Characteristics of a child of God, John 8:37-47

I have noticed that some people really value their ancestry.  Their heritage means a lot to them. They usually have done all sorts of research into their family tree.  And perhaps your family history should be remembered and valued.  But then again I think some people put way too much emphasis on some great thing they can claim their great great grand daddy did, and they feel that somehow validates them in some unique way. 

It’s kind of like those people that believe in reincarnation.  Whenever you hear someone claim to have been reincarnated, it’s interesting that they always claim to have discovered that they were somebody great in their past life.  There are a lot of people that claim to be the reincarnation of Napoleon or Cleopatra, for instance.  I read about one guy who believed he was the reincarnation of Marilyn Monroe.  He didn’t look anything like her though. Phil Collins, the rock singer, said that he is the reincarnation of a survivor of the Alamo.  Amazing.  And looking around on the internet you can find more than a few  people who claim to be the reincarnation of Jesus Christ.  I guess these poor confused people want to find some way to add importance to their lives.

But I guess everyone would like to know if they are related to anyone famous. I found out something interesting about my own ancestry a while back, which in light of those previously mentioned people is going to sound like I too am trying to add importance to my life, and maybe I am. But my nephew supposedly traced our lineage back to Scotland, and found that our line came from one of the daughters of Robert the Bruce, a Scottish king that was featured in the movie Braveheart.  I have to admit, I found that a little bit exciting for a while as I thought about it.  But the truth is, one of my ancestors that lived over 700 years ago has very little to do with my life today.  

But for the Jews, their ancestry meant a lot. They, of course, claimed their lineage from Abraham. And being descended from the line of Abraham they could rightly claim the benefits of God’s covenantal people.  Their property, their ancestral lands, were divided according to their tribe, according to the sons of Jacob, the son of Isaac, who was the Son of Abraham.  So for a Jew living in the first century, being a descendant of Abraham was a matter not only of religion, but nationality, property and even to some degree determined their livelihood.  

Now this week as we look at these claims by the Jews to be children of Abraham,  we need to remember that we are jumping into the middle  an ongoing teaching session that Jesus was having with the Jews, which occurred during the Feast of Tabernacles, which lasted for several days.  We have looked at various elements of this discourse for the last several weeks.  All of it was occurring in the temple during this feast which has tens of thousands of people in attendance.  And last week, we saw that Jesus delivered this great statement at one point in the discussion, saying, that if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed. 

Now Jesus wasn’t talking about freedom from slavery, or freedom from Roman oppression, but He was speaking of spiritual freedom, freedom from the enslavement of sin.  And three times in the previous section Jesus said they were still enslaved to their sin, and as such they would die in their sins.  The Jews, who had already hated Him enough to want to put Him to death, were enraged by this accusation.  So they argue that they couldn't go to hell as sinners, because they were descendants of Abraham.

You see, the rabbis taught that no son of Abraham would enter into hell.  They believed that their father Abraham was actually posted at the gate of Hades to make sure that no circumcised person would enter there.  Justin Martyr, in the Dialogue of Trypho in the second century, argued with a Jewish man who said this about the Jews; “They who are the seed of Abraham, according to the flesh, shall in any case, even if they be sinners and unbelieving and disobedient toward God, share in the eternal kingdom.”  So this was their belief, that due to the covenant of God with Abraham, they inherited eternal life with God, and escaped hell, simply due to their being a descendent of Abraham.  

So in vs.33, the Jews in response to Christ say, “we are Abraham’s descendants.”  They said that as a defense of their freedom, possibly referring to their religious freedom.  And three times in this passage before us today, the Jews are going to claim their heritage as a defense against what Christ was teaching.  They have three claims they make, and as we look at them you will notice that they are progressive in their claims.  First, they claim to be the physical seed or physical descendants of Abraham, which Jesus says is true in vs.37.  Secondly, they claim to be the spiritual seed of Abraham, which Jesus says is not true.  And thirdly, they claim to be the children of God, which Jesus again demonstrates is not true.  So Jesus agrees with the first claim, and then just debunks the second two, exposing the falseness of their claims. 

