Thursday Reflection February 17, 2022

Thursday Reflection February 17, 2022

Experience not Deduction

Then Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” John 8:31‭-‬32‭ https://bible.com/bible/2016/jhn.8.31-34.NRSV

Greetings friends,

Matt Skinner, a professor of New Testament at Luther Seminary in Minnesotsa, in commenting on these verses stated, “Experience, not Deduction”. We only truly become disciples of Christ if we remain in the words of Jesus. It is the amount of time we spend in the words of Jesus that will make us know the truth. It’s not how smart we are or our ability to deduce.

Jesus was speaking to the Jews earlier in the chapter. Jesus told them that he is the light of the world. Whoever follows him will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. This statement by Jesus triggered a debate between Jesus and the Jews about being his own testimony. Jesus responded to say that the Father also testifies on his part. After much explaining, we’re told many believed in him. It is then he made the statement mentioned in verses 31 and 32.

As we analyse the verses we realized some important points made by Jesus. After the Jews believed, Jesus told them that they had to continue in his word to truly be His disciples. WOW!!! Simply saying you believe in Jesus is not enough. When we accept Jesus we believe in his words, but after accepting him, we have to CONTINUE in his word to TRULY become His disciple. This is what Jesus pointed out to the Jews who believed and this is what he points out to us even now.

The other point Jesus made is that if you continue in his word you will know the truth. Truth is not relative or dependent on one’s culture. Truth is the full knowledge of God through Jesus. Skinner puts it this way, “in this Gospel, “truth” does not refer to the opposite of falsehood; it is knowledge of God as revealed in Jesus’ own self. Knowing this “truth” is knowing God, God made present in Jesus, who is “the way, and the truth, and the life” (14:6). Jesus makes this clear in 8:36, when he substitutes “the Son” for “the truth,” saying that the Son makes people free.”

All this knowledge of God doesn’t come at once, that is why Jesus says, “IF” you CONTINUE in His word. The reality is many say they believe, but not many continue in His word, hence they do not truly know Jesus. That is why Experience outweighs Deduction. We become experience the more we do something. The more time that we spend doing a particular job, is the more experience and knowledge you’ll get. So the more time you spend in the Word of God, it is the more experience you become. But let me be clear, going to church for years DO NOT make you experience in Jesus. What it does is make you an experienced church goer, but not experienced with Jesus. Therefore, the time must be spent with Jesus.

There is one last point I want to make from this text. The truth will make you free. What are we being freed from? The answer is sin. The more time we spend in the Word of God and in the knowledge of Jesus Christ, is the less we’ll sin. Sin is a bondage and holds us captive. The only way to truly be free from it is if we continue to abide in Jesus. It is by spending time with Jesus that we become experience in Jesus and Jesus will teach us the truth that will free us from sin. Book knowledge is not what makes us free. It is continuing, living, abiding, being convicted by the teachings of Jesus and growing in the knowledge of Jesus that cause us to be free from living in sin.

So until next week let us choose to continue in the words and teachings of Jesus.

Shalom
Christopher Euphfa