In today’s society there is a lot of talk about freedom. Some people believe that once they reach a certain age they have the freedom to do whatever they want. Some people think that just because they are alive they can do the same. When we examine the things that people do based on the fact that they believe they have the freedom to do them, we find some of the best and the worst that man has to offer.
I often hear a quote from Jesus that says “the truth will set you free!” That is one of those bottom lines that everyone can agree with. Truth will, at the very least, set us free from believing what is not true. That’s a kind of freedom. What I seldom hear is what Jesus was referring to as “truth”. Here’s the whole statement:
So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
~John 8:31-32 ESV
According to Jesus, there are some pretty definite prerequisites to being set free by the truth. First we have to acquire the truth. Jesus said we can acquire the truth when we “abide in” His “word”. When we do this, He says we will truly become His disciples. This implies that we don’t know what it is that Jesus defines as the truth that will “set you free” unless we are His disciples!
So the freedom to make a fool of ourselves or to pursue things that are of no value are not likely what Jesus would call being free. Of course, God has given us the free will to do whatever we want to do, but Jesus seems to have something specific in mind when He defines what it is to be free.
Later, we can look at what it is to “abide” in Him and then we can look for some definitions of what a “disciple” is in scripture and even in the dictionary.
The bottom line is that free is not equal to fool, but I know from personal experience that it will keep you full.
~pk