And I would just like to make a parallel to people in our culture today.  Most people in America today claim to be Christian.  A recent Pew research study showed that 70% of Americans claim to be Christians.  At the very least that should mean that they believe in God, they believe in Jesus, and they believe in an afterlife in heaven.  But I’m afraid that for the majority of those claiming Christianity, they are not unlike those Jews.   When we examine the basis for their claims, we find that the number one reason is that they were raised to be Christians.  They were raised in a home where Christianity was taught, or at least accepted by parents who believed in God.  So most people I believe would claim their heritage as a basis for their Christianity.

Secondly, for a lot of people, their claim to Christianity is based on their church affiliation.  You could equate the nation of Israel with the church in many respects.  And so spiritually, many in our culture claim their Christianity based on their church association.  They not only were raised to believe in God, but to belong to a particular denomination; whether it be Catholic, or Episcopal, or Presbyterian or Baptist or whatever, and they find their identification in the rituals and ceremonies and community of their church.  And as the Jews were required to be circumcised in order to belong to their church, many denominations require people to be baptized as a mark of belonging to their church.  

And then thirdly, as a result of the first two reasons, most people in that 70% would believe that they were children of God. And as such they believe they would escape any judgment that might fall on the world.  Rather than Abraham standing at the gate of Hades, they might expect Saint Peter to be checking credentials at the gate of heaven.  But I’m afraid that in light of what Jesus is teaching today, we will discover that what Jesus is talking about is not being made a child of God through physical means, but by being born as a child of God by spiritual means. And so the requirements which were true for the Jews are true for us as well.  

Now let’s look briefly at each of those claims of the Jews. So number one, they claim to be Abraham’s descendants in vs.33.  That’s their defense against Christ’s charge that they would die in their sins.  So Jesus’ response is in vs. 37 "I know that you are Abraham's descendants; yet you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you.”  Jesus agrees that they are the physical descendants of Abraham, through Isaac and then Jacob, and then the 12 sons of Jacob, constituting the nation of Israel.  

But though Jesus acknowledges their physical relationship, He says that there is something amiss.  What is wrong about their claim is that they were seeking to kill Him, because they did not believe His word. This is a very important principle by the way.  You cannot say you believe in Christ, but not believe His word.  Christ’s word is inseparable from His entity.  It’s like the old adage, “a man’s word is his bond.”  Or like my Dad used to say, “you may not have much in this world, but the most valuable thing you possess is your name.  Don’t dishonor your family name.”  The principle that he was trying to teach was that if you gave your word, you better keep it.  Your word was who you were.  It was your character, your reputation, your nature.  

There is an effort by liberal theologians today to try to redefine who Jesus was, irrespective of His word.  They want to claim to believe in Jesus, but deny the authority or reliability of God’s word.  And what Jesus is teaching here is that HIs reliability, even His deity, is authenticated by His word.  So we either have to believe what Christ taught, or dismiss Him altogether.  Jesus Christ was the Word, He was in the beginning with God, and He was God, and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us and His word is truth.  That is why Jesus said in vs. 31, “if you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of mine.”

So Jesus says, though you might be physical descendants of Abraham, yet your deeds are witness that you are not the spiritual children of Abraham, and further evidence is that you do not accept My word. So spiritually speaking, your lineage is worthless because it hasn’t affected your spiritual condition. Literally, in vs 37 He is saying, “my word makes no progress in you.”  It’s the same idea as what He said was the evidence of a true disciple; you will continue in His word.  A characteristic of a true Christian then is that you have an appetite for His word.  I would hope that is the reason that you are here this morning.  I hope it’s not just to fulfill some sense of obligation.  I hope it is to drink and eat of God’s word.  

And not only is it necessary to accept the word, but the word is a sanctifying agent in your life.  It changes you.  It is the means by which God speaks to you and the Holy Spirit guides you.  It is making progress in you.  The word of God is progressively doing the work of sanctification in you, changing you into the image of Jesus Christ.  

