John 8:31-32: “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.’” Although these Jews had a measure of belief, the following verses reveal they were not willing to follow Jesus. Mere intellectual assent is never enough to produce freedom in our lives. This passage gives a progression of five steps to freedom.
Many think that belief is the goal, but it is more the beginning. It absolutely is necessary—it’s just not the end. Genuine belief will inevitably lead the rest. But if someone, like the Jews in this verse, has merely intellectual assent, then they don’t have the faith that ensures eternal life. Nevertheless, belief is the first step. If someone, even at the moment of death, attains this first step, like the man on the cross next to Jesus, they can be assured of being in paradise with Christ.
Abiding in the Word of God is the next step. Abide means to continue, to remain, to not leave, to settle down and live there. This and all five are not steps that we ever progress beyond, but aspects of our walk that we mature in. We continue to believe and choose to abide in God’s Word. This means we take time to really know and understand God’s Word. If I visit a new place, I need a map to get around. But I don’t need a map to get anywhere in Kalamazoo, because I’ve lived here for decades. How well do we know our way around God’s Word?
Being a disciple is the third step. A disciple is a student, someone devoted to learning from another person. To be a disciple of Jesus, we must live in His Word. It means more than just learning about a subject like we do in school. Disciple is a form of the word discipline. We discipline ourselves to become like Jesus, and we accept God’s discipline in our lives to make us more like Him.
Step four is knowing the truth. You can learn facts quickly, but it takes time to know the truth. It’s like the difference between knowledge and wisdom. We live in a world overwhelmed with facts and information, but sadly lacking in truth. God’s Word, when lived out in relationship with Jesus and guided by the Holy Spirit, enables us to experience truth.
Freedom is the goal. Some freedom comes quickly, but in most people’s lives there are areas in which we struggle for years or even decades. In the same way that the Israelites were free as soon as they left Egypt in the Exodus, they didn’t enter the freedom of the promised land until after they’d spent 40 years in the wilderness. This is an illustration of what each disciple must experience: the process of walking out of bondage into the freedom that Jesus died to obtain for us. Seek freedom in every area of your life—by learning the truth, through being discipled by Jesus, as you abide in His Word, because you believe Him.