How to be a True Disciple (John 8:30-32)
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“Even as he spoke, many put their faith in him. To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, ‘If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’ ” (Joh 8:30-32)
In verse 30 we are reminded of the authority of Christ and the importance of His message. It’s no small thing that Christ could be heard audibly by those around Him. God can do whatever He wishes. He can still speak audibly today, if He chooses to. But God doesn’t often choose to do that. He chose to speak through His Son (Hebrews 1:1). When Christ spoke, people listened. Even people who opposed Christ could not simply ignore Him.
But as great as Christ is, people came to believe in Him not merely because of His presence in the world, but because of the message He spoke. What was the message He spoke? It was the message of the cross (v. 28). It was the message that Jesus was who He said He was. We speak the same message. We ought to be more confident in the message we share. There’s power in the gospel. Jesus doesn’t need to be physically in the world for people to come to believe. People come to believe in Him when we share His message.
The instructions that Jesus gave the new believers in verse 31 remain true for us today. In order to realize the full impact of this verse, we need to accept two ideas.
1. There is no thing as salvation without discipleship.
2. There are many who claim to follow Christ who are not true disciples.
If we accept these two statements, then verse 31 tells us how not only to be a true disciple, but to be a true Christian. The key is to continue to hold to the word of Christ. Christ’s word and God’s Word are one and the same. The idea is not merely to continue to believe certain things, but to live out the teachings of Scripture.
As we are discipled, we gradually know the truth of God to a higher degree of accuracy (v. 32). We don’t know it all at first. The more we learn truth, the greater degree of freedom we experience.
Pastor Chris Huff has been with us since July 2009. He and his wife, Abby, have four children. Chris is originally from St. Louis, MO and even though he was raised as a city boy, he has a small town heart. Chris is all over the internet, so you can find him on Facebook, Twitter,… (read more)