But that isn’t the evidence in these Jews lives, according to Christ.  So He says in vs. 38, “I speak the things which I have seen with My Father; therefore you also do the things which you heard from your father." In other words, you have no interest in things which come from My Father, you are only interested in things that come from your father.  So Jesus is saying that their lineage says one thing, but their actions say another.  Listen, our actions speak louder than our words.  I had a young man come up after a service some time ago who talked to me about his conversion.  He related how as a teenager, a self righteous man acting in hypocrisy in the church had really turned him off on the church.  But later in his college years, he came across some believers who really practiced what they preached, and that testimony was the catalyst for him coming to the Lord.  When he saw the reality of what they claimed lived out in their lives, then it made an impact on him.  

So the Jews respond to Jesus again in vs.39, claiming once again to be the children of Abraham, and I think they are claiming not only physical descendancy, but now they are also claiming spiritually to be sons of Abraham.  They say in vs.39, “Abraham is our father.”  See, I think they realized that Jesus was saying they had another father, and so they are refuting that, asserting once again that Abraham was their father spiritually as well as physically. 

Jesus answers, “If you are Abraham’s children, do the deeds of Abraham.”  What are the deeds of Abraham?  Well, 3 times in the New Testament, in Romans 4, Galatians 3, and James 2, it says “Abraham believed God, and He counted it to Him as righteousness.”  When God spoke to Abraham, he believed God. It doesn’t say that Abraham believed in God.  But that Abraham believed God. That is, Abraham believed God’s word. Jesus says I am speaking to you the words of God, but you don’t believe them.  Therefore you are not children of Abraham, because Abraham believed God. Jesus said,  "But as it is, you are seeking to kill Me, a man who has told you the truth, which I heard from God; this Abraham did not do.”

You know what else can be said about Abraham?  Abraham obeyed God. Hebrews 11:8 says,  “By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going.”  Listen, we are saved by faith.  But faith is more than just lip service.  It takes little to no faith to say you believe God, but it takes faith to act on that belief.  It takes active faith to leave all and to follow Him, as the disciples did.  God wants more than just lip service.  That’s what’s wrong with a lot of the modern praise and worship movement in churches today.  They are projecting this image of this narcissistic God that just wants to hear us tell Him how great He is all the time.  That’s not the image of God we see in the Bible.  But Jesus said “If you love Me, keep My commandments.”  To obey is better than sacrifice, it’s better than praise.  To obey is the evidence of your faith.  

So in vs.41, Jesus said, “You are doing the deeds of your father.” See, to whom you belong, you obey.  Not whom you claim to be, but  who you act like reveals who you belong to.  That’s what Paul said in Romans 6:16 “Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness?”  That’s the same thing Jesus said in vs.34, “everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin.”  

So twice now Jesus has alluded to another father whom they are obedient to.  And it is not God the Father but another father. Their response is very interesting.  They said to Him, “We were not born of fornication.”  And here’s where they make the final claim: “We have one Father: God.”  Not only are we the physical children of Abraham, the spiritual children of Abraham, but we are the spiritual children of God.  Because we’re not born of fornication. 

Now some commentators say that the Jews are claiming by this statement that they had not worshipped idols.  Idol worship was associated with fornication, which produced illegitimate children. So many feel that fornication was closely associated with idolatry and that was the meaning of what the Jews had to say.  But I think it was because they wanted to besmirch Jesus’  own pedigree, and they had ascertained incorrectly that He had been born out of wedlock, saying He was not Joseph’s biological son.  So I think that this is more than likely a slam on Him and on HIs sinlessness.  Because as we see in vs.46, Jesus asks, “Which of you convicts Me of sin?”  Well, they couldn’t prove His Illegitimate birth, of course.  But they would have loved to believe that He was born in sin, and thus eliminated from any consideration that He could be God in the flesh.  

And that highlights the significance of Jesus being born of the Holy Spirit who came upon the virgin Mary.  He was born of the Spirit so that the sin nature of Adam did not pass on to Him.  But He was born of God  So Jesus was born sinless, and He remained sinless.  And therefore He was able to be the spotless Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.

So Jesus says if you were the spiritual children of God, you would love Me. Vs.42 Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and have come from God, for I have not even come on My own initiative, but He sent Me.”

