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concerning his character in opposition to God and His truth. Only as we realize the
clear-cut distinction between "the authority of darkness" and "the kingdom of His dear
Son" can we realize the liberty of the children of God.
In John 8: 32 and 36 "the truth" and "the Son" are placed in correspondence:--
"The truth shall make you free."
"If The Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed."
In the passage before us it is three times stated that Christ was the Sent One:--
"He that sent Me is true, and I speak to the world those things which I have heard of
Him" (John 8: 26).
"He that sent Me is with Me: the Father hath not left Me alone: for I do always those
things which please Him" (John 8: 29).
"If God were your Father, ye would love Me: for I proceeded forth and came from
God; neither came I of Myself, but He sent Me" (John 8: 42).
These are three references in the section before us, but in the Gospel itself the fact that
Christ was "sent" is stated more than forty times, and associated with that sending are
many precious doctrines, all calculated to make the believer free. As examples, we may
take two of these:--
Immunity from condemnation and the gift of eternal life (John 3: 16, 17; 5: 24; 17: 3).
An assurance that the doctrine enunciated is absolutely true (John 7: 16).
The special freedom that is in view in John 8: is freedom from the bondage of sin:-
"Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the slave of sin"
(John 8: 34).
"If ye believe not that I am He, ye shall die in your sins" (John 8: 24).
"Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep My saying, He shall never see death"
(John 8: 51).
This last clause, when repeated by the Jews, becomes "never taste of death". This
change is not necessarily a perversion, but shows how the Lord's words were regarded by
the Jews. "Seeing death" and "tasting death" differ from "dying in sin". For the believer,
the sting of death is removed, and he is delivered from the fear of death that once held so
many in bondage (Heb. 2: 15).
While it may be true that the believer's deliverance is entirely the result of the finished
work of Christ, and does not depend upon the quality of his faith, or the purity of his
creed, yet experimentally he can never enter into this freedom apart from the truth, and
the truth must be "known".
"Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (John 8: 32).
Such would be "disciples indeed" and "free indeed". All around us are men and
women whose sins have been atoned for, who are nevertheless in serious bondage. There