“So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, ‘If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’” – John 8:31-32
A disciple of Jesus Christ not only has an intellectual belief in Him but also follows Him, living in obedience to His teachings. This is what it means to abide in His word. It’s impossible to separate genuine faith from a life committed to knowing and living the words of Jesus. While our obedience doesn’t save us (salvation is a free gift of God through faith in Jesus), if we aren’t then trying to live in obedience to Jesus then we haven’t yet truly believed in Jesus as He is – the Son of God and Lord of our life.
Are you currently abiding in Christ’s word? Are you spending time learning the Scriptures (by reading or listening to them read)? Are you spending time thinking about the wondrous truths revealed in and through Jesus? Are you growing in your obedience to His commands – to love God and neighbor, to love fellow believers, to make disciples, to deny yourself and follow Jesus?
One of the many beautiful aspects of our faith in Jesus is that abiding in His word by reading, meditating on, and obeying Scripture isn’t a burdensome chore. That’s actually where true freedom is found! Jesus is the Truth and in obeying Him, we’re set free from our lifelong compulsion to sin. He sets us free from the inevitability of eternal separation from God because of our sin. He sets us free from the finality of death by being the gateway to eternal life. He sets us free from guilt and shame by wiping our slates clean on the cross. He sets us free from the hopeless task of trying to save ourselves through burdensome rule following and dead works of the law. As we abide in Christ and his Word we discover true freedom. Are you free today? If not, abide in Him and be free!