To love God then is to love Christ, because He is the physical manifestation of God in the flesh.  Hebrews 1:3 says that He is the exact representation of God. So it’s impossible to love God and not love Christ.  And how is that love for God expressed?  Well, we just said it earlier, we believe His word, and we are obedient to His word.  And I would add to that you do not love the world.  The world being synonymous with the realm of Satan. Jesus continually refers to Satan as the ruler of this world. So in 1John 2:15 it says, “Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”  

That love for the world, the love of the things of Satan is the characteristic of those that are not of the Father, but are children of the devil.  That’s the next point that Jesus makes, the clarification of who their real father is.  Vs.43 "Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you cannot hear My word. You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”

Listen, physically we exhibit the characteristics of our parents, don’t we?  That’s natural.  You pass on your physical characteristics to your children.  I would even say that we pass on more than just physical characteristics, we pass on some of our personality, some of our intelligence, and then as our children grow up, we pass on many of our habits, our personal tastes for certain things, even the way we talk.  All those things are greatly influenced by our parents.  Most of us are horrified to realize as we get older how much like our parents we are.  We thought we were so different.  And yet it turns out that we end up to be very much like our parents.  

Well, Jesus is saying, if you love God and are a child of God, then you will take on the characteristics of your Father.  But if you love the world, and the things of the world, then you will take on the characteristics of the ruler of this world, that is the devil.  And it’s interesting to note the characteristics of Satan which Jesus points out.  He was a liar, He says, and the father of lies.  There is no truth in Him.  What a contrast to Christ who is the truth, and who speaks the truth of God.  Satan is a liar and entraps mankind by his lies.  But Christ is the truth, and His truth sets men free.

You remember the first time we see Satan in Genesis, he comes to Eve with a lie.  And she believed it, and then obeyed it, and was entrapped by it. And as a result of her and Adam’s sin, the entire human race is trapped in the bondage of sin.  And Jesus adds to that he is a murderer. What that means is that in that first deception, Satan brought about the murder of the entire human race.  Because sin brings forth death.  From Adam’s sin, came about the murder of all men, of which Satan bears much responsibility.  Romans 5:12 “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.”

So Jesus expresses that contrast again by saying in vs. 45 "But because I speak the truth, you do not believe Me.”  You could simplify that statement by saying, the way to determine a child of the devil is he doesn’t believe the truth, he doesn’t love Christ.  And the way to determine a child of God is he loves the truth, he loves Christ.

The summary of this principle Christ is teaching is found starting in vs.46, Jesus says, ”Which one of you convicts Me of sin? If I speak truth, why do you not believe Me? He who is of God hears the words of God; for this reason you do not hear them, because you are not of God.”  

Jesus could ask that question, “which of you convicts Me of sin”, because it was apparent to all that He was guilty of no sin.  And that fact alone was validation that He was the Son of God.  There is no prophet of any religion that can honestly say that he is not guilty of any sin.  No one on earth can honestly claim to be sinless.  And even if we did have the audacity to claim sinlessness, you better believe someone could convict you of sin, because your life reveals evidence of your sin.  Romans 3:23 says all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. And Romans 3:10 says that there is none righteous, not even one.  No one can claim sinlessness.  So for Christ to be able to say that, and for them to be silent in response to that claim, was further testimony that He was the Son of God.

And yet irregardless of the truth, they choose not to believe Him.  They reject His words as the word of God, and Jesus said that is because they are not of God.  They are not the children of God.  They may have been descendants of Abraham, they may have been members of the nation of Israel, but their sinful deeds were evidence that they were of their father the devil.

Listen, to what evidence is your claim to Christianity?  Is it to your heritage?  Is it to your church membership?  Is it to your nationality?  Is it to some religious ceremony?  I would submit to you today, that as Jesus said in Matthew 7, by their fruits you shall know them.  If you are of your Father in heaven, then you will do the works of the Father.  You will love Christ, and love His body, the church, and you will love and obey His word.  And your life will be evidence of your faith.  

