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    John 8:31-47  Lesson 185

    Read both the "King James Bible" and the "New Living Translation."

    In this lesson:
     
    Lesson 184 continues.
     
    The children of Abraham.
     
    Real salvation and true discipleship.
    Abraham before God.
    by British artist Patrick Nicolle (1907-1995)
    Study Tip: 
     
    To make yourself a better person, apply the Bibles lessons into your life.
    Who was...

    Abraham - 
    The founder of Judaism, the father of all Jews (Romans 4:11-16; Galatians 3:7), spiritual forefather of Christians (Galatians 3:29), and a "friend" of God (2 Chronicles 20:7; Isaiah 41:8; James 2:23).  Abraham was also called the
    "Father of a multitude," "exalted Father," and Abram (    Genesis 15:1; 17:4-5).  Born in Ur (present-day Iraq), Abraham is perhaps the greatest of the Old Testament personalities.  His story is part of almost     every eastern religion, including Islam, where he is considered the father of all Arab peoples through his son Ishmael.  A man of tremendous faith, Abraham left his home and family because God asked him to (Genesis 12:1; Acts 7:2-4).  Then, God asked Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac as a test.  Believing God knew best, Abraham set off to Mount Moriah to obey (Genesis 22:1-10).  Mount Moriah is a hill near Jerusalem.  Many Bible scholars believe it is the same hill where Jesus was later sacrificed.  However, Jews believe that the Temple's sacrificial altar was built on the site where Abraham prepared his son for sacrifice.  As Abraham prepared to show his faith and knife his son, God sent an angel to save the boy (Genesis 22:11-13).  Abraham's willingness to obey earned him God's promise (the Abrahamic Covenant) to make his descendants (the Israelites) a great and populous people (Genesis 17:2-7; 22:16-18; 26:4; 24) and to bless the Gentiles through him (Genesis 12:2-3; 15:1-21; 18:18; 22:18; 28:14; Exodus 32:13).  Abraham's deeds sometimes disappointed God, but he never lost his righteousness because it is never deeds that earn righteousness; it is faith (Genesis 15:6).  Abraham died at the age of 175 (Genesis 25:7) and was buried alongside his wife Sarah in a cave at Machpelah (Genesis 23:9; 25:7-10).  Centuries later, a Christian church was built over the cave.  Subsequently, the church was converted into an Islamic Mosque.  Jesus' roots go back to Abraham (Matthew 1:1-16), proving that His lineage dates back to the beginning of the Jewish nation.  You can read more about Abraham in Genesis 11:26-25:34.  

    The Gospel According to St. John

    The King James Bible    ​

    John 8:31-47
    The children of Abraham

    31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;

    32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

    33 They answered him, We be Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free?

    34 Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.

    35 And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever.

    36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

    37 I know that ye are Abraham's seed; but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you.

    38 I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and ye do that which ye have seen with your father.

    39 They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham.

    40 But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham.

    41 Ye do the deeds of your father. Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God.

    42 Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me.

    43 Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word.

    44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

    45 And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not.

    46 Which of you convinceth me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me?

    47 He that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.
    ​Margin notes: 
     
    "If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples." (8:31) - A promise from Jesus.  But, it's not enough to be familiar with Jesus; you must believe in and obey His word.
     
    "Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." (8:32) - Jesus is the truth and will set you free (8:36; 2 Corinthians 3:17).  Another promise from Christ.
     
    "We be Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any man." (8:33) - The crowd didn't understand that Jesus was talking about spiritual bondage.  They thought He was referring to political bondage, which makes their claim ridiculous.  Even as they denied ever being in bondage, Jews were under the heel of the Romans.  
     
    "Verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin." (8:34) - "Truly, I'm telling you, whoever sins is a slave to sin."  Only the Son of God can free us from sin.  Romans 6:16 reinforces this point.  
     
    "If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed." (8:36) - See Romans 8:2 and Galatians 5:1.
     
    "I speak that which I have seen with my Father." (8:38) - Jesus is repeating His teaching from John 5:19 and 5:30.  He will reinforce it again in John 14:10. 
     
    "Ye do the deeds of your father." (8:41) - "You obey Satan."  See verse 8:44.
     
    "We have one Father, even God." (8:41) - If God was their Father, why didn't they honor Him (Malachi 1:6)?
     
