Does knowing the truth truly set us free?
The often quoted saying, “The truth shall set you free,” has become a cultural cliché, used by both Christians and non-Christians alike. For many years as a Christian I suffered in silence, with secrets. I thought I understood what freedom meant, but if I was brave enough to tell you the truth, I would admit I had little experience of freedom, even after over 20 years as a Christian. I lived with chronic anxiety, almost perpetual frustration and shame and struggled with resentment and self-doubt and experienced very little peace. I lived in bondage. I believed in Jesus, and I was attempting to live my life the way I thought he wanted me too; however, the lived experience of freedom alluded me. Apparently knowing the truth hadn’t set me free. Like me, I suspect many people, if pushed to thoughtfully evaluate their lives, would dismiss “the truth shall set you free”, as contrary to their lived experiences. But why? It’s not because of a lack of desire or for a lack of trying! It’s because knowing the truth doesn’t set us free. The words of Jesus in John 8 are frequently misquoted, stripped from their original context and emptied of their power. The actual words of Jesus, on the other hand, offer deeper and more profound insight, and when looked at closely and taken seriously, offer the true pathway to freedom we all desire. Here is what Jesus said:
As he was saying these things, many believed in him. Then Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you continue in my word, you really are my disciples. You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:30–32, CSB)
In this passage, Jesus addresses Jews who had begun to believe in him after hearing about his relationship with the Father. Yet, Jesus challenges their belief by raising the bar, offering both a test to their new faith and an extraordinary promise: discipleship— the path to true freedom. It is not mere knowledge of the truth, nor even the act of believing in Jesus, that provides freedom. Freedom comes through holding firmly to Jesus’ teachings and allowing his word to inwardly transform us. This is discipleship as Jesus defines it. Discipleship that brings freedom requires one to “continue in his word” or “hold to his teaching” (NIV). Those who live by Jesus’ teachings—immersing themselves in his truth—experience the liberation he promises.
We must repeatedly remind ourselves of this profound distinction – knowing the truth is not the same as living the truth. Believing in Jesus is not the same as living for Jesus. Both the demonstration and stated purpose of Jesus ministry (Acts 10:38, Luke 4:18-19) affirms God’s desire for people to experience a lived freedom. A continuing trust in Jesus as the Messiah secures our eternal life, and a continuing living out his teaching, secures an ever-increasing lived experience of freedom this side of eternity. Don’t let the cultural cliché of mere knowledge, attempt to dilute the meaning of Jesus’ promise. Knowledge of something is not the same as the experience of something.
This theme of freedom through abiding in Jesus resurfaces again in John 15, where Jesus uses the metaphor of the vine and branches to illustrate the life-giving connection between himself and his disciples. Mere knowledge of biblical truth or belief in Jesus isn’t enough to bring freedom to our lived experience; it is living out the teaching of Jesus continuously that brings freedom.
“Remain in me, and I in you…I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without me…If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you want and it will be done for you. (John 15:4–7, CSB)
What does it mean to live a life that bears fruit through ‘remaining in Jesus’? Reflecting on Jesus' words in John 8:30-32, it seems evident that such a life is marked by the experience of inner freedom. Asking whether fruit for Jesus' kingdom is being produced through one's life is essentially asking whether one is living in greater inner freedom. As a Christian are you experiencing less anxiety, less anger, less worry, less frustration? Are you experiencing less jealously? (For Christians admitting to being jealous is like admitting to viewing porn!) Are you experiencing more joy, peace and satisfaction? Are you growing in trustworthiness and personal integrity? All these are experiences of inner freedom and are the fruit that Jesus is referring to. How hollow is our service for God if we never experience inner freedom! This fruitfulness of inner freedom comes from remaining in and continuing in Jesus words. This perspective stands in contrast to a worldly mindset, which often equates fruitfulness with productivity or output, often without reference to personal character or Christian virtues.
Freedom cannot be understood as a concept, only as an experience. A few verses later in John chapter 8 Jesus says, “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36, ESV). How do we know freedom? We once experienced bondage but now we have experienced liberation from that bondage. Once, despite my belief, my experience of the Christian life was bondage in silence. When I took seriously Jesus words, holding onto and continuing in them, freedom became not just a promise but a lived reality This is discipleship to Jesus. The pursuit of knowledge is good, but only as it leads us to the experience of freedom as a disciple of Jesus.
“If you continue in my word, you really are my disciples. You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