But if you love the world, and the things of the world, and you do not love the word of God, nor the things of God, then it is evident that you are of another father.  The good news is that there is a way to be adopted into the family of God.  Gal. 3:26 says, “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.” And then in vs. 29 ‘And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's descendants, heirs according to promise.”

Today adoption as a child of God is offered to you.  Jesus Christ has paid the penalty for our sins by HIs blood on the cross.  That those who believe in Him might receive His righteousness, and our sins would be transferred to Him, the spotless Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. And having been made righteous by faith in Christ, we are made the children of God by redemption.  The offer is open today to all who will call upon Him in faith and repentance, for the forgiveness of sins, and confess Jesus as Lord.  I pray that today is the day of your salvation.  Don’t trust in anything else, but in Christ’s righteousness alone.  

The Source of Freedom is the Truth, John 8:31-36

The idea of freedom, or the principle of being free, is one that is particularly indigenous to Americans.  It’s not limited to Americans, of course, but much of our history is based on the premise that man is designed to be free.  Our country was founded on that principle.  As the Constitution declares, “We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”  Liberty means the state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one's way of life, behavior, or political views. 

So the American Revolution was fought over those truths, that we had a right to be free from tyranny.  And to some extent the Civil War continued that fight, eventually taking on the context of freedom from slavery.  Then in the 1960’s, we experienced a cultural revolution called the Hippie Movement, which espoused the idea of freedom from social mores. However, not all the freedoms that generation sought were necessarily based on truth, as history has made evident. But nonetheless, the entire history of the United States has this search for freedom interwoven in it’s story, from generation to generation.

Yet after 300 years, I would suggest that we are still trying to come to grips as a nation with the notion of freedom.  We are still trying  to obtain it. For that matter, we are still trying to define it.  And so it is to that question that we come to today.  What is freedom, and how does one really achieve it?

Well, I believe that this passage teaches us the answer to that question.  The blueprint for freedom was written long before the Constitution of the United States.  And it’s author was no less than Jesus Christ.  I believe that this passage before us today is one of the most important in the gospel.  In fact, I would go so far as to say that this is the heart of the gospel.  

Making freedom a reality was the purpose of Jesus Christ’s visitation to Earth.  In His first message that He preached, He quoted from Isaiah concerning Himself, saying that this prophecy  was fulfilled that day in their presence.  This is what He read from the scriptures prophesying about Himself.  He read from Isaiah 61:1 which says, “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to captives and freedom to prisoners.”

The obvious question then is how was that freedom realized?  What does it look like?  Is He talking about social freedom, or political freedom, or freedom from slavery, or spiritual freedom?  Because there are people that have interpreted these statements in all those various ways.  But remember, Jesus said that they that worship God must worship Him in Spirit and in truth.  So we cannot just apply any template we want to these statements.  We must apply them according to the truth.  

Well, I suggest that Jesus is speaking primarily about spiritual freedom.  But I will add to that the caveat that the spiritual is the fountain from which all other freedoms flow.  You can attempt to find freedom outside of the spiritual, but I would suggest that if you do that, then you are being deceived.  You are still held captive, still enslaved.  Jesus says  that in our text in vs. 34, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin.”  So until you take care of the spiritual issue of sin and become free in that regard, you cannot know any other freedom.  You are still in your sins, and as such, you are still held captive by the devil, and are a slave of sin.

That is why three times in the previous passage we looked at last week, three times Jesus says to the Jews, that they would die in their sins.  Because they had rejected the truth, and as a result, they were still in their sins, still enslaved. 

So what is the solution then?  Jesus said if you are going to know freedom, then you must first know the truth.  Jesus said in vs.32, that when you know the truth, then the truth will make you free.  So knowing the truth is paramount to becoming free.  You cannot be free and live a lie. As became evident in the Hippy Movement, things that they thought provided freedom, like drugs and sex, only served to further enslave them, because they were not founded on the truth.  And I would suggest that many of the new social mores which are being expounded today are simply more of the same kind of deceit; they promise freedom, but they only will produce greater bondage. 

