Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. John 8:32 (NIV)
PART 2 – Free and True
Go to PART 1
Have you ever thought a situation was going one way, and it went the complete opposite? Or been betrayed in some way, and you discovered the truth? Or found the truth of a season or experience to be disappointing?
Jesus says that the truth sets you free. It shouldn’t crush or condemn you, disappoint or deflate you. Finding truth should be a freeing experience.
There are situational and circumstantial truths that we uncover through life. But these truths are dangerous. When you apply them to the entirety of life, you become trapped in a moment that taints your whole existence. It's a heartbreaking reality that many people experience, particularly victims of abuse and those who go through intense hardship and difficulty.
But THE truth, the one that's not a law or a level or a dogma or a standard, the truth that is Christ, sets you free. Free from being perpetually right because the truth is that in Christ, there is grace. The truth is that we are free from comparison and unhealthy competition because we were created with equal value; equal and diverse to display his wonder and ever unfolding creativity. The truth is that we can forgive those who’ve hurt us because Jesus paved the way of forgiveness for us (“Father forgive them, they don’t know what they’re doing.” he whispered as he died). Through him, we find the grace to receive and the strength to give it. And so much more.
It seems that we can only be truly free from fear, hate, guilt, shame, violence, tyranny, slavery, perfectionism, betrayal, lying and cheating, hurt and heartache, when we pass from this life into the next. But Jesus brings God's Kingdom to earth, here and now. And in this mash up of imperfection and holiness, we can experience the freedom of Christ amidst our scarred and broken lives through the power and divinity of his love. And as cheesy as that sounds, love is the only way to be truly free.
To be loved and to love, not dependent on circumstances, agendas, titles, positions, gender, preferences, race, culture, even religion. But to love with my whole heart and life because that is how God loves me is a truth I want to learn, day by day, moment by moment, until I pass from this life into the next.
“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”
(John 8:36)
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