I bet that got your attention right off the bat! I know how the ‘religious’ mind works….just waiting for anyone to challenge their ‘current’ system of beliefs so they can quickly and decisively chastise the perpetrator so that any other theory other than their own doesn’t get ‘out there’, so to speak. So in some people’s mind the above title is blasphemous.
But it’s a true statement! The bible, in fact, does not say that “the Truth shall set you free”. (John 8:32, ’cause I know you’ll want to look!) it actually says, “the Truth shall ‘make’ you free”; Huge difference if you ask me!
I remember years back the Lord gave me an analogy of that particular verse. Let’s say you had a caged tiger that had been in the cage his whole life. Opening the door to the cage is the equivalent of setting the tiger free. The tiger might, or might not, leave the ‘perceived safety’ of the cage. Hearing truth does not set you free but it carries with it the potential for us to be set free. But the bible says, “you shall know the truth and the truth shall ‘make’ you free”. To be ‘made free’ would be the equivalent of totally removing the cage from the tiger! That’s what happens when we, not only, hear the truth but actually embrace it and act upon it!
…..or we could take an even more basic approach to that familiar verse; Jesus said of Himself, “I Am the Way, The Truth and the Life”. If we embrace Jesus and act on that by faith…..the cage is removed!!
Enjoy your freedom!
Love it A.T. I have been under such a strong hold by the I rascal himself for a while now no doubt self inflicted but a stronghold indeed, all I could see was the bad in everyone I seen and could somehow bring it out in them to lol until the last couple of days when I started looking for the good in peoples I started to see the good coming out in people it’s giving me a little more freedom every person I get to see the good in!! Thank you father;)
Right on, Ty! Keep the focus on!
Good Word, A.T.! Got to thinking about being physically captive in a jail,etc. as a metaphor. Seems when we get “set free” from captivity we can leave or stay (as you noted) and everybody will (of course) usually flee the “captive” state immediately. Although … it could very well be possible we could return to the “captive” state/place again because we were just “set free”. What you’ve received (& shared) about being “made” free is another story ….. If we are “made” free then “Returning” to the “captive” state/place is not possible. Whether we become “captive” or not we are still “free”. Thanks for the Word!
Great observation!! Thanks!!