On Truth

"Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. They answered him, We be Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free? Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed" (Jn. 8:31-36). What I would like to show by this passage is what it truly means to "know the truth," and what it means to be "free indeed." It is more than evident that the "made free," and the "free indeed" part of the passage is talking about being made free from sin, as Jesus plainly said. So all we need know about "knowing the truth" can be learned from understanding what one particular word in the passage means. That word is "indeed," as in being "made free" from sin indeed. The Greek word for "indeed" here is "Ontos," and it translates to mean, "truly, in reality, in point of fact, as opposed to what is pretended, fictitious, false, or conjectural." My goodness my friend, I hope you are already seeing where this is going. The entire Christian religion is made up of "pretentious, fictitious, false, and conjectural" ways for professing believers to be free from sin. I've heard all of them by now I believe, but I wouldn't be surprised to hear more of the same. But actually the whole pretentious, fictitious, false, and conjectural sum of the matter can be wrapped up nice and tidy in the "sinners saved by grace" ideology. Any way you cut it, that is what Christianity is all about. "We're all still sinners, but we're saved by believing in the completed work and sacrifice of Christ. After all, it's HIS righteousness that we are to trust in, not ours." Ohhhhh, that DOES sound mighty humble, doesn't it? That is until we look at it a little closer and find out that the completed work and sacrifice of Christ has left us in sin, just like the sacrifices of the old testament (Heb. 10:4). I've had it told right to my face on many, many occasions that we can't literally be freed from sin on the inside, but that "grace separates us from our sins, though we are still sinners." But if that is the case, then why DID Jesus come here and suffer like he did, and die for our sins? And what is the point of his priesthood in heaven if he is not truly "the mediator of a BETTER covenant," and we can't TRULY be partakers with him of HIS righteousness (Heb. 8:6).

Seeing that the scripture tells us that Jesus IS the mediator of a better covenant, what is better about it? "For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh [figuratively]: HOW MUCH MORE shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, PURGE YOUR CONSCIENCE from dead works to serve the living God?" (Heb. 9:13,14). I agree that grace separates us from our sins, but in reality and truth rather than in some mysterious, mystical way that is no more than the imagination of the hearts of those who believe such nonsense (Jer. 7:24; Jer. 9:14). Those who are TRULY washed in his blood, meaning his Spirit [spiritual blood], are REALLY washed from their sins and made holy therewith by means of his HOLY Spirit (I Cor. 6:11; Tit. 3:5). That is how the conscience is purged from guiltiness, because sin is really gone. And it is quite obvious that a true state of holiness, meaning being without sin literally, can be maintained by means of the purifying power of that same HOLY Spirit: "And every man that hath this hope [of salvation] in him purifieth himself, even as HE is pure" (I Jn. 3:3; I Thess. 5:8; Eph. 4:4). Not only so, but it is also evident by the scriptures that NOBODY will be saved unless they ARE holy, or without sin: "Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord" (Heb. 12:14). And again; "Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it" (Heb. 4:1). And once more for good measure: "Blessed and HOLY is he that hath part in the first resurrection: ON SUCH the second death [lake of fire] hath no power" (Rev. 20:6). So to be "free [from sin] indeed," means that we are REALLY and TRULY free from sin; not fictitiously or pretentiously like the traditions and doctrines of Christianity set forth. The truth of the matter is that knowing the truth means that we know and BELIEVE that first of all we CAN be without sin in our hearts, minds, and lives literally; and secondly that we MUST be so if we expect to inherit eternal life. To be pure "even as he is pure" simply means that nothing remains in our hearts that is contrary to, or interfering with, the love and peace of God (Mat. 12:13; I Cor. 13:1-3; II Pet. 3:13.14). That my friend is "free indeed," and those who attain to, and maintain that state, are those who "know [and believe] the truth." And anyone who does not believe THAT truth, but rather cleaves to a fictitious and pretentious gospel, will qualify only for the following: "And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness" (II Thess. 11,12). Amen.