COMMENTARY

John 8:31-36

31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;

[If ye continue in my word] It is when we receive the truth, love it, keep it and walk in it that we are genuine disciples of Christ.

32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

[And the truth shall make you free] No one is truly free, but he in whose heart sin is destroyed, and and who has received the spirit of adoption by which he cries, "Abba, Father!"

33 They answered him, We be Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free?

[They answered] Not the ones who believed, but those in the crowd who remained in unbelief, who wished to argue with him.

[Were never in bondage to any man] It is interesting how the human mind works when wishing to not accept truth. The history of the nation of Israel is marked by periods of servitude in Egypt, Chaldea and Macedonia. They were, at that current time, under the domination of the Roman Empire.

34 Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.

[Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin] Or is the slave of sin. This was the slavery of which Christ Spoke. Deliverence from it was the liberty which he promised.

35 And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever.

[The servant abideth not in the house for ever] The slave may abide with a family for a time but is not a member of that family, has no rights nor inheritance, but is, in fact, owned, and that ownership may be passed or sold to others.

[But the Son abideth ever] No slave is able to make another slave free, but the son is a fully accredited, permanent member of the family who participates in the inheritance and has the right to set a slave free.

36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

The Son of God, by the shedding of his own blood, has paid the purchase price for the slaves of sin and wishes to set free and adopt into his family all who will believe on him.
With this verse fresh in your mind we urge you to take the time right now to read two very important chapters. "If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed" is the key to understanding John 3 and Romans 8.

Now you are a scholar. You understand the heart, mind, plan and power of God.


Based upon excerpts from Adam Clarke's Commentary, 2nd edition published in New York by Lane and Scott, 1850. More recent editions may be purchased from Amazon.com

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