What does it mean that you will know the truth in John 8:32?

The power of His words was felt and many took the place of believing on Him. The Lord tested them by telling them that one who was not a mere nominal follower but a disciple indeed is characterized by continuing in His word; that is, in the whole truth that He brought. Continuance is ever the test of reality, and where that exists the truth is known in its emancipating power. The devil enslaved by the power of his lie: Christ liberates by the power of God's truth. He did not flatter them by telling them that as God's nation they were free. He set before them that true spiritual freedom which is the result of the knowledge of the truth. That they needed, and so do we!

How simple are the Lord's words to the Jews, "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:32). First of all, the soul, individually, by the reception of the truth revealed in Christ, is set in perfect freedom before God. Freedom from what? Everything that would hinder your heart and soul thoroughly enjoying God. "The servant abides not in the house for ever: but the Son abides ever" (John 8:35). The servant is in bondage; the Son is in liberty. There is the contrast; and who is the Son? The blessed Lord Himself; and what does He do? The moment He takes you into association with Himself, of course on the ground of death and resurrection, you are in the same atmosphere as He is, and therefore when He says, "the Son abides ever. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed" (ver. 36), He indicates the abiding liberty into which His grace brings us, that we may enjoy the rich portion He shares with us. I like to admit, honestly and openly, that I am a Free Churchman. You say, The Free Church of Scotland? No, nor of any other land; the Free Church of God — of Scripture. I am also a thoroughly Established Churchman; and greatly rejoice further to be a member of the United Church. The Established-United-Free Church is the Church of Scripture, and membership of anything but that is foreign to its teaching. God's Assembly is established, united, and free, and I should be ashamed to own that I was a member of aught else. All Christians are united to Christ and to each other, are in the liberty of sonship before God individually, and are brought by God into the most wonderful liberty collectively, His saints, all together, forming the temple of God. Now see how other scriptures present it.

The Lord declares to those who had been brought to believe in Him, that, if they remained firmly attached to His word (for it is a question of His word), they should be His disciples indeed, they should know the truth, and the truth should set them free (v. 31, 32). The truth supposes the full revelation of that which is divine and heavenly, that which was revealed in His Person, and in His words, and would be fully made evident when He should be glorified, and the Holy Ghost should have come. I do not think that those of whom verse 23 speaks were those who believed in Jesus, but the Jews in general. They trust to their outward position according to the flesh: they had never been in bondage, they say, forgetting, however, all their history, and their position at that very moment. The Lord passes over all that, to present the ground of the truth as to the state of man before God, and the effect of the law; for He identifies these two things - being a slave of sin, and being under the law, as the man of Romans 7 "Every one that practises sin, is the slave of sin," captive of that terrible law of sin that is in his members; but being a slave, he may be sent away from the house, and sold. The Jews, sinners under the law, would be sent away from the house of God; but the Son belonged to the house, and dwelt there always, and necessarily; if He made them free, they should be free indeed, free from sin, and free from the law. The Son, the revelation of the Father, as object, and power of life in him who shall have received Him, acting by the word, takes the place of the principle of sin in man, and the law which in vain forbade man to commit it.

To abide in His word, then, is the condition of being in truth Christ's disciple. Others may be interested greatly, but they soon grow weary, or turn ere long to other objects. Christ's disciple cleaves to His word, and finds fresh springs in what first attracted. His word proves itself thus Divine, as it is faith which abides in it, and the truth is thus not only learned but known. Vagueness and uncertainty disappear, while the truth, instead of gendering bondage, like the law, makes the soul free, whatever its previous slavery. There is growth in the truth and liberty by it. Law deals with the corrupt and proud will of man to condemn it on God's part, as is right; the truth communicates the knowledge of Himself as revealed in His word, and thus gives life and liberty: privileges unintelligible to the natural man, who hates the sovereign grace of God as much as he exalts and loves himself, while he despises and distrusts others. Man's only thought, therefore, of obtaining righteousness is through the law. They know not the virtue of the truth, and dread liberty as though it must end in licence; while at the same time they are proud of their own position, if it were inalienable, and God were their servant, not they bound to be His. Hence the Jews answered Jesus, "We are Abraham's seed, and have never been in bondage to anyone: how sayest Thou, Ye shall become free?"

