all things according to God’s wisdom (Jn 1:1-4; Prov 8). Jesus is reality. You can’t even know who you truly are without knowing Jesus, that is, having your thoughts, words, and deeds determined by him. When you submit to Jesus, you are set free from the tyranny of sin, able to live as God designed you to live.
When you know the Truth, the Truth will make you free.
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