The Truth Will Set You Free

 

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

Do you feel free in your religious life, or do you sometimes feel constrained instead? Have you ever felt burdened by observing the Sabbath?

Let us give thanks to God who has set us free as we explore the true meaning of Jesus' words, 'The truth will set you free.’ Jesus promised that the truth will set us free. What does it mean?

Mainstream churches misunderstand this verse, interpreting it as meaning they are free to choose how they believe in God. They believe in Jesus however they choose, ignoring the sacrificial system of the New Covenant. They believe that not observing God's feasts is also a freedom granted by Jesus. But if we read just one more verse, we can see that their interpretation is wrong. Because Jesus was clear about why they must be free.

First, let's find out who the conversation partner was through verse 31.

John 8:31 To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.

If we look at verse 31, we see that it was a message directed to the Jews. It was a message about the freedom that a Jew would experience upon believing in Jesus. In other words, if a Jew who had followed the Mosaic Law for thousands of years believes in the New Covenant, Jesus promised that they would be free. From what? Think about what it means to be free from

We can understand the freedom given by the New Covenant only by comparing it with the Mosaic Law. And verse 34 explains that this freedom is from sin.

John 8:34 Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.

Why was verse 34 given? The sacrificial system of the Old Covenant was complex and difficult, making it extremely difficult to keep it as it was written. Nevertheless, it was a law that could not forgive our spiritual sins committed in heaven.

Let me briefly summarize what I’ve explained so far. The freedom mentioned by Jesus is the freedom from the sacrificial system of the Mosaic Law and the freedom from a slave to sin.

As you know, the Jews followed the Mosaic Law during the age of the Old Testament. The point is that despite observing the complex Mosaic Law, the Jews were still not free from their spiritual sins.

Let’s examine why Jesus said this. Let’s look at the book of Romans about the relationship between sin and the law.

Roman 7:7 What shall we say, then? Is the law sinful? Certainly not! Nevertheless, I would not have known what sin was had it not been for the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.”

In this verse, “Do not covet” is a phrase of Ten Commandments. The Book of Romans said “Ten Commandments help us realize our sins.” The Jews had to escape from the sins they realized through the Ten Commandments. Do you know how they could be free from the sins in the age of the Old Testament?

Let’s check it in the Bible now.

Exodus 34:27-28 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Write down these words, for in accordance with these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel." Moses was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights without eating bread or drinking water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant—the Ten Commandments.

This is the scene where Moses comes down from Mount Sinai after receiving God's command. We call it Mosaic Law including Ten Commandments. Let’s check out what Moses said to the people after coming down from Mount Sinai.

Let’s briefly review Chapter 35 of Exodus. Quickly flip through the Bible starting from chapter 35. You can find so many detail regulations about setting the tabernacle and preparing every kind of sacred instruments. As you read further, you will realize how intricate and challenging these commands were to follow. As you know, building a sanctuary was the most basic task for keeping the Mosaic Law. However, it was a very difficult task to establish the sanctuary according to the Bible. God gave detailed instructions regarding the specifications, materials, and design of every instrument of the sanctuary. None of the rules were to be broken.

Of course, God gave us the Mosaic Law to escape from the sins that the Ten Commandments made us realize. As the Jews had to follow the detailed regulations for the sanctuary, however, could they feel free? No. I don’t think so.

It is the reason that Jesus said to them “When you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free”

The Mosaic Law was to observe the law by visible works. Although people wanted to be free from sin, they got to be bound again by detailed laws of visible works. The law by visible works regulated even people's daily lives.

In addition to the regulations for building a sanctuary, there were numerous laws. For example, there were many types of offerings. You can find the explanation for many types of offerings through Leviticus chapter 1 through chapter 7. Burnt offering, grain offering, sin offering, guilt offering, fellowship offering, so on…

In the Book of Leviticus, each type of offerings has a different detailed regulation. It was not easy to follow all the regulations whenever they perform every different type of the offerings.

That’s not all. The qualifications for ordinary people to offer ancestral rites were also strict and complicated. The food regulations were so complicated. They had to distinguish the clean and unclean. Distinguishing each ingredient individually for the cooking food is to regulate and restrict their daily life. In addition, to keep the Mosaic Law, the Jews had to live by following numerous additive regulations.