And that was the scheme of Satan from the beginning wasn’t it? To lie against the truth and as such enslave men to sin.  Satan appeared in the Garden of Eden to seduce mankind to sin by telling a lie, by selling Eve an untruth.  As Jesus says in our text in vs. 44, “You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”

So Satan, in his rage against God - his rage that God would choose to shower His affection on man, and make man in God’s image, according to God’s likeness, when Satan himself had desired to be like the Most High and was rejected - so Satan came to man disguised as a creature of God, and he deceived the woman by making her think something evil was good, and he invoked her to pride because she desired to be autonomous like God, and as such mankind fell from their sinless state in God’s presence just as Satan had also fallen.  And mankind has been in bondage to that lie all throughout the history of the world.

That is why Jesus calls him the father of lies. And he did not stop with that lie, but he has sold the world a lie ever since.  Satan, who controls the world system, has so engineered the world so that according to 2Peter 2:19, he is “promising them freedom while they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by what a man is overcome, by this he is enslaved.”  What he means is that they are being promised freedom but instead they end up becoming slaves of sin.

So what is truth?  Well, to start with, God is truth.  Truth is defined in God and by God and there is no truth apart from God. In Isaiah 45:19 God says, “I the Lord speak the truth; I declare what is right.” Psalm 119:160 says, “The sum of Your word is truth, and every one of Your righteous ordinances is everlasting.”  And vs. 142 of the same Psalm says “your law is truth.”  And one more, Numbers 23:19 says "God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent; Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?”

Now I cannot overstate this doctrine.  God is the source of all truth.  His word establishes the standard of truth.  All philosophy, all science, all the wisdom of man must be examined in the light of God’s truth, and only when it conforms to God’s truth, is it true.  As Paul said in Romans 3:4, “Let God be found true, though everyman found a liar.”

So as God is truth, Jesus also is truth.  As we have seen in our studies in recent weeks, Jesus speaks the things of God, He does the works of God, He does nothing that the Father isn’t doing.  So if God is truth, then HIs Son is truth.  In fact, Jesus says that He is the personification of truth in John 14:6, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”

Notice in that verse, that Jesus doesn’t say He sometimes speaks the truth, but that He is the  truth.  That means nothing less than perfect truth comes from God.  And as Jesus personifies the Word of God, then He is the truth of God, and no one can come to God except through Him.  One must come to accept Christ’s word, in order to come to God.  God has chosen to reveal Himself in His Son.  And what God has revealed is truth.  So coming to know the truth, will make you truly free. 

Now we saw that in vs.30, many people listening to Him had come to believe in Him.  That simply means that they believed that He was speaking the truth.  They believed that He had come from the Father.  Vs.26 Jesus had said, “He who sent Me is true; and the things which I heard from Him, these I speak to the world.”  So some people listening to that believed in Him.  Some did not, as we see in the later verses.  But some did believe Him. And I think that means that they became Christians at that point.  Some commentators think that these people were superficial believers.  They didn’t really want to follow Christ, but they just acknowledged that what He said was true.  I don’t buy that.  I think that what Jesus was saying was so radical, so outrageous, that they had to either acknowledge Him as a lunatic, or acknowledge Him as God come in the flesh.  So when John says twice that some believed in Him, I think they truly had their eyes opened to the truth, and they believed in Him and they were saved. That is the way that we are saved, we are justified by faith in Christ. Romans 5:1 “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

So then now that some have been justified by faith, then in vs.31, Jesus speaks of the next step in salvation, and that is sanctification.  There are three phases in salvation; there is justification, then sanctification, and finally glorification.  All must exist for salvation to exist.  If you are justified, and then you are sanctified, but there is no glorification, no eternal life, no heaven, then your salvation is worthless, isn’t it? Paul said in 1Cor. 15:19 “If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied.”  And the same thing is true of the other two phases in our salvation.  If we are not justified, then our attempts at  sanctification through works can never save us, can they?  Because Ephesians 2:8 says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.”  So if you skip over justification by grace, and try to become sanctified by works, then you cannot be saved.  And by the same measure, justification without sanctification is worthless. As James said, “faith without works is dead.”  And Hebrews 12:14 warns us that without sanctification, no one will see the Lord. All three then are necessary for salvation. 

