Sunday, July 5, 2020
John 8:31-41
“Like Father Like Son”
Service Orientation: Slavery is the default status of everyone, unless they’re freed and adopted by the Father. In Jesus, we’re not only free, but adopted to live free as children of God.
Memory Verse for the Week: “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” John 8:36
Background Information:
- One senses in this passage the intensity of the spiritual warfare between Jesus and Satan. Jesus unmasks him, calls his bluff, and identifies him as the real enemy. As Jesus nears the cross, this battle with the evil one becomes more deadly and more open. Even His most intimate friends are used by the devil in the struggle in their moments of weakness and confusion. (Roger L. Fredrikson, The Communicator’s Commentary: John, 162-163)
- 32-33 The freedom Jesus spoke of was spiritual freedom from sin and its effects, as the following context shows. The Jews’ response indicates that they were thinking of political freedom, since they spoke of being enslaved to persons (v.33). Their protest was ill-founded, for they forgot the slavery of Egypt, the numerous oppressions of the time of the Judges, the Exile in Babylon, and the current Roman domination of their land. Because they were descendants of Abraham, with whom God had established a permanent covenant (Gen 12:1—3; 15:1-21; 17:1-14,19; 22:15-18), they considered themselves exempt from any spiritual danger. (Frank E. Gæbelein, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Vol. 9, 95)
- Jesus explained that the difference between spiritual freedom and bondage is a matter of whether one is a son or a servant. The servant may live in the house, but he is not a part of the family, and he cannot be guaranteed a future. (Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary Vol. 1, 322)
- “Whosoever committeth sin,” refers to the regular practice, the habitual course of a man’s life. Here is one thing that distinguishes the Christian from the non-Christian. The Christian sins, and sins daily; but the non-christian does nothing but sin. The Christian sins, but he also repents; moreover, he does good works, and brings forth the fruit of the Spirit. But the life of the unregenerate man is one unbroken course of sin. (Arthur W. Pink, Exposition of the Gospel of John, 450-451)
- Some believe in Jesus: whether or not their faith is genuine cannot be determined by the linguistic expression selected by the Evangelist. But Jesus now lays down exactly what it is that separates spurious faith from true faith, fickle disciples from genuine disciples: If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. (D. A. Carson, The Gospel According to John, 348)
The question to be answered is…
What is Jesus attempting to convey to the Jews in this account?
Answer…
Those seeking genuine freedom only find it when holding to genuine Truth. And genuine truth isn’t mere alignment with facts; Truth is a person; namely Jesus.
The word of the day is… freedom
What truths can we learn from The Truth in this text?
- The default status of everyone is slavery. (34)
(Ps. 51:5; Is. 64:6; Rom. 3:23, 5:12, 6:6; Eph. 2:1-3; Tit. 3:3; 2 Pet. 2:19; 1 John 1:8)
To commit sin, Jesus explained, places one in submission to sin as one’s master. In this one stroke, Jesus classified all Jews as slaves, since no Jew would have claimed never to have committed a sin. (Joseph Dongell, John: A Bible Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition, 120)
Water cannot rise above its own level. Being a sinner by nature, man is a sinner by practice, and cannot be anything else. (Arthur W. Pink, John, 451)
The Pharisees and other religious leaders thought that they were free, but they were actually enslaved in terrible spiritual bondage to sin and Satan. They would not face the truth, and yet it was the truth alone that could set them free. (Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary Vol. 1,323)
- Adoption changes one’s status to that of family. (35-36)
(John 1:10-13; Rom. 9:8; Gal. 3:26, 29, 4:1-7; Eph. 1:5; Col. 1:13; 1 John 3:1)
A slave has no security, for he can claim no family ties that entail an obligation toward him. The son of a family has permanent status within it. Jesus enlarged this analogy by stating that while a son is rightfully a partaker of family privileges, the Son can confer them. The hope for real freedom does not lie in the ancestry of Abraham but in the action of Christ. (Frank E. Gæbelein, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Vol. 9, 95)
Slaves have no assurance for the future; only true members of the family have that. Jesus, as the father’s only, special son (1:18), is in a position not only to set people free but to share with them his status as children of the father. (N.T. Wright, John for Everyone, Part 1, 123)
- Family is as family does. (31, 38, 39, 41)
(Jos. 24:15; Mat. 7:15-20; Luke 11:27-28; Gal. 4:8-9; Eph. 2:3, 19; 1 John 3:10)
Jesus’ point was important. Our spiritual parentage is what determines our nature and our destiny. If we are born again, and have God as our Father, it will show in our nature and destiny. But if our father is Satan or Adam, it will also show in our nature and destiny – just as it shows in these adversaries of Jesus. (David Guzik, Enduring Word Bible Commentary, https://enduringword.com/bible-commentary/john-8/)
Holding to Jesus’ teaching (v. 31) not only establishes the genuineness of faith, it also has its own authenticating power. We come to know the truth, not simply by intellectual assessment, but by moral commitment. (D. A. Carson, The Gospel According to John, 348)
Conclusion… What do we need to understand from this text as 21st century Christians?
