If the Son Has Set You Free

John 8:34-35

Obedience is an act of faith; disobedience is the result of unbelief.

—Edwin Louis Cole—

Photo by Matthew Lancaster on Unsplash

“I’m telling you a solemn truth,” Jesus replied. “Everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. The slave doesn’t live in the house for ever; the son lives there for ever. So, you see, if the son makes you free, you will be truly free.”

—John 8:34 (BFE)

Let me share a glimpse of how I prayerfully worked through this Scripture:

My notes on John 8:34-35

My paraphrase

If I were to paraphrase these two verses, it would go something like this—

“Listen up! What I’m telling you now is really important for you to understand,” Jesus answered, “I want to make sure you hear what I’m saying.

Anyone and everyone who actively and continually practices sin—that is, they willfully and intentionally disregard what they know to be right—has enslaved themselves to sin. They are trapped, ensnared, and unable to escape their own sinful patterns without help from another.

A slave is a member of a the household in which he or she serves, but not an heir. Their place in the household is not permanent or guarenteed. A slave is temporary, at best. But a child is an heir with full rights and privaleges. So, understand this — if a child, an heir, has set you free, then you are no longer a slave. You are free!”

Personal reflection

John is, of course, recalling a teaching from Jesus that used a very common situation of that day — households and slaves or servants. We should not assume that Jesus is condoning any and all forms of slavery by using this example. And, it should be pointed out, in this passage, the climax of the teaching revolves around being set free!

It’s a useful metaphor in this situation because people of that time knew what it meant to be a slave and what it meant to be an heir (a child or a son). We can easily make the spiritual connection here, too, as perhaps Jesus was doing as he told the story —

If I am living in active, continual, intentional sin, then my place in the household of God is precarious, uncertain, and, perhaps, only temporary. This is not God’s will for me. Instead, I find myself in this precarious situation on account of my own free choice to willfully disobey what I know to be right.

However, if an heir (in this case, the Son of God, Jesus Christ) has set me free, then I am truly free, becoming a “joint heir”—a child of the Father—with Jesus.

Related passages and notes

“The evil deeds of the wicked ensnare them;
the cords of their sins hold them fast.
For lack of discipline they will die,
led astray by their own great folly.
—Proverbs 5:22-23 (NIV)

“Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness".”
—Romans 6:16-18 (NIV)

“They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity—for “people are slaves to whatever has mastered them.”
—2 Peter 2:19 (NIV)

“…and she said to Abraham, “Get rid of that slave woman and her son, for that woman's son will never share in the inheritance with my son Isaac.”
—Genesis 21:10 (NIV)

“Being a slave to sin means being unable to escape from sinful patterns of conduct without Jesus’ help (see v. 36; see also notes on Rom. 6:16; 1 Cor. 7:21).”
—ESV Global Study Bible Notes (John 8:34)

”8:35. Although slaves were considered part of a household and could be “inherited,” they were not permanent members; they could be sold, and often they were freed. Indeed, Old Testament *law mandated that Jewish slaves be freed in certain years. By contrast, barring disinheritance, a son was always part of a household (cf. Gen 21:10). Jesus may also make another allusion here: “house” (which here, as often, means “household,” “family” or “home”) might possibly include a wordplay with God’s house, the temple (2:16); only the “sons” will have a permanent share there (Ezek 46:16-17; cf. also Is 56:4-5).”
—IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament, Second Edition (John 8:35)

---

Thank you for reading this story. Please help this community grow by liking, sharing, and commenting. Share this story with friends and family and on your social media, and tell people about the Do Everything In Love Community. Thank you!