“As He spoke these words, many believed in Him. Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, ‘If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and truth shall make you free.’” John 8:30-32.
“They answered Him, ‘We are Abraham’s descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can you say, “You will be made free”?’” John 8:33.
This argumentative reply to the Lord’s words is an indication that their belief in the Christ is a pseudo-faith and not saving faith.
The Jews dependence on their being children of Abraham and keepers of the Mosaic Law gave them the false security that just being Jewish got them into heaven.
This is not so, salvation is and always has been a matter of having the faith Abraham had in God’s promises.
Abraham was not under the law which was given some 430 years later so the keeping of the law did not justify him.
“…just as Abraham ‘believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.’ Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, ‘In you all the nations shall be blessed.’ So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham. For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them.’ But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for ‘the just shall live by faith.’ Yet the law is not of faith, but ‘the man who does them shall live by them.’ Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree’), that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.” Galatians 3:6-14.
And from the time of Jesus Christ and His death on the cross, faith is the act of accepting Him as savior for both Jew and all of mankind.
“…[we who are Jews] knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.” Galatians 2:16.
It is possible that this sense of enlightenment gave them the impression that they had never been in bondage to darkness and superstition as the Gentiles were.
However Israel’s history is a miserable testimony to their constant falling into idolatry, witchcraft, necromancy and the like, so in that sense they were in as much bondage as any of the nations around them, sometimes worse.
“Thus says the Lord God: ‘This is Jerusalem; I have set her in the midst of the nations and the countries all around her. She has rebelled against My judgments by doing wickedness more than the nations, and against My statutes more than the countries that are all around her; for they have refused My judgments, and they have not walked in My statutes.’ Therefore thus says the Lord God: ‘Because you have multiplied disobedience more than the nations that are all around you, and have not walked in My statutes, nor kept My judgments, nor even done according to the judgments of the nations that are all around you,’ therefore thus says the Lord God: ‘Indeed I, even I, am against you and will execute judgments in your midst in the sight of the nations.’” Ezekiel 5:5-8.
While the above passage is a reference to the Babylonian captivity and the siege of Jerusalem, it is because of the continuation of the above judgment that the Israelites were in bondage to Babylon, Persia, Greece, and now Rome.
For the confessions of the forefathers of these Jews, see Ezra chapter 9 and Nehemiah chapter 9, recorded circa 456-425 B.C. The following is a portion of the prayer of confession in Nehemiah.
“However You [God] are just in all that has befallen us; for You have dealt faithfully, but we have done wickedly. Neither our kings nor our princes, our priests nor our fathers, have kept Your law, nor heeded Your commandments and Your testimonies, with which You testified against them. For they have not served You in their kingdom, or in the many good things that You gave them, or in the large and rich land which You set before them; nor did they turn from their wicked works. Here we are, servants today! And the land that You gave to our fathers, to eat its fruit and its bounty, here we are, servants in it! And it yields much increase to the kings You have set over us, because of our sins; also they have dominion over our bodies and our cattle at their pleasure; and we are in great distress.” Nehemiah 9:33-37.
The statement that they had never been in bondage to anyone was either one of monumental ignorance, or arrogance. Their own fathers confessed that the nation was in servitude.
“Here we are, servants today!” “And it [the land] yields much increase to the kings You have set over us, because of our sins…” “…also they have dominion over our bodies and our cattle…” Nehemiah 9:36, 37.
In any case their words indicate that they had still missed the mark of what Jesus was saying.
“Jesus answered them, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.’” John 8:34-36.
So, it is sin that they are in bondage to and sin kills.
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23.
The slave of sin does not abide in the house forever, but rather passes from temporal life to eternal death. But a son abides forever, passing from life to eternal life.
“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name…”John 1:12.
If God the Son makes you free, as a child of God, you shall be free indeed.
Abraham’s Descendants, John 8:33-36 taken from godisrevealed.com posted on 12-11-12, updated on 11-3-17.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version, copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission, all rights reserved.