    "He sent me." (8:42) - God sent Jesus to save mankind, a vital point that Jesus repeats over and over (John 16:27; 17:8; 17:23).

    "Why do ye not understand my speech?" (8:43) - "Why don't you understand what I am saying."
     
    "The lusts of your father ye will do." (8:44) - "The desires of Satan are your desires."
     
    "Abode not in the truth." (8:44) - "Lives not in the truth."
     
    "Which of you convinceth me of sin?" (8:46) - "Which of you can honestly accuse me of sin."


                                                  New Living Translation 
     

    John 8:31-47
    Jesus and Abraham
     
    31 Jesus said to the people who believed in him, "You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. 32 And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."
     
    33 "But we are descendants of Abraham," they said. "We have never been slaves to anyone. What do you mean, 'You will be set free'?"
     
    34 Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave of sin. 35 A slave is not a permanent member of the family, but a son is part of the family forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free. 37 Yes, I realize that you are descendants of Abraham. And yet some of you are trying to kill me because there's no room in your hearts for my message. 38 I am telling you what I saw when I was with my Father. But you are following the advice of your father."
     
    39 "Our father is Abraham!" they declared.
     
      "No," Jesus replied, "for if you were really the children of Abraham, you would follow his example. 40 Instead, you are trying to kill me because I told you the truth, which I heard from God. Abraham never did such a thing. 41 No, you are imitating your real father."
     
      They replied, "We aren't illegitimate children! God himself is our true Father."
     
    42 Jesus told them, "If God were your Father, you would love me, because I have come to you from God. I am not here on my own, but he sent me. 43 Why can't you understand what I am saying? It's because you can't even hear me! 44 For you are the children of your father the devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies. 45 So when I tell the truth, you just naturally don't believe me! 46 Which of you can truthfully accuse me of sin? And since I am telling you the truth, why don't you believe me? 47 Anyone who belongs to God listens gladly to the words of God. But you don't listen because you don't belong to God."
    ​This second Bible text from the "New Living Translation" (Tyndale House, Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois) is a paraphrase and not an accurate word for word translation of the Bible.  However, it is a helpful tool when read with the "King James Version."
    Today's question:
     
    1. What does "the truth shall make you free" mean? (8:32)






         Feel free to email these lessons to others.  If you know someone who'd enjoy receiving them directly, let me know.

    Answer:  (Do you agree?)
     
    1.     Jesus is referring to true freedom.  Freedom from Satan, sin, and the punishment for our sins that awaits.  Sin enslaves us, controls our actions, misleads us, and makes us live against our own best interests.  Our lust, addictions, lies, jealousies, pride, hatred, and greed drive and rule us as surely as any dictator.  Only Jesus can free us from that slavery.






    Application thought for the day:

    Are you a "servant of sin" (8:34), a slave to your jealousy, lust, pride, lies, alcohol, drugs, or immorality?  
    ​    We are servants to the one we obey (Romans 6:16).
    Picture
    Thanks to the writings and commentary of John Wesley and Adam Clarke. Also, "The Layman's Bible Study Notebook" by Irving Jensen published by Harvest House Publishing, Irvine, California; the "Life Change Series" published by NavPress Books, Colorado Springs, Colorado; the "Life Application Study Bible" published by Tyndale House Publishing, Carol Stream, Illinois; the "Quest Study Bible" published by The Zondervan Corporation, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "Robertson's New Testament Word Studies;" "The MacArthur Bible Commentary" by John MacArthur published by Thomas Nelson, Nashville, Tennessee; "Wisdom of the Bible" CD by Topics Entertainment, Inc., Renton, Washington for their inspiring pictures; "My utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers published by Barbour Publishing, Inc., Uhrichsville, Ohio; The "Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge" by Reuben Archer Torrey; "Hope For Each Day" by Billy Graham published by J. Countryman, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee; "Easton's Bible Dictionary" by Matthew George Easton; "Unger's Bible Dictionary" by Merrill F. Unger, published by Moody Press, Chicago, Illinois; "Halley's Bible Handbook" by Henry H. Halley, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "The Everyday Bible" published by World Wide Publications, Minneapolis, Minnesota; "The Living New Testament" published by Tyndale house; "The New Living Translation" published by Tyndale House; "The New Testament" translated from the Latin Vulgate, published by Guild Press, New York, New York; BibleGateway.com for all their wonderful links; and of course the "King James Bible."  All were critical in putting these lessons together.
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