But Jesus said “the truth will set you free” What freedom will you be given if you accept the truth? Let’s compare the new one with the old one.

Acts 16:13 On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river

Apostle Paul encountered the Sabbath day, while preaching in Philippi. To observe the Sabbath, they went out to the river outside the city gate.

Did they need a church building? Were there specific standards for chapels or regulations regarding their equipment? A small room? It’s okay. Even outside by the river? It is also okay. Even under the shade of a large tree - it was perfectly acceptable.

Imagine how the Jews must have felt. This is a New Covenant which was given to us by Jesus Christ. How do you feel when you compare it to the Mosaic Law? Now, can you understand Jesus’ saying?

Does the freedom of John 8:32 mean the freedom to change the Sabbath to Sunday for the convenience of worship? Does the freedom in John 8:32 mean that Jesus will allow for the early church to be able to establish Christmas for the sake of fellowship and harmony with the Roman authorities? That is not what Jesus meant. Jesus spoke to the Jews, explaining the value of the new covenant in comparison to the old covenant.

Let’s learn more about the new Sabbath observed by Apostle Paul.

Hebrews 9:11-15 But when Christ came as high priest of the good things that are now already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not made with human hands, that is to say, is not a part of this creation. He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption. The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God! For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance - now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.

Verse 15 said, “Jesus is a mediator of a new covenant” Mediator means a person who is performing the sacrificial system between God and sinners. In other word, mediator means the priest for the sacrificial system.

So, verse 11 said, “Jesus came as high priest and he went through the more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made.”

Hebrews chapter 9 is explaining the heavenly sanctuary which is invisible sacrificial system. By transforming the visible sanctuary into an invisible one, Jesus made it easier for us to observe the Sabbath. The invisible sacrificial system allowed us to feel free from all the regulations of the Mosaic Law. Verse 15 said, “he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.”

What differences are there between the first one and the second?

The first involves observing laws through visible works, while the second requires following laws through faith in what is unseen.

The new covenant sets us free. However, it is a law that you cannot keep without faith. It can be kept by the people who have a faith on the invisible sacrificial system.

Roman 3:27-28 Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. On what principle? On that of observing the law? No, but on that of faith. For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law.

What kind of the faith is it? Is it the faith to confess Jesus a s a Savior only by lips? As we reviewed already today, it is the faith in the invisible sanctuary, where the high priest Jesus perform the sacrificial system with His blood.

The mainstream Christianity of the world says, “We can be justified by faith only apart from observing the law”. They teach that salvation is only possible by confessing Jesus as Savior with our mouth. And they believe that such faith is the freedom which was given to us by Jesus.

Yes, it's true that faith is important. But what kind of faith is it? Not some vague belief. It's faith in the invisible heavenly sanctuary. That faith must be demonstrated through participation in the sacrifices that take place in the heavenly sanctuary through the feasts.

However, they never agree that we need to follow the invisible sacrificial system through the appointed time for the forgiveness of our sins. They do not understand that the freedom Jesus mentioned is the request the Jew to be free from the Mosaic Law comparing with the new covenant sacrificial system. They don't know there are the law of the New Covenant. As a result, they don't respect the Sabbath and feasts. They never imagine the sacrificial system of the invisible sanctuary.

And their claim is based on Romans 3:28. But they are wrong. We have to focus on the verse 27 also.

Roman 3:27 Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. On what principle? On that of observing the law? No, but on that of faith.

What does it mean by “that of faith”. It explains the law of faith by comparing the Law of Moses observing through the visible works.

The emphasis on faith in the New Covenant is to compare it with the Old Testament, which is kept through visible works. This does not mean that there is no law in the new covenant. There is a sacrificial system of the new covenant that must be maintained with the faith in the invisible world.

Now, we get to know that the system of the new covenant sets us free. All we have to do is to remember and observe the dates and times of the feasts. There is no longer any need for constructing physical temples or church buildings, offering animal sacrifices, or adhering to numerous regulations. But at least we must participate in the appointed time, through which Jesus performs the sacrificial system in the heavenly sanctuary.

You are truly God's chosen people, blessed by Him. I don't know how many Christians devote themselves to vain worship. Yet, today, you are participating in true worship. Praise the Lord who set us free. Let’s be thankful to God who has set us free through the new covenant. 

Amen.

Source: https://blog.naver.com/ceongkim/224104417536