That’s why Jesus turns to those people, the people that had believed in Him, who believed that He was the Son of God, who were justified by faith, and to them Jesus said, ““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.”  Now I believe that these people were saved by faith in Him, as I said.  And so Jesus now is instructing them how to be His true disciples.  That is the consequence of truly being saved.  We not only believe, but we follow.  We join Him, fellowship with Him, allow Him to teach us as we go through each day and every circumstance.  It’s not just “I have faith, so I’m saved, and now I can go on with my life and do what I want to do, live like I want to live.”  It’s not like Jesus is now my genie and so He’s going to make sure that everything I do works out.  He’s going to keep me safe as I go about my business.  

No, that’s not discipleship.  A true disciple recognizes that Jesus is the source of life, the source of truth, the way to God, and so he follows Jesus wherever He leads us.  Most Christians today have it backwards.  They think salvation entitles them to have God follow me around and work out any difficulties I might encounter, but stay far enough behind me so as to not hinder my freedom to do what I want to do.  That’s not biblical discipleship.  Christ doesn’t follow me, but I need to follow Christ.  

How do we do that practically speaking?  Well, Jesus says how, He says you do it by continuing in His word.  He’s talking about relying on the word of God for your day to day situations.  This is the way of sanctification.  Read the word, and apply the word.  That’s called wisdom by the way. Wisdom is the application of knowledge.  So we don’t just become hearers of the word, but doers of it.  

Jesus said in His high priestly prayer to God in John 17:17, speaking of His disciples, He prayed, “Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.”  That’s a tremendous doctrine.  The word then is the sanctifying agent in my life. It’s like the old adage, “sin will keep you from the Bible, or the Bible will keep you from sin.”  David in Psalm 119:11 says, “Your word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against you.”

Here is the thing that Jesus is teaching at this point.  Justification is taking away the penalty of sin.  Sanctification is taking away the power of sin.  And one day, glorification will take away the presence of sin.  But let’s just focus on sanctification for a moment.  Sanctification is deliverance from the power of sin.  This is the true freedom that Christ brings.  It’s not just taking away the penalty of sin but leaving us to live in sin.  That would not be true freedom.  Christ gives us the power over sin, the power to be delivered from sin.  That is the hope of Christianity in this life.  That we have victory over sin.

Now the reality is that as long as we are in the body and living in a fallen world we are going to feel some of the effects of occasional sin. No one is going to achieve sinless perfection this side of glorification.  But as a Christian we can be delivered from continual sin.  That is the meaning of the word used there for sin. It is continual, habitual sin.  That’s the good news that Isaiah prophesied in Isaiah 61 which we quoted earlier; “the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to captives and freedom to prisoners.”

That’s the same thing that the old hymn Rock of Ages is talking about when it says, that the blood of Christ will “be of sin the double cure, save from wrath, and make me pure.”  That double cure is speaking of being saved from the wrath of God, and then the sanctification that produces purity towards God.  Justification and sanctification.  

So that is the path of sanctification.  Sanctification is progressive, by the way.  There is a sense in which we are sanctified, consecrated, and set apart at salvation by the blood of Christ.  That is positional sanctification whereby we have been set apart from the world for good works.  But there is also practical sanctification, and that comes from continuing in the word.  As God reveals truth to you through His word, then you apply that truth and it becomes a sanctifying agent that works to conform you to the image of Jesus Christ. That is why the text doesn’t just say the truth sets you free.  That’s true, but it’s not once and done.  It’s continually making you free.  Each day continuing to apply the word, and that continuance working in us that which is pleasing to God.  That’s discipleship.  Sanctification is discipleship.  

And that’s God’s goal for His church. When Christ commissioned the church, He said go into all the world and make disciples.  Not just believers.  But followers of Christ in conduct and in truth which is doctrine.

Well the Jews answered Jesus back by saying, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never yet been enslaved to anyone; how is it that You say, ‘You will become free’?”  Now first of all, I don’t believe that this “they”  who John refers to are the same people that became saved.  I think these people are the Jewish religious leaders who have been having this running debate with Christ all throughout this whole passage.  Because these people obviously do not believe in Him.  They accuse Him of being a liar, and in vs.41 they even accuse Him of being born of fornication, of being illegitimate.  So obviously these cannot be those who believed that He was the Son of God.

