Read John 8:31-33
Well That Didn’t Take Long!
There were Jews who had seen Jesus perform miracles and heard Jesus speak. As a result, they believed in him. Their belief was limited because they didn’t know who he REALLY was. At best, they saw him as a miracle worker or a political Messiah. Seeing this, Jesus said to them, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.”
Three truths jump out of this verse that we need to hold on to:
1. Obey the teachings of Jesus because it’s absolute truth.
2. To obey is to be a true disciple or follower of Jesus.
3. To KNOW the Truth is to be set free from the bondage of sin.
As soon as Jesus said this, their pride kicked in because they were offended by his statement.
1. They were offended because it implied that they were slaves to another nation. Which implies they were evil people.
2. They were also offended because they felt their spiritual security was in the fact that they could say they were Abraham’s descendants. Which implies they didn’t need to be set free from anything. They couldn’t see they were slaves to sin. So because they are offended they went from believing in Jesus to hating him. Well that didn’t take long!
It sounds like our world today. People can’t see that they have a sin problem and they don’t want to have to change their life.
Are you holding to the teachings of Jesus? Have they made you one of his followers? Or are you still in bondage of sin, unwilling to let go of the things of this world, and being offended when confronted!?!
