"And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make (set) you free."
- John 8:32 KJV
In the truest biblical sense, the words "truth" and "freedom" are inseparable.
In other contexts and social conventions, they may carry different meanings, which would separate them from each other – even opposing one another. But according to God’s Word, there is no true freedom apart from absolute truth.
These words Jesus speaks to a diverse crowd are powerful: truth is God’s reality at all times; it is certain and absolute. It is not based on anyone’s feelings, perspective or even their convictions—truth is not a sliding scale or a personal evaluation.
What God says is truth, and Jesus personifies truth in John 14-6: “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” Jesus is the living example of all that is true!
Freedom isn't merely the removal of constraints on an individual; so many people today think so. They tell themselves that real freedom is “doing whatever you want, with whom you want, whenever you want.” My brothers, that is actually a description of bondage. We are truly free and experience real freedom when we submit to the sovereign rule of God.
Jesus tells the crowd to continue in His word to be His true followers. We must continue in the teachings of Jesus if we want to experience real freedom.
The young ruler is mentioned in the synoptic gospels. Mark 10 has become my favorite account lately because it says that Jesus loved him. Something happens that demands our attention: the young ruler is rich and knowledgeable in the Scriptures, but he is not free; Jesus tells him the truth about the real meaning of the law. And this young man walks away grieved, for he had great possessions.
The young ruler is not willing to continue in Jesus’ word and be a disciple.
There are brothers sitting behind prison bars right now, yet they are free. There are men sitting behind a computer desk connected to servers all over the world, or driving a truck across several states, and they are bound. What's the difference? Truth. Jesus is truth.
ᴳᵒ.ᴬʰᵉᵃᵈ