Know the Truth
You can’t handle the truth … but you can know Him
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Then Jesus said to those Judeans who had believed him, “If you continue to follow my teaching, you are really my disciples and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
John 8:31-32 (NET)
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This is a pretty popular verse.
Nothing wrong with putting a little focus on the value of knowing the truth and living it out. Much better than lying — even those “little white lies” that we sometimes tell.
But knowing the truth is much more than knowledge; it’s a relationship.
Later in chapter 14, Jesus declares that He is the way, the truth, and the life.
So, in this instance, knowing the truth is also about knowing Jesus. And it’s Jesus’ actions that can set us free from sin & death.
So the verse has much more eternal impact than simply helping people overcome their guilty conscience.
There are some conditions attached to this.
Namely, that we must continue to follow Jesus’ teachings and demonstrate that we are truly His disciples. Because actions display the faith inside.
I suppose actions can masquerade as a sort of false faith, but those things eventually get found out and then crumble away. Faith that spurs actions can endure.
What kinds of teachings can we follow?
Jesus gave a number of commands while teaching, and we have the most important things he taught recorded for us (because of course God preserved the most important lessons inside His Word for our learning).
A big one? The Great Commandment: love God, love people.
I like to lump in the Great Commission too: make disciples.
There are plenty others, and It’d be a pretty good idea to do a study on all the commands that Jesus gave (I’m saying this as much to myself as anyone else).
— Ricky Ketchum
Copyright © 2025 by Ricky Ketchum. All rights reserved. Unauthorized duplication prohibited.
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