The Truth Shall Set You Free…What It TRULY Means5 min read

     The Truth Informed logo has, on the bottom of the blue ring, a familiar part of a verse: "The Truth Shall Set You Free." This verse is found in John 8:31-32, and the entire sentence reads, "So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, 'If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.'" (ESV). But what is this truth that John—but really, Jesus—is talking about? And how do we come to know it?

     People sometimes misuse this phrase, "the truth shall set you free," and apply it to everyday situations, taking the verse totally out of context and forming a belief system around it. I have heard many interpret this verse to mean that if one simply tells the truth (especially in a trial), then freedom will become a reality; or, that one must embrace the truth of a given situation in order to really have one's mind freed from denial, thereby making the truth a safeguard of sanity—even if this is true (as when telling someone they need to lose weight for their own good and stop denying it), it is not what concerns the verse in question.

The Problem

     Although these applications may seem to accept that particular interpretation, the verse has nothing to do with using the truth as a guarantor of physical freedom or mental stability, and that could be a problem. One only has to think a little to imagine a scenario where telling the truth might not merely take away your freedom, but also cause you to get killed. To be sure, I am in no way condoning lying, but I am merely pointing out that the truth can sometimes get you in more trouble than not—even if it is the right thing to do. But do always tell the truth; God really hates lies (Exodus 20:16; Proverbs 6:16-17, 12:22, 19:9; Colossians 3:9-10).

     If the truth (as incorrectly understood in this verse) cannot always set you free, then Jesus has apparently lied to us by saying "the truth shall set you free." So, clearly there must a better interpretation of this key verse and, of course (by God's wisdom), it is found in the very same book and chapter where the verse comes from. Jesus, being God, cannot lie, and so when He says that "the truth shall set you free," He is telling the truth...

Truth Personified

     If you can think back to your high-school English class, do you remember a literary device used by writers called personification? Well, in case you don't, personification is when a speaker or writer gives a personal nature or human qualities to an inanimate object or abstract concept. For example: "the wind howled in the dark night" (living wolves howl, not the wind); or "the stairs groaned as we walked on them" (people may groan when you step on them, but not wood). Personification makes communication interesting, and it is certainly found all throughout the Bible, especially in the Psalms (e.g., wisdom is often personified in Proverbs).

     Therefore, the only way to make sense of what Jesus said in John 8:31-32 is to realize that Jesus personifies truth as someone who saves people once one comes to know him; and guess what? He is that person. Jesus is the truth that saves. Some think that Jesus is referring to the propositional truths He states, and that may be (for He says in verse 31 "if you abide in my word"), but it is equally obvious—as we will see later—that He is also referring to Himself.

The Son Sets You Free

     How do I know that Jesus is talking about Himself? Because He says so. A little context first, though: Jesus, in John 8, is conversing with the pharisees and scribes about who He is. They have many questions, and He answers them brilliantly and clearly—not holding back what He thought of Himself...and them. He says He is the "light of the world" (v. 12); and tells the Jews that they are "of the world" but that He "is not of this world" (v. 23). 

     Once we get to verse 32, Jesus says our phrase, "you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." The Jews then responded that they were offspring of Abraham and had never been enslaved (they obviously forgot Israel's history at that point), asking how was it that Jesus was telling them they would be free. Their arrogance was incredible. But Jesus was really talking about spiritual freedom—that they would be freed from the enslavement of sin in which they found themselves.

     Then, coming as a relief to confused hearers, the key interpretive phrase for our verse in question appears in verse 36. This phrase reads, "So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." Well, we know that Jesus is the Son of God, so He must be the one doing the freeing. But in verse 32 He said the truth would set people free; so which is it that will set us free, Jesus or the truth? Answer: they are one and the same in this context. Our proof verse for this teaching, then, is found in John 14:6, where Jesus says, "I am the way, the truth, and the life..." 

What This Means

     Now that we have seen that Jesus is Himself the truth that sets people free from their sins, what does it mean when He says, "If you continue in my word...you will know the truth, and the truth shall set you free." This means that, through continuing in Jesus' word (the Bible), we come to truly know Him experientially (as God's Son, Messiah, Savior, God); then, through this relationship with Him as our Lord, we become free of sin's grasp in our lives.

     This verse is a reminder to all believers that we must abide in Christ, for apart from Him we can do nothing (John 15:5). A believer who is not abiding in Christ (by continuing in His word, the Bible) will not bear much–if any–fruit (other disciples). And, a person who does not lean on Jesus's power to save him or her from sin is doomed, left to a personal works salvation that leaves the person weak, frustrated, deceived, confused, and in despair. 

     Therefore, it is vitally important to our lives to abide in Christ and trust in Him to save us from our sins—not only all of our past, present, and future sins, but the sins we are currently battling with on a day-to-day basis. There is victory only in Jesus; only He can cause us to be freed from our daily sins. And if we confess and repent of our sins daily, He is faithful and just not only to forgive us and cleanse us (1 John 1:9), but also to keep us free. Amen to that! Thank you, Lord Jesus!