Turning to those just designated (29), the Lord gave a word of admonition: "If ye continue in My word, then are ye My disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (31-32). Jews who had believed Him, the Apostle calls these, as not openly ranked amongst the disciples of Christ. They felt the power of His word; but was there a real work in the conscience? The Lord, who read their hearts, now gave a test by which to try them. Such dealing at times is needed. "If ye continue in My word, then are ye My disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (31, 32). To this they immediately object. They were Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any man. Were they continuing in Christ's word? That was the question. What patience was called for to deal graciously with these people! Discrimination, too, was needed to answer aright. All this the Lord manifested, an example to His disciples how to meet objections that may be urged. What to notice and what to let pass may need Divine wisdom. He would on this occasion explain His words; but He let pass without comment the assertion, "We were never in bondage to any man." Neh. 9:36-37, would tell the contrary. There was no need, however, to point that out. He kept to the real point as to freedom, explained what He meant, and then took up their notice of Abraham. Wise dealing this was indeed.

Truth, God's truth, could make them free. But from what? From any earthly power? That, and nothing more, was their thought. He, however, was speaking of the thraldom of sin, a much worse bondage. Now this, which is Christian teaching, is set forth at length in Rom. 6, vii. The law could never promise that freedom for the Jews. Grace alone can for those, who, believing on the Lord Jesus, own Him as their life, and learn practically the blessed result of being in Him who has died, reckoning themselves dead indeed to sin. Over such sin shall not have dominion; for they are not under law, but under grace (Rom. 6:14). On this teaching the Lord did not enter further with the Jews. The time for that had not then come. He just explained His meaning to leave none in uncertainty about it. "Verily, verily, I say to you, Whosoever commits sin is the servant of sin. And the servant abides not in the house for ever: but the Son abides ever. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed" (34-36). A servant and a son are very different thoughts, and speak of different positions. Under law the latter was not enjoyed (Gal. 4:1-3).

The truth makes us free. The truth is what it is — the truth; it is unalterable, and our experiences or enjoyment in no way affect it; let us seek for grace to measure the extent of our liberty in Christ by this standard, for until we know the truth we are not consciously free in spirit before God.

Only in one other place does Matthew speak of Christ as “the Son” (11:27), and there we are told that One alone fully knows Him. In the impenetrable depths of His holy Person none but God could perfectly comprehend Him. In one passage only does Luke so name our Lord Jesus Christ (10:22), and there it is said also, “No one knows who the Son is but the Father.” Nor does it say that the Father thus reveals Him, although He reveals the Father to whom He pleases. In all His counsels, in all His love, in all His glory, and in His own home the Son knows the Father, and it is His Divine pleasure to reveal Him to others. True freedom before the Father and the Son in the power of the Spirit may be enjoyed even now. To know “the truth” secures for us freedom from things that hold the soul in bondage, and that is a great matter; but it is the Son Himself who brings the soul into real freedom in the presence of the Father, therefore it is said, “If therefore the Son shall set you free ye shall be really free” (John 8:32, 36). What light, liberty, life, love and exalted blessedness this involves; and what wealth of praise, song and worship would flow where this is known experimentally in spite of the ecclesiastical failure and apostasy in Christendom! But how can this be where the Son is not honoured?

It is the true knowledge of God that leads to a life of liberty. "Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." No man is free who believes the lie as to God's character, or does his own will instead of God's; but those of whom it can be said "Of His own will begat He us with the word of truth" (1:18), they love Him and find the life of liberty in happy subjection to His will, and the righteousness of the law is fulfilled in them, for they walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit. It puts us in no bondage to do what we delight to do. And if we delight in the law of God after the inward man and have the power of the Spirit of God enabling us to do His will, that is liberty indeed. It is liberty to do what new nature within delights to do and in doing it we are blessed indeed.

John 8:30-32. Though the mass of the Jews utterly reject the light, there were some to whom the Lord's words carried conviction. Thus we read, "As He spake these words, many believed on Him". At once the Lord instructs those who believe, that continuance in His word is the test of true discipleship. Abiding in subjection to His word will alone keep us in the reality of our position as disciples and we learn the truth and the truth sets free from the bondage of sin.

Verse 31. "Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him," (for some had professed to believe) "if ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." The many who had believed, had abandoned the ground of adversaries and therefore the Lord changes His voice in addressing them. It is no longer "unless ye shall believe that I am he, ye shall die in your sins;" but "if ye abide in my word, ye are truly my disciples." It is a question of continuance in His word. These things would follow and be the proof of their continuance in His word, they would be His disciples indeed, should know the truth, and the truth should make them free. It would be found in the knowledge of Himself. The test applied, their state is at once made manifest, haughtiness of the flesh and ignorance of the truth characterise it. All that these poor slaves of sin, Satan, and the Romans can say, is, we were never in bondage to any man, "We are Abraham's seed."

They did not know, in their pride of heart, that sin was their master; that the servant does not abide in the house for ever; but that the Son abides ever, and that whosoever is made free by Him, is free indeed, were truths they had never known.