The Truth Shall Make You Free

The Truth Shall Make You Free
text is based on Nehemiah chapter 1
by Donald Brown

Those who survived the Exile of Israel and Judah and are now back in their homeland are in great trouble. The City of Jerusalem has been destroyed and the Gates, the element of safety and the symbol of security, have been burned.

The people had lost the fight and been driven off or carried into exile against their will and desire. They lost and were beaten. While their land was vacant, enemies ravaged and destroyed homes, walls, and gates.

After a time, they were restored to their land. They did not win their restoration; it was given to them. After a period of 70 years, a new ruler had released them to go to their ancestral homes. They went. However, after 70 years, they had become accustomed to their new houses and cities. They had allowed several things, fear and materialism chief among them, to bind them. Although theoretically free, in point of fact, they were not free but instead bound to a way of life that held no satisfaction or fufillment.

Not only fear but also materialism binds hearts and minds by distracting attention from the truly important elements of life to the immediately visible but not necessarily important elements. Lack of discipline is also a strong binding and not easily overcome.

The key is that no person can set himself or herself free. The bindings are not of human design and cannot be loosed by human intent or effort. John 8:36 records the words of Jesus: "If the Son sets you free, you shall be free indeed." This relates back to John 8:31-32: "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you shall know the TRUTH, and the TRUTH shall make you free." This passage presents a sequence of causal events that culminate in total freedom.

First, there is a condition to be met. Several phrases from these passages refer to that condition, as we see in:"If you hold to my teaching..."; "If you abide in me..."; "If you continue in my way...". Only the Holy Spirit can reveal to each person the form that this commitment will take in his or her life, but, generally speaking, the condition is: Be utterly committed to obeying Jesus completely in your life. Nothing less than total commitment defines discipleship. Be aware that no person can define or judge for any other person the existence or condition of total commitment. Also, be aware that God may well accept, as a beginning point, something far less than other humans might demand if we were the judges. Simply make it personal: you obey Jesus.

Second, being disciples of Jesus and wholly committed to obeying His instructions for life, we then are able to understand and receive His revelation. We shall know the TRUTH. That is the strongest possible statment possible concerning human existence.

Some religions teach that Truth is a mystery, concealed from the unitiated. Some philosphies teach that man is not capable of knowing the Truth; at least, not in this life. Some go so far as to deny the existence of any ultimate Truth.

But Jesus says that there is TRUTH. There is no equivocation: TRUTH is. His own nature is TRUTH. TRUTH is solid and unchanging; you can base your life on it without fear of being shaken. TRUTH is; Jesus is TRUTH.

Furthermore, this TRUTH which cannot be shaken is not held in secret to tantalize the dull-witted; this TRUTH is readily available to be understood and absorbed by anyone willing to be a disciple of Jesus.

After obeying Jesus, being his disciples, and knowing the TRUTH, then and only then will the TRUTH make us free. It seems that the fears that bind us and keep us in slavery are lies. All we need to be free is the TRUTH.