A. Your status as slave or free can be observed by three things; faith, fruit, and trajectory.
(Ps. 27:10; Mat. 3:8; John 15:5; Rom. 7:6, 8:14-17; Gal. 2:20, 5:22-23; 1 John 3:1-2)
Faith alone saves, but the faith that saves is not alone. It will produce something. After a person believes on the Lord Jesus Christ, he will want to “continue in His Word.” The proof of faith is continuing with the Savior. (J. Vernon McGee, Thru The Bible Commentary Series, John, 140)
When we obey His Word, we grow in spiritual knowledge, and as we grow in spiritual knowledge, we grow in freedom from sin. Life leads to learning, and learning leads to liberty. (Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary Vol. 1, 322)
B. If you’ve been freed, you’ve been freed indeed.
(Rom. 6:22; 2 Cor. 3:17; Gal. 5:1, 13; Eph. 2:19, 3:6, 5:8-11; Heb. 2:14; 1 Pet. 2:16)
The truth – Written in your hearts by the Spirit of God, shall make you free – From guilt, sin, misery, Satan. (John Wesley, Wesley’s Notes on the Bible, 163)
Jesus, as the Son who has full rights and privileges in His Father’s household, has authority to declare full freedom from the tyranny of sin. By implication, we see that no other means to escape sin’s controlling power and mastery, other than the Son’s power to make free, will find success. (Joseph Dongell, John: A Bible Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition, 120)
C. Growing in freedom happens as you aspire to live life like your new Father.
(Mat. 12:50; Rom. 8:29; 1 Cor. 7:23; 2 Cor. 5:17; Eph. 1:5, 4:22; 1 John 2:23-25)
Adoption, by its very nature, is an art of free kindness to the person adopted. If you become a father by adopting a son or daughter, you do so because you choose to, not because you are bound to. Similarly, God adopts because he chooses to. He had no duty to do so. He need not have done anything about our sins except punish us as we deserved. But he loved us; so he redeemed us, forgave us, took us as his sons and daughters and gave himself to us as our Father.
Nor does his grace stop short with that initial act, any more than the love of human parents who adopt stops short with the completing of the legal process that makes the child theirs. The establishing of the child’s status as a member of the family is only a beginning. The real task remains: to establish a genuinely filial relationship between your adopted child and yourself. It is this, above all, what you want to see. (J.I. Packer, Knowing God, 215-216)
Continuance in His word is not a condition of discipleship, rather is it the manifestation of it. It is this, among other things, which distinguishes a true disciple from one who is merely a professor. (Arthur W. Pink, Exposition of the Gospel of John, 446)
Worship Point…
If your faith is in Jesus, you’ve been freed to worship, and to worship freely.
The freedom in view is not a freedom to do whatever we wish according to the dictates of our own fallen selves, but a freedom from our fallen selves and the power and guidance to act in accordance with God himself, the source of all goodness and life. (Rodney A. Whitacre, The IVP New Testament Commentary Series: John, 219)
Gospel Application…
Freedom wasn’t free, but the good news is that it’s free to us; to those who put their faith in the Purchaser of freedom.
(John 1:12; Rom. 3:28, 5:1, 11:6; Eph. 2:8; Gal. 2:16; 1 Tim. 2:6)
The Jews’ insistence that they were children of Abraham implied that they regarded their relationship to God as secure because of their lineal descent from the man with whom God had confirmed his covenant. While the covenant had not been abrogated, Jesus made it plain that his hearers needed to exercise individual faith to participate in it. His (Frank E. Gæbelein, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Vol. 9, 96)
Spiritual Challenge Questions…
Reflect on these questions in your time with the Lord this week, or discuss with a Christian family member or life group.
