Bible Chapter: John 8

Because the Bible is practical, here are some statements to get you thinking.

1.  Write one or two key thoughts that come from today’s reading.
    Condemnation.  It is a terrible place to live.  The Bible clearly tells us that God’s goal is not to condemn people, but to save them.  Jesus reiterated that message in this chapter.  There are two key and parallel thoughts expressed by Jesus - I don’t condemn you and leave your life of sin.  Receive God’s forgiveness and don’t keep living a lifestyle of actively sinning.  This forgiveness is freeing and amazing.  The lifestyle of living according to God’s plan will set a person free.
    The truth revealed by Jesus sets a person free.  Simply having knowledge of true things is not the issue (i.e. having an education), but knowing and applying the truths of the Bible sets a person free.  Free from what?  From the destructive power of sin and the domination of the forces of evil.  Jesus said that those who continue to sin are a slave to sin.  Slavery is a horrible condition that requires someone to rescue the slave.  Jesus sets the slaves to sin free.
    One of the reasons why people stay in slavery to sin is that the devil is a liar.  His native language is lying and he is really good at it.  He can take truth and twist it so it looks like the truth, but is really a lie.  He is a murderer and destroys his followers.  Jesus, through His sacrifice on the cross and resurrection from the grave, is the only source of deliverance from the slavery of sin.

2.  What can I apply in my life from the reading?
    I can and must accept the deliverance from condemnation.  Even after a person is saved and knows they are serving Jesus they can sense the condemnation of evil and believe it.  It is easy to believe that “I’m no good”.  It is easy to believe that “I can’t accomplish much, so why try”.  All of these statements cause a person to give up and not try to do anything for the Lord.  The thought is that failure is imminent, so it doesn’t make sense to waste time, energy and resources to try.
    I need to continue to live in the redemptive power of God’s truth.  This sets me free and makes life so much more enjoyable.  I need to be sharp and aware spiritually to recognize the confusion and lies that keep cropping up in the spiritual battle.  Sadly, there are many in spiritual leadership who are taking foundational truths and twisting them, ever so slightly, that leads to false doctrine.

3.  How can I help someone?
    I can help people see this issue of truth.  Amazingly, people believe that truth is what you make it.  If you believe it is true, if it “works” for you, then it is true.  Many believe that truth can be different for various people and still be truth.  Divine, eternal truth does not change from generation to generation.  It is a lie to say that today we are smarter and have greater revelation than previous generations.  This deception causes people to think they can settle on a truth that makes them comfortable and that will be what they need.  There are people with a medical need of treatment who believed some quack with a worthless treatment (but it made them feel good) who died from their medical condition.  A real doctor could have helped them, even though the truth (the treatment) would hurt for a while.  The truth of Jesus really sets people free.