John 8:31-33, 34-37 – “So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free. 34 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin.  35 ” The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son does remain forever.  36 “So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.”  NASB

On July 3^rd, the day before we in America, celebrate Independence Day, reflect on Liberty and its meaning.  We are cognizant of oppression and express gratitude to all who served and sacrificed to bring or preserve Freedom and Liberty. 

It is a day of reflection, introspection, honor, thanksgiving, and remembering, or it should be.  It is both a joyous and solemn day.  It is a time for festivities and deep personal and national introspection.  It is a time to thank God for our freedom naturally and focus on real freedom.

Here in this passage, our Lord identifies True Freedom.  It comes from and can only come from God.  It has nothing to do with whether you live under oppression or are in chains. It has to do with the heart, the mind, the soul, and the spirit.  Jesus said “IF,” and that is an undeniable qualifier.  “IF you continue in My word, THEN you are disciples of Mine; AND you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”

The IF, THEN, and AND of the Gospels.  So many times, we encounter truth in Scripture and fail to read it all and apply it rightly to our lives.  Commitment is involved with a continuation on the path of righteousness, and as a result, we are recognized as Disciples of Jesus. As a result, we taste and experience True Freedom!  Without Him, there is no real Freedom because if we are living in sin, we are the slaves of sin and outside the family of God.

Jesus identified that “if the Son makes you free, you will be FREE INDEED.”  The words “Free at Last” could be rightly applied to this passage and the condition of our hearts once we have accepted the Gift of Salvation from our Lord Jesus Christ through our repentance.  The Cross is a most beautiful picture of Freedom because it was there that Jesus paid the price for our Freedom.  There, He bought us back from the devil’s dominion and opened the door for us to be transferred into the Kingdom of God – FREE AT LAST!

I hope that you know Real Freedom today, and as you go through this day, you go through it with a consciousness of the Liberty and Freedom that only comes through Jesus Christ. 

Blessings abundantly as you celebrate our Freedom today!