- Do you consider yourself free? What makes you believe so? How does Jesus define freedom?
- Why do you think Jesus equates obedience with freedom? Do you think of obedience to someone as freedom? Why or why not?
- Would you say you’re living the kind of life Jesus describes in vv. 31-32? If so, are you experiencing freedom? If not, what is keeping you from it?
- What are the Jews in this passage putting the hope of their status in? How does Jesus challenge them regarding that, and how do His words challenge you?
Quotes to note…
If I am adopted, I have become a child; God is no longer my judge, but my Father. (D. L. Moody, Moody’s Latest Sermons, 25)
The child of God knows his good works do not make him acceptable to God, for he was acceptable to God by Jesus Christ long before he had any good works. (Charles Spurgeon, “The Fatherhood of God” sermon, 1858)
The very fact that you want to get better – even perfect – is a sign that you belong to Christ. One of the best ways to find assurance of your salvation is not so much to examine what you do, but to look carefully at what you want to do. (Steve Brown, A Scandalous Freedom, 61)
Free people remain free to give up their freedom. They bestow freedom on others by giving up their own. Soldiers who fight for freedom (and who sometimes die for it) provide good models for us. Soldiers of Christ should always be willing to do that. (Steve Brown, A Scandalous Freedom, 249)
The deepest knowing comes only through doing, a constant theme in this Gospel. This means far more than learning and memorizing concepts which can then be verbalized. The discovery of truth comes in encountering and yielding to the One who is living truth. (Roger L. Fredrikson, The Communicator’s Commentary: John, 161)
When a sinner is saved he is not free to follow the bent of his old nature, for that would be lawlessness. Spiritual freedom is not license to do as I please, but emancipation from the bondage of sin and Satan that I may do as I ought. (Arthur W. Pink, Exposition of the Gospel of John, 453)
Free speech, free laws, political freedom, commercial freedom, national freedom–all these cannot smooth down a dying pillow, or disarm death of his sting, or fill our consciences with peace. Nothing can do that but the freedom which Christ alone bestows. (J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on John Vol.2, 77)
FURTHER QUOTES & RESEARCH:
Paul explicitly identifies the blessing of the nations as part of the gospel. For example, in Galatians 3:8 he says, “The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand [proeuhggelivsato] to Abraham, saying, ‘In you shall all the nations be blessed.’” Preaching the gospel means announcing the good news that all the nations will be blessed through Abraham—that is, through the death and resurrection of Abraham’s seed, Jesus Christ (Gal. 3:16). (John Piper, God Is The Gospel, 34)
It is clear that, just as Jesus always thought of himself as Son of God in a unique sense, so he always thought of his followers as children of his heavenly Father, members of the same divine family as himself. (J.I. Packer, Knowing God, 209)
If God exists only to bless our dreams, hopes, and desires, we will either turn away from him or create a new God. (Steve Brown, A Scandalous Freedom, 30)
A user-friendly God is not God. (Steve Brown, A Scandalous Freedom, 43)
The desire for perfection indicates the presence in us of something or someone who has given us that desire. That someone is the Holy Spirit; we feel his presence in the desire. It is also the Holy Spirit who brings us to the point of simply giving up that which we can’t do anyway. (Steve Brown, A Scandalous Freedom, 62)
There is a direct correlation between your willingness to face the darkness of your own pain and your ability to live freely and fully. (Steve Brown, A Scandalous Freedom, 203)
Right at the present moment they were in bondage to Rome, but they didn’t recognize that and that was one of their problems. (Chuck Smith, C2000 Series on John 7-8 by Chuck Smith)
First, the requirement to hold to Jesus’ teaching not only stressed the need for faith to continue beyond its starting point, but underscored the centrality of Jesus’ word for salvation. The true disciple will hold firmly to Jesus word, because in those words he hears the voice of the Father (8:28). (Joseph Dongell, John: A Bible Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition, (Joseph Dongell, John: A Bible Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition, 119)
If these listeners are not to be charged with an outright lie, they must be understood to claim that inwardly they have never bowed in servitude to their masters. Assyrian, Babylonian, Egyptian, Seleucid and Roman masters of Palestine had never, in the eyes of these Jews, broken the will of the Jewish people. (Joseph Dongell, John: A Bible Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition, 120)
