“Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:31-32)
With this passage, we must first identify to whom Jesus is speaking, and in the beginning of verse 31, it is quite clear: “Jews which believed on him.” This is another way of saying that these Jews believed Jesus was the Christ, the promised Messiah and Redeemer of Israel. When exactly did they believe in His Messiahship? It appears that it occurred during His discourse with the Pharisees, as we see in verse 30:
“As he spake these words, many believed on him.”
Understand that during Jesus’ earthly ministry, one didn’t receive eternal life by believing in the death and resurrection of Jesus for their sins, because He hadn’t gone to the cross yet. Instead, during Jesus’ earthly ministry, people received eternal life by believing He was the promised Messiah of the Old Testament. That is what these people believed, and upon their belief, they were saved in that moment.
So, Jesus’ statement about being made free is specifically addressed to those believers. And their being made free is dependent upon their “continuing in [His] word.” And if they continued in His word, they would be “[His] disciples indeed”, and they would also “know the truth.” Notice in these two verses, there is a cause-and-effect relationship.
Cause: “if ye continue in my word”
Effect: “ye are my disciples indeed”
Cause: “ye shall know the truth”
Effect: “and the truth shall set you free”
So, to be free is to know the truth. And in order to know the truth, one must be a disciple of Jesus. And to be a disciple of Jesus, one must continue in His word. So, continuing in the word of Jesus will set these new believers free.
But free from what? This is where a Jewish understanding is important.
Within Judaism, the Pharisees, Saduccess, and scribes had many rules that a Jewish person was required to follow. Many more rules than what the Mosaic Covenant required. These man-made rules can be seen in the Mishnah (man-made regulations on what one could and could not do, as well as punishments for violating rules). In the New Testament, we would understand these as “traditions of men” (although the Mishnah wasn’t created until later, the regulations which were placed in the Mishnah were in effect by the Rabbis during that time). Because of this, many Jewish people were under bondage, and enslaved to the rules and regulations that the religious elites placed upon them. Something God had never condoned. And so, Jesus tells these new believers that they can be free from all the legalism which the religious elites were placing upon them, if they follow His teachings. Jesus is explaining that they need not be under the yoke of the Law, but rather under grace (cf Matthew 11:28-30).
If one is trying to argue, with this passage, that being “made free experientially” means that one doesn’t live with the sin nature, and that one doesn’t commit (or practice sin), and that the “truly born-again person” overcomes sin, they are clearly the Jewish understanding of what freedom meant to the Jews in the days of Jesus, seeing as they were under the oppressive legalistic rules of the religious leaders (the traditions of men).
I like what Alfred Edersheim says about verse 32:
"... their own tradition had it, that he only was free who laboured in the study of the Law. Yet the liberty of which He spoke came not through study of the Law, but from abiding in the Word of Jesus."
This would be further illustrated in Paul’s open rebuke of Peter and his stumbling, attempting to bring the Gentiles under the bondage that the Jews were freed from under Christ (Galatians 2:11-21). As opposed to Calvinistic, Lordship, or Arminian teachings,
The three major theological systems contra to Free Grace each bring the believer back under bondage, which is what Jesus is clearly warning against. Calvinism and Lordship Salvation proponents state that if one isn’t living obedient to the Law they aren’t truly a Christian, while Arminians argue that this individual runs the risk of losing their salvation. Each of these systems places the believer back under the Law, not having the freedom that Jesus Christ promises.
A Free Grace understanding of the Gospel and sanctification brings freedom to the believer, not living under the scrutiny of the Law, but instead living under the grace of Jesus. But this is only made possibly by being a disciple of Jesus and following His word, so as to not fall back into the legalism of the religious elites of the first century.
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