Does Truth Set You Free?

 As human beings we give a great deal of credence to what we call ‘fact’.  Reality comes in a close second.  Truth, well, most often our idea of truth is rooted in fact and reality.  But because both facts and realities are subjective, truth can’t be found in them, and therein lays the problem.   Fact, reality and truth are not the same things and in many instances are mutually exclusive.

Example #1 The facts say that person should not have survived the accident.  The reality may tell a different story.  So truth weighs in on the side of reality and has to disregard facts.

Example #2 The fact may be that a loved one has passed away.  The reality may be the appearance that a person is communicating with one who is no longer among the living.  The truth is followers of Christ are forbidden to engage in this activity (Deuteronomy 18:10-11).  Mutually exclusive.

So, how then can a person enjoy the promise made by Jesus insuring a freedom that comes from truth?  “The truth will set you free.”

Let’s look at that often quoted verse.  John 8:32 “Then you shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free.”   Oh, wait a minute.  What’s the ‘then’ there for?  Let’s back up the bus and read verse 31.  ‘To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.  Then you shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free.”’  That is a completely different message.  Holding to the teaching of Jesus and being his disciple (one who wants to live the way He lived) is how you come to know truth.  And it’s that truth that holds the promise of freedom. 

The reality:  He was despised, rejected, and killed.  The facts: Jesus did nothing to warrant the death He died.  The truth: His sacrificial life purchased humanity’s redemption from the law of sin and death. 

The teaching we must hold to in the face of contrary fact and reality is that Truth is not a combination of circumstances that line up with reality and fact.  Truth is found in God’s definition of it.  John 14:6  “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but through me.”  Truth is a person. Truth is Jesus.   Thank you Lord for being The Truth that is true, for making The Way a fact, and bringing The Life into our reality.