To commit sin, Jesus explained, places one in submission to sin as one’s master. In this one stroke, Jesus classified all Jews as slaves, since no Jew would have claimed never to have committed a sin. But Jesus, as the Son who has full rights and privileges in His Father’s household, has authority to declare full freedom from the tyranny of sin. By implication, we see that no other means to escape sin’s controlling power and mastery, other than the Son’s power to make free, will find success. Furthermore, sin consists not so much of separate (and often unrelated) misdeeds, but as a controlling power orchestrating those misdeeds. (Joseph Dongell, John: A Bible Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition, 120)
If in every way they were Abraham’s children, how could they explain their desire to kill Jesus (see 7:11, 25)? Such a passion to kill bore no connection to Abraham. Such a passion suggested the identity of their real father! (Joseph Dongell, John: A Bible Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition, 120)
Jesus makes utterly clear the terms of discipleship for these who believed Him. He does not seek short-term followers, easy starters, who will fall by the wayside. They must “abide” in His word if they are to be a part of His company (v. 31). (Roger L. Fredrikson, The Communicator’s Commentary: John, 160)
The disciple will be set free from the bondage of sin and set free to live out the will of the Teacher. This becomes the very purpose of his existence. The disciple has entered an eternal, liberating relationship eager to do the will of His Lord. He is no longer shackled by the endless demands of legalisms which have always bred self-righteousness, for he has been set free. In the words of George Matheson’s great hymn, “Make me a captive. Lord, and then I shall be free.” (Roger L. Fredrikson, The Communicator’s Commentary: John, 161)
34 Jesus’ reply dealt with the spiritual aspect of freedom. Sin enslaves because every act of disobedience to God creates an atmosphere of alienation and a trend to further disobedience that inevitably makes escape impossible. Sin can possibly be overcome, but the attitude and habit of sin are inescapable. The participial construction “everyone who sins” is in the present tense, which implies a continual habit of sinning rather than an occasional lapse. (Frank E. Gæbelein, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Vol. 9, 95)
Being able to humbly remain in Jesus’ teaching is a sign of a true disciple because it is evidence of openness and loyalty to Jesus. (Rodney A. Whitacre, The IVP New Testament Commentary Series: John, 219)
(v. 32). This is surely one of the most abused texts in the Bible, for it is often cited with no regard for either the condition attached (remaining in Jesus’ teachings) or the sort of freedom in view, namely, freedom from sin (v. 34). (Rodney A. Whitacre, The IVP New Testament Commentary Series: John, 219)
At first their claim to have never been slaves of anyone (v. 33) seems delusory, since they probably said it within sight of Roman soldiers. In addition to Rome, Israel at one time or another had been subject to Egypt, Philistia, Assyria, Babylon, Greece and Syria. Yet though these nations had ruled over them, they “had never accepted the dominion of their conquerors or coalesced with them” (Westcott 1908:2:15), They had maintained their national identity as children of Abraham throughout, so their claim is not entirely groundless. (Rodney A. Whitacre, The IVP New Testament Commentary Series: John, 220)
Spiritual freedom is the freedom from sin, and sin, at its heart, is an alienation from God. This alienation is caused by sin in the sense of both error and evil. The antidote, faith, corresponds to both of these aspects since it is the appropriation of knowledge of God (which replaces the error) and of forgiveness for our rebellion against God (which overcomes the evil). Jesus is offering a restored relationship of intimacy with God, which brings life in place of death. (Rodney A. Whitacre, The IVP New Testament Commentary Series: John, 220
Only God can liberate us from sin, yet here Jesus says that he, the Son, can do so. Once again we see the implied claim regarding his unique oneness with the Father (cf. Chrysostom In John 54.2). (Rodney A. Whitacre, The IVP New Testament Commentary Series: John, 220)
Discipleship includes allowing Jesus to deal with our inner brokenness and deadness. He will not be satisfied until we come out entirely clean and whole, a fact that is part of the good news. To be a disciple one needs not only the humility to receive what Jesus reveals about himself but also the ability to receive what he reveals about oneself. He He always reveals in order to redeem. (Rodney A. Whitacre, The IVP New Testament Commentary Series: John, 221-222)
