Based on John 8:21-36 (New King James Version)
“Then Jesus said to them again, ‘I am going away, and you will seek Me, and will die in your sin. Where I go you cannot come.’ So the Jews said, ‘Will He kill Himself, because He says, ‘Where I go you cannot come’?’ And He said to them, ‘You are from beneath; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.’ Then they said to Him, ‘Who are You?’ And Jesus said to them, ‘Just what I have been saying to you from the beginning. I have many things to say and to judge concerning you, but He who sent Me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I heard from Him.’ They did not understand that He spoke to them of the Father. Then Jesus said to them, ‘When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things. And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him.’ As He spoke these words, many believed in Him. Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, ‘If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.’ They answered Him, ‘We are Abraham’s descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can You say, ‘You will be made free’?’ Jesus answered them, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.”
Faith is something that eludes too many people, at least, what it means to have true faith, and that brings about many problems for them, problems here and now, and of course, in eternity also. In today’s passage, we see that the Lord is speaking to a group of Jews of the faith problem they had, and that they will die in their sins if they are not able to believe as they need to. Now, many might say, “Of course, and those Jews deserved what they were told because how can they not believe in the Lord by seeing everything He had done?” And there might be people that might say, “If I would have lived at that time, I would have not been like those bad people.” Let us see the issue a little more and see if we really have a true faith that makes us truly free.
Let us see the first issue, the view that they had and the one we have today of the Lord. There were irrefutable and overwhelming evidences that would bring them to believe that Jesus was (and is) the Messiah. To start, they should have seen that dozens of prophecies that were fulfilled in the Lord’s life, and the probabilities of things like that happening in the life of a person. It would be something impossible for prophecies that were written at least over 700 years ago to have been fulfilled. All of the prophecies pointed to His person. Secondly, no one in the past had been involved with such obvious and incredible declarations of God Himself audibly declaring from heaven that this was His beloved Son, and this happened twice, when He was baptized and when He was transfigured (and there was a third time when He announced His death), as it is written: “When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.’” Matthew 3:16-17. “Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, ‘Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, let us make here three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.’ While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!’ And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces and were greatly afraid.” Matthew 17:4-6. Thirdly, everything He taught was according to the Scriptures, although many did not see it that way. Nothing that He taught went against the foundation of them, and or course, giving glory to the Father. And fourthly, the things He did had never happened before and so repeatedly. The Bible only records some of the miracles, as it is written: “This is the disciple who testifies of these things, and wrote these things; and we know that his testimony is true. And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. Amen.” John 21:24-25. Nonetheless, and during His ministry before being crucified, we read that He healed countless sick people, cast out demons, turned water into wine, multiplied bread and fish, walked on water, and of course, the most fascinating, raising the dead. No one in history (nor after) has been able to do what the Lord did. And so, they had much to consider, and as we do also.
Now then, what was (and is) the problem? Why were they (and many still) cannot be truly free? And this has a two-part answer. The first is that many do not understand the issue of sin, and the condition that sin brings. Even though a person may be living in their flesh, breathing, walking, etc., their soul is dead in their sins, if they have not come to have a true faith in Christ, as is necessary. If a person dies in their sins, they die eternally, and there is where their true condition will become tangible and real to them. And second, if there is no a true faith, then nothing of significance can occur, for it is written: “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” Hebrews 11:6. So then, no matter how much they thought that they were descendants of Abraham, and that they were alive physically (just like many people think today), if there is not a true faith in the Lord, then they are dead inside, and they will die eternally when they leave this world.
So, what is true faith, the kind that makes us truly free from eternal death? And here is where the greatest problem these people had, and many people today have is revealed. There are many people that say that they believe, and that they have even surrendered themselves to the Lord, but they do not obey the Lord. Abiding in His Word means doing what He commands us to do. We need to do good works that happen as a result from the faith we profess to have. As it is written: “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’” Matthew 7:21-23. It is necessary to live out faith daily, following the commands of the Lord we proclaim to have in our lives. It’s not about doing your own thing, or fulfilling your will, and even far less, thinking that God exists to serve you. This is the grave problem that the majority of Christians have, and how it becomes evident that doctrines of demons and the falling away has infiltrated the Church, and lies and fables are preached from the pulpits, and of course, through all of the media that exists today. I know it sounds harsh, but it’s the truth. When the Lord taught us to pray, He said: “…Thy will be done…” And whatever does not subject itself can only lead to perdition, and that is what Satan wants, not God. So then, are you living a true faith that makes you truly free now and for all eternity? Lord bless! John