But the really confusing part was what they said.  They said they had never been enslaved to anyone, when in fact, they had been enslaved numerous times, starting with Egypt and then in Babylon and they were under a form of bondage even then to the Romans.  So it is difficult to know what they were talking about. Except for to note the irony that when you are enslaved to a lie, the lie is that you are not enslaved. Many times I meet people who are obviously weighted down under the bondage of sin, and yet they extol the virtues of their freedom.  I suppose there is no lie like the lie you tell yourself.  

That is the curse of sin which brings condemnation.  To refuse to acknowledge it and thus refuse to repent of it.  For instance, to be an alcoholic and deny it is obvious folly to everyone but the alcoholic.  But that is very often the case.  They say, “I can take it or leave it.”  But in actuality, they only take it.   Perhaps that unwillingness to face their sin caused them to deny their enslavement and to blind themselves to their reality.

So Jesus gave an answer designed to prove HIs point.  He said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin.”  Again, this is speaking of habitual, continual sin.  In other words, if you are living in sin, then you are obviously a slave of sin, and you have not been set free.  You may tell yourself you are free, you may tell others that you are free, but your actions say otherwise.  You are still in your sins, and you will die in your sins, unless you believe in Him, which Jesus said meant to continue in His word and follow Him.

And then Jesus says, “The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son does remain forever.”  What Jesus is saying was in response to their claim as Abraham’s children.  He is saying that their actions demonstrate that they are not Abraham’s children, because Abraham’s children are the children of faith.  They believe God and He counts it to them as righteousness.  But these men demonstrate that they are not Abraham’s children because they are not children of faith.  So Jesus says that they are slaves.  And like Ishmael in the house of Abraham, they will not inherit the blessing of the son Isaac.  They will not stay in the house forever, because they are not true sons.  These men had a temporary stay in the household of God in the sense that they belonged to the tribe of Israel.  But when they were judged according to their works, they were found to be doers of wickedness, and thus slaves of wickedness, and not sons of righteousness.  

That was the judgment.  But thank God Jesus doesn’t stop with the judgment.  He offers once again salvation.  He says in vs.36, “So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.”  This is the reality of salvation, that we are truly free if Christ has made us free.  If the spirit of man has been freed, then he is free inwardly, in a way that no earthly chains can contain.  Because if Christ has made us free, then we have fellowship with God in a realm that cannot be ascertained by those who are not free in Christ.  

In a simplified way of looking at slavery and freedom, we might say that those who are slaves have someone else take advantage of their labors.  If they make money, it’s not really theirs to enjoy, it’s their masters.  If they have possessions, they are not really theirs to keep, for they are their masters.  The master owns everything that the slave has.  Such is the reality of the lie that Satan has foisted upon the world.  He has promised that you can enjoy the fruits of a sinful life.  but the fact is, that he owns all that you do.  All that you do in that world ends up being left behind when you die in your sins and face an eternity in hell.  

But if the Son shall make you free, then not only are you made free, but you receive the adoption as sons, and consequently you receive an inheritance that will never fade away, reserved in heaven for you.  As a result of that hope, we know that our labor is not in vain. That what we do in this world will be used for the glory of God.  So we find our freedom in service to God, knowing that He keeps track of our works, and will reward us in the day of our glorification.  

Listen, today is the favorable year of the Lord.  Today the Lord offers freedom from the captivity of sin that has kept you hostage.  The Lord is ready to save all that call upon Him.  Believe in the truth and be saved.  That is the offer extended to you today.  Receive all that God has prepared for those that love Him.  Or continue to believe the lie of this world and you will die in your sins.  There is a very clear choice, and the choice is yours.  There are two paths, two possibilities before you today; the truth and the lie.  God is the author of truth, and Satan is the author of lies. One path leads to freedom, and the other path leads to further enslavement. I pray you will believe in Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord. May today be the day that you are made free indeed.