John 8:31-41
The Truth Shall Set Us Free
31 To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."
33 They answered him, "We are Abraham's descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?"
34 Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. 35 Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. 37 I know you are Abraham's descendants. Yet you are ready to kill me, because you have no room for my word. 38 I am telling you what I have seen in the Father's presence, and you do what you have heard from your father."
39 "Abraham is our father," they answered.
"If you were Abraham's children," said Jesus, "then you would do the things Abraham did. 40 As it is, you are determined to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham did not do such things. 41 You are doing the things your own father does."
"We are not illegitimate children," they protested. "The only Father we have is God himself."
John 1:14
Jesus is Full of Grace and Truth
14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Those who hold to His teachings are the ones that are really His disciples...But it is very hard to hold to His teachings, day in and day out...It is very hard to follow Him...It is very, very difficult to be like Him..We know that Judas did not follow His teachings very well...We know that Peter denied Him in His hour of need...We know that Paul was part of the stoning of the first Christian martyr, in the killing of Stephen...So we get an idea from His disciples and apostles of how difficult it is to follow Him and to hold on to His teachings...
Everyone who sins is a slave to sin...No slave has a permanent home, nor do they belong to any family...But a son, yes a son belongs to his family forever...So if the Son sets you free, you are free indeed...Jesus tells us very clearly, that He is telling us what He has eye-witnessed in His Father's Presence...He has seen the Father and been with the Father in Heaven...
If we follow Him and do His teachings in our everyday lives, then we are His disciples...If we don't follow and do what He says then are we really His disciples?...But as we can see it is very difficult for us to do what He says, even though we can see it as the truth...The Jews of His time struggled with what He was Teaching...
But following Him and His Teachings can set us free...How hard it is to follow One so Perfect?...But here He tells us, if He the Son sets us free, then we are indeed free at last...He has seen the Father and the Father has seen Him...He is in the Father, and the Father is in Him...He came for sinners, and died for sinners...He, therefore, is our Savior, He came to save us and by saving us it would set us free -if we hold onto His Teachings....Let us be thankful that He is both full of Grace and Truth...