Hey Friends!!
Happy Fall! Today I wanted to write about the t-shirts that I am selling and tell y’all a little bit about what “free indeed” means.
The verse is found in John 8, so first lets take a look at the context of the book of John:
Authorship – The Apostle John
Audience – The Gospel of John was written for the Jews and Gentiles living in the Greco-Roman world. This means that the audience would have been under Roman rule, so they would have been persecuted for their beliefs.
Purpose – The purpose of the Gospel of John is presented in John 20:30-31. It reads “Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” To put it simply, the purpose of the Gospel of John is to present Jesus as the Messiah and the eternal Son of God, who was sent to fulfill the Old Testament and to bring light to the dark world!
Now, lets take a look at the bible verse where the phrase “free indeed” is found.
“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” John 8:36 NIV
Finally, let’s zoom out and take a look at the whole passage.
“To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said ‘If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’ They answered him, ‘We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?’ Jesus replied, ‘Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. I know that you are Abraham’s descendants. Yet you are looking for a way to kill me, because you have no room for my word. I am telling you what I have seen in the Father’s presence, and you are doing what you have heard from you father.'” John 8:31-38 NIV
What it means to be “Free Indeed”
Breaking down verse 36 seems like the easiest way to understand what Jesus is saying.
“So if the Son sets you free” – The use of the word “if” shows us that it is our choice whether we choose to abide in Jesus or not. Then, when we choose to abide in Him, we are set free from the sin that we were once enslaved to.
“you will be free indeed” – The use of the word “will” shows us that freedom in Jesus is a fact, a reality. It’s not something that might happen, it will happen. This freedom is not something that anyone or anything can take away. The word “indeed” shows us that the freedom is in reality and in truth.
To be free indeed means to be completely free just as Jesus intended for us to be. In Jesus, we are free from the bondage of sin. He is pointed to as the source and the content of real freedom.
Below is a picture of what the t-shirts look like!!
With love,
Jaci