Note the striking connection between these three things: (1) “continue in my word,” v. 31; (2) “ye shall know truth,” v. 32; (3) “the truth shall make you free” v. 32. This order cannot be changed. The truth gives spiritual liberty; it frees from the blinding power of Satan (2 Cor. 4:4). It delivers from the darkness of spiritual death (Eph. 4:18). It emancipates from the prison-house of sin (Isa. 61:1). (Arthur W. Pink, Exposition of the Gospel of John, 446-447)
The deepest knowing comes only through doing. (Roger L. Fredrikson, Mastering the New Testament: John, 161)
There is a worse slavery than that which they had suffered in Egypt, or the semi-slavery they were suffering under the rule of Rome. It is the slavery that grips not only individuals but also groups, nations and families of nations. It slavery we know as ‘sin’. (N.T. Wright, John for Everyone, Part 1, 122)
Many people in the Western world are bored of hearing about sin. They think it just means offences against someone else’s old-fashioned morality, often in matters to do with sex. But that’s far too small-minded a view. Sexual sins matter, of course; they matter very much. They can destroy a person, a marriage, a family, a community. But there is more to sin than sex, and sin as a whole is far greater than the sum of its parts. When people rebel against God in whatever way, new fields of force are called into being, a cumulative effect builds up, and individuals and societies alike become enslaved just as surely as if every single one of them wore chains and was hounded to work every day by a strong man with a whip. (N.T. Wright, John for Everyone, Part 1, 123)
The worst bondage is the kind that the prisoner himself does not recognize. He thinks he is free, yet he is really a slave. The Pharisees and other religious leaders thought that they were free, but they were actually enslaved in terrible spiritual bondage to sin and Satan. They would not face the truth, and yet it was the truth alone that could set them free. (Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary Vol. 1,323)
It is not beginning, but “continuing” a religious profession, that is the test of true grace. (J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on John Vol.2, 74)
To begin is one thing, and to go on is quite another. Patient continuance in well-doing is the only sure evidence of grace. Not he that runs fast and furiously at first, but he that keeps up his speed, is he that “runs so as to obtain.” By all means let us be hopeful when we see anything like conversion. But let us not make too sure that it is real conversion, until time has set its seal upon it. Time and wear test metals, and prove whether they are solid or plated. Time and wear, in like manner, are the surest tests of a man’s religion. Where there is spiritual life there will be continuance and steady perseverance. It is the man who goes on as well as begins, that is “the disciple indeed.” (J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on John Vol.2, 75)
Sin is indeed the hardest of all taskmasters. Misery and disappointment in the way, despair and hell in the end–these are the only wages that sin pays to its servants. To deliver men from this bondage, is the grand object of the Gospel. To awaken people to a sense of their degradation, to show them their chains, to make them arise and struggle to be free–this is the great end for which Christ sent forth His ministers. Happy is he who has opened his eyes and found out his danger. To know that we are being led captive, is the very first step toward deliverance. (J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on John Vol.2, 76)
The Greek expression for hold to (meinete en, also translated “abide in” or “remain in”) has great spiritual significance in the Gospel of John (see especially 15:1-17). We abide in Christ when we place ourselves in him and continue there, drawing life from his words. This produces ongoing discipleship. A true and obedient disciple will find the truth by knowing the one who is the truth, Jesus himself (1:17; 14:6). This knowledge frees people from their bondage to sin (see 8:34). (Bruce B. Barton, Life Application Bible Commentary: John, 178)
Because of truth’s intimate connection with Jesus, true disciples ‘must not only hear his words: they must in some sort be united with him who is the truth’ (Dodd, IFG, p. 178). (D. A. Carson, The Gospel According to John, 349)
True freedom is not the liberty to do anything we please, but the liberty to do what we ought; and it is genuine liberty because doing what we ought now pleases us. (D. A. Carson, The Gospel According to John, 350)
Jesus’ point was important. Our spiritual parentage is what determines our nature and our destiny. If we are born again, and have God as our Father, it will show in our nature and destiny. But if our father is Satan or Adam, it will also show in our nature and destiny – just as it shows in these adversaries of Jesus. (David Guzik, https://enduringword.com/bible-commentary/john-8/)
