Then Jesus said 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.
John the Evangelist records these words of Jesus in chapter 8, verses 31-32.
With obedience to the teaching of Jesus Christ comes the blessing.
The problems come when we disobey the teaching of the Son of God.
The Jews who believed were the ones who had received Jesus teaching: they were now exhorted to continue [to remain is the sense] in that teaching in order to see the real benefits.
And there are distinctive benefits. Jesus said here that his disciples are those who continue or remain devoted to implementing his teaching, forsaking any contradictory teaching.
How can anyone claim to be the adherent of a cause – political or religious – if their profession does not make a difference to how they think, speak and act.
It is this thinking and speaking and acting on what Jesus teaches [in essence, Love God and love others] that Jesus is talking about here.
Mere acknowledgement is useless.
We have to live it and obey it, if we are to see the true benefit of it.
And the benefit is freedom.
Freedom from what ?
Freedom from slavery to our own selfish instincts; freedom from the spiritual hold which darkness has over the non Christian.
Freedom to become aware of the reality and presence of a gracious and loving God who will direct our lives and promises to protect us.
For Jesus promises here and more explicitly elsewhere in John’s Gospel, that through obedience God will be real to us, and that he will live with us.
That is not just a fanciful idea.
I can assure you that it is REAL.
Christianity 