You Will Know The Truth And The Truth Will Set You Free (John 8:32 Explained)

Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. He came to free the sinner from the slavery of sin. If we allow Jesus to take the center of our lives, then we are truly transformed, and sin no longer has any power over us.

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

"And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."
John 8:32 KJV

"Then you will experience for yourselves the truth, and the truth will free you.”
John 8:32 The Message

You will know the Truth

Many people are looking for the truth, in search of something that makes sense in their lives. From studying ancient philosophy to communicating with ChatGPT, investigating fake news, or debating the meaning of life. Throughout history, many people have tried to find out what the truth is. In the bible, we read that even Pilate himself asked this ('“What is truth?” retorted Pilate.' John 18:38).

God created us to be inquisitive, and ask questions, and God also provides answers to the questions we have for him:

The Bible is the Truth

"Sanctify them in your truth; your word is truth,"
John 17:17

The Bible is the revealed Truth of God. When Jesus speaks to the Father in John 17:17 saying, "Sanctify them in your truth; your word is truth," he is not presenting truth as something that cannot be attained, or even something illusory. Jesus was talking about something revealed, concrete, absolute and eternal.

Today, we have access to the Bible via cell phone, computer, or tablet. We also have access to the traditional Bible, printed on paper. In other words, fortunately, we have access to the truth of God's Word.

But we need to make the time to read the Bible and listen to its words. It's then up to us to choose how we react to the Lord's revelation. We can either accept and believe it, or we can reject it.

Jesus is the Truth

⁵ Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”

⁶ Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. ⁷ If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”

John 14:5-7

Not only is The Bible the truth, but Jesus himself is the Truth. This is how he describes himself to his disciples in John 14, and so when Jesus speaks in John 8:32, "Then you will experience for yourselves the truth, and the truth will free you," he isn't presenting an abstract notion. Instead, he invites us into a transformative relationship with himself and a journey where the truths he imparts will lead to genuine freedom.
John 14 may be the only place in the bible where Jesus directly says 'I am the truth', but there are many passages where Jesus speaks of truth, including:

• John 18:37 (NIV): "You are a king, then!" said Pilate. Jesus answered, "You say that I am a king. The reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me." While Jesus doesn't explicitly say, "I am the truth" here, he links his purpose to testifying to the truth.

• Matthew 11:27 (NIV): "All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him." Here, Jesus speaks of the unique relationship between himself and the Father and the unique truth he possesses.

And the truth will set you free

³⁴ Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. ³⁵ Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. ³⁶ So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
John 8:34-36

With both Jesus and the bible (the word) described as truth, we see exactly how important understanding the truth is. There are plenty of passages where Jesus talks about the truth. As well as describing himself as truth, he also refers to the message and The One who sent him as true (God) in this way. You can see this in the following verses:

• "I have much to say and judge of you, but he who sent me is true; and what I have heard of him I speak to the world." (John 8:26)
• "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in me has eternal life." (John 6:47)
• "But now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that you have heard from God." (John 8:40)
• "But because I tell you the truth, you do not believe me. Who among you convicts me of sin? And if I tell you the truth, why don't you believe me? He who is of God hears the words of God; therefore you do not hear them, because you are not of God." (John 8:45-47)
• "Then Jesus said to the Jews who believed in him, 'If you abide in my word, you are my disciples indeed; and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free'." (John 8:31-32)

So what does this truth provide us? It provides us with freedom! John 8:32 makes this clear; "and you will know the truth and the truth will set you free". When we know the truth, we are set free from the slavery of sin. We don't get this from philosophies, inner peace, or a concoction of other religions. Jesus is the truth sent into the world to free it, he has been among us, he has revealed himself to us and he gives us access to the Father:

• "Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I am the light of the world; whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." (John 8:12)
• "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm,then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." (Galatians 5:1)
• "If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." (John 8:36)
• "Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.." (John 18:37)
• "For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves," (Colossians 1:13)

Let's live in this hope, in the words of Christ: you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.

Jesus is the key that sets us free from all evil. He paid a high price to rescue us from the dominion of darkness and only Jesus can give us a transformed and free life.

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