Whom The Son Sets Free

Whom The Son Sets Free

I’m sure most believers recognize “whom the Son sets free is free indeed.” The actual Bible verse is John 8:36 and it states: If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. Most Christians know this verse or some version that’s very close to the actual Bible verse. But do we really believe it? Do we really believe whom the Son sets free is free indeed? Or do we just say it because it sounds nice, because it’s in the Bible?

To give the Bible verse more context, please listen to John 8:28-36 where Jesus is speaking: Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things. And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him.

As he spake these words, many believed on him. 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.

Not Talking About Sinless Perfectionism

Oh folks, please don’t misunderstand the message tonight. I am not talking about sinless perfectionism. There is a group that witnesses downtown that carries signs and they promote this. They believe you don’t or should never sin after you are saved (or if you do it’s a one-time thing and you repent and never commit that sin again.

This is preposterous. None of us are sinless. Only Jesus was sinless. He was fully God and fully man, and the Lord never sinned. Not one time. But you and I are not God. We are not sinless and we will not be in this life. But there is a difference between being a true believer who falls back into sin or a certain sin every now and then and an unbeliever who dives headfirst into sin without any concerns about it.

When I was a false convert for 33 years, I sinned at will, naively thinking that God would forgive me and wrongly thinking that as long as I asked for forgiveness before my head hit the pillow, I was good to go. I now see the foolishness of that kind of thinking, but at the time I didn’t. I really thought I could sin at will, with no consequences. Instead of falling into sin (and being grieved over my sins like I am now), I dove headfirst into sin and loved every second of it. Again, thinking that God would forgive me as long as I just asked Him to.

Low View Of Grace

I had a low view of grace and I held this view because I wasn’t truly saved. Whom the Son sets free is free indeed. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. Does that mean every sexually immoral person immediately gives up sexual relations outside of marriage as soon as they are saved? No it doesn’t. Does it mean that every alcoholic immediately gives up drinking alcohol immediately when they come to faith in Jesus? Not all the time.

But I have seen examples of these. I’ve seen people be immediately freed from long term sinful lifestyles when they truly surrender their lives to Jesus. Other people take a longer time to do so, but when they are truly saved, they quit diving headfirst into sin. When true believers sin, it grieves us when we sin against God because God is Holy. In fact, God says be holy because I am Holy (Leviticus 11:44).

State Of A Sinful Life

The best commentary I saw on this issue is from Ellicott’s commentary on committeth sin – expressing the continuance of the deeds of sin. It means, not simply the committing individual sins, from which no man is free, but the state of the life which is sinful; the state which is opposed to doing the will of the Father.

Again, we are not sinless after conversion, but it bothers us when we sin against Almighty God. Jesus speaks to this in Matthew 7:21-23. In fact, these are the very verses that God used to convict me of being a false convert. Jesus says: Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

Are You A Worker Of Iniquity?

Does this describe you tonight? Are you a worker of iniquity? Do you love your sins (or pet sin) more than you love Jesus? Folks, these are some of the scariest verses in the Bible. Have you ever cast out a demon? I haven’t. Have you done many wonderful works in the name of Jesus? I haven’t. Jesus is saying that some people who have even cast out demons are not really His followers. Oh, I plead with you tonight, examine yourself to see if you are truly saved.

Is your heart right with God? Have you truly repented of your sins and surrendered your life to Jesus Christ the Lord? Whom the Son sets free is free indeed. Does this sound like you? Have you been set free? Again, please don’t misunderstand this as promoting sinless perfectionism. Nothing could be further from the truth. True believers will not be completely sinless in this life. Wicked thoughts come into your head. You think something evil for split second before you get it out of your mind. You watch something on tv that you shouldn’t or you hear something that is filthy. Maybe a curse word slips past your lips every now and then.

No, we will not be sinless in this life, even after putting our faith in Jesus. Oh, but sin should grieve you, if you are truly saved. It should break your heart as a Christian to sin against God. That’s what I was missing for those 33 years as a false convert. I wasn’t truly saved. I used to cry out to God, “how can I act like this and be a Christian?”

Now I know the answer. I wasn’t really a Christian. My lips professed Jesus while my heart was far from Him. I had never been set free from my sins. Instead, I loved my sins and wrongly thought that God would just forgive me because I asked Him to. There was no repentance on my part and no desire for repentance. I wanted the easy believisim. I wanted to sin at will and sleep good at night, after I asked God to forgive me.

Free Indeed

Whom the Son sets free is free indeed. What should you do? Cast your burdens and your cares upon the Lord because He cares for you (Psalm 55:22).  Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you (1 Peter 5:6-7). Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:6-7).

If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways (James 1:5-8).

From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.

Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy? But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded (James 4:1-8).

Humbly Come To Jesus

If Jesus Christ is not your Lord and Savior, humble yourself tonight. Come to Jesus with child-like faith. Admit that you are a sinner. Cry out for God to save you. Repent of your sins and surrender your life fully and completely to the Lord Jesus. For those who profess to be a Christian, are you truly saved or are you a false convert like I was for so many years? Do it grieve you when you sin against God? Please examine yourself tonight and see if you are truly saved.

For those of us who really are saved but are not living holy lives for the Lord, let us humble ourselves and draw near to God. Whom the Son sets free is free indeed. Be freed tonight. Break loose from the bonds of Satan. Cry out to Jesus to truly set us free from our sins, especially any sinful lifestyle that is still lurking within us. May we truly live for our Lord and Savior. Really live; live a new life in the spirit and may we be holy because God is Holy. Be set free by the One who truly can free us – Jesus Christ our Lord.

(This message was lifted up in downtown Springfield, MO on December 9, 2022)