Interpretation of John 8:32

Question

Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. John 8:32

I've read that the truth is sin which allows for freedom (does this mean we shouldn't be free?), another explanation is the power we possess and how we can run into fetters.

I mean these are 2 of the same answer, sort of. Is there an elegant and simple answer for this?

The two concepts you express (sin...freedom) and (power ... fetters) are nowhere stated in scripture. This question has been answered before see Why do the Jews in John 8:33 etc etc and I suggest you have a look at the answers there. Welcome to BH. Please see the Tour and Help as to the purpose and functioning of the site. — Nigel J, Jul 02 '20 at 05:09
Does this answer your question? Why do the Jews in John 8:33 say that they have never been enslaved? — Nigel J, Jul 02 '20 at 05:17
I have reviewed the other thread, and I do not see how it answers the question asked in this thread. Therefore, I will refrain from voting to close this as a duplicate. — Der Übermensch, Jul 02 '20 at 14:32

score 5 · Answer 1 · answered Jul 02 '20 at 18:26

It is not that the truth is sin (or vice-versa). Rather, it is Sin that is the master (or “lord”) of the one who sins.¹ That is, Sin is the enslaver; the sinner is the enslaved.

The apostle Paul describes how Sin (personified)¹ holds the unregenerate person enslaved and captive before his regeneration.

“For Sin shall not be master over you.”² (The corollary is that Sin is indeed the master over the unregenerate sinner.) “Do not let Sin reign in your mortal body, so that you should obey it in its lusts.”³ (The corollary is that Sin does indeed reign in the mortal body of the unregenerate sinner, and the sinnner does obey Sin and its lusts.) Hence, “You were Sin’s servants...,”⁴ and obeyed Sin.⁵ “I am carnal, sold under Sin.”⁶ Like a slave sold into slavery and now under the servitude of a master, the unregenerate is “sold under Sin.”

Footnotes

        ^{¹ Southall, p. 98}
        ^{² Rom. 6:14}
        ^{³ Rom. 6:12}
        ^{⁴ Rom. 6:17, 6:20}
        ^{⁵ Rom. 6:16}
        ^{⁶ Rom. 7:14}

Not only does the unregenerate serve Sin as his master, but Sin dwells in (i.e., indwells) the unregenerate.⁷ With the flesh, the unregenerate obeys Sin’s law.⁸

Footnotes

        ^{⁷ Rom. 7:17, 20}
        ^{⁸ Rom. 7:25}
        ^{⁹ Rom. 7:8}

“You shall know the truth, and the truth shall liberate you.” From what/whom does man need liberation? That is, under what/whom is he enslaved? The answer is: Sin.The apostle Paul wrote, “For he who is dead is liberated from Sin.”¹⁰ “Being liberated from Sin...”¹¹ “The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has liberated me from the law of Sin and Death.”¹²

Footnotes

        ^{¹⁰ Rom. 6:7}
        ^{¹¹ Rom. 6:18. 6:22}
        ^{¹² Rom. 8:2}

The Lord Jesus Christ is “the Way, the Truth, and the Life.”¹³ Knowing Jesus Christ is eternal life.¹⁴ Moreover, knowing the truth, the Lord Jesus Christ, will liberate you from the servitude of Sin as your master so that you can serve the Lord Jesus Christ,

²² But now being liberated from Sin, and becoming God’s servants, you have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. ²³ For Sin’s wages is death, but God’s gift is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Footnotes

        ^{¹³ John 14:6}
        ^{¹⁴ John 17:3}
        ^{¹⁵ Rom. 8:2}
        ^{¹⁵ Rom. 6:22–23}

References

Southall, David J. Rediscovering Righteousness in Romans. Tübingen: Siebeck, 2008.

score 2 · Answer 2 · answered Jul 04 '20 at 06:05

The context of John 8:32 can help.

John 8:31 So Jesus said to those who believed in him, “If you obey my teaching, you are really my disciples; 32 you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” 33 “We are the descendants of Abraham,” they answered, “and we have never been anybody's slaves. What do you mean, then, by saying, ‘You will be free’?” 34 Jesus said to them, “I am telling you the truth: everyone who sins is a slave of sin. 35 A slave does not belong to a family permanently, but a son belongs there forever. 36 If the Son sets you free, then you will be really free. 37 I know you are Abraham's descendants. Yet you are trying to kill me, because you will not accept my teaching. 38 I talk about what my Father has shown me, but you do what your father has told you.” GNT

So the truth is not sin itself but the truth is what sets free from sin.

score 0 · Answer 3 · answered May 13 '23 at 13:04

That sin affords freedom is the secular worldview that has prevailed since the Enlightenment, which promised to free man from the fetters of religious influence but in the process severed him from God altogether. Emanuel Kant, still a Christian, attempted to reconcile this view with religion by proposing that all human morals are innate,¹ but Nietzshe was probably more insightful: He saw that a life lived apart from God was akin to staring into a great abyss² (but he knowlingly chose this path nonetheless, and went insane).

The Church Fathers had different interpretations of what Christian Truth entails.

Truth as Christ: Augustine of Hippo often emphasized Christ as the truth. In his Tractates on the Gospel of John, Augustine connects truth with Jesus Christ, underscoring that Christ is the truth that frees us:

Therefore, He says, If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will free you. Christ, therefore, is the truth.³

Truth as Divine Revelation: Irenaeus of Lyons, in his work Against Heresies, defended the Apostolic Tradition against Gnostic teachings. He often interpret "truth" as the divine revelation passed down through the apostles:

Wherefore it is incumbent to obey the presbyters who are in the Church, those who, as I have shown, possess the succession from the apostles; those who, together with the succession of the episcopate, have received the certain gift of truth.⁴

Truth as Moral Living John Chrysostom, renowned for his homilies, often emphasized moral and ethical living in light of the Gospel. His interpretation stressed the transformation of one's life in line with God's commandments:

He that commits sin is the servant of sin ... He that has been freed from this servitude gains a kingly power, he becomes son and heir, and is freed from all evils.⁵

Truth as Liberation from Falsehoods: Athanasius, known for his defense against Arianism in the 4th century, interpreted this verse within the context of combating heresies and upholding orthodox Christian doctrine.

For what have they discovered in this lection (i.e. the Arian heresy), that they dare to criticize the Apostle? For confessing that In the beginning was the Word, I mean the Only-begotten, and that He is from God, how in consistency can they go off to another beginning?⁶

^1. ^{Grundlegung zur Metaphysik der Sitten (Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals), 1785}
^2. ^{"Und wenn du lange in einen Abgrund blickst, blickt der Abgrund auch in dich hinein" - Jenseits von Gut und Böse (Beyond Good and Evil), 1886}
^3. ^{Tractate XLI on John}
^4. ^{Against Heresies, III.2}
^5. ^{Homily LIV on John}
^6. ^{Against the Arians, Discourse 1}

score -1 · Answer 4 · answered Nov 29 '22 at 18:00

-1

They spoke correctly because they were Edomites from Essau(Jacob's twin brother). Which is also the seed of Abraham. That is why Jesus didn't correct them. It was the house of Jacob whom is Israel (12 tribes) that were in bondage.

answered Nov 29 '22 at 18:00

Eric Spade

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Interpretation of John 8:32

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