Day One – John 8:31 – 59

The True Disciple:
It is possible that many people know about the church but do not have an understanding of the essence of following Jesus as a Christian. This passage explains that the essence of truly following Jesus involves accepting what he says as truth, following his wisdom consistently, and enjoying the freedom that results from this lifestyle. In this passage, Jesus explains that following his precepts results in gaining a life of freedom, but his listeners responded that they did not need to be freed because they had never been slaves. He countered that their slavery was a different kind; they were slaves to a hopeless, non-productive lifestyle.
The listeners then replied that it was impossible for them to be slaves to a negative lifestyle because their ancestor Abraham was the very godly leader. Jesus answered that their relationship to him was not dependent on their pedigree, heritage, or tradition. Their present association with Christ was dependent only on their present and personal relationship with him. He then summarized that if they were truly related to God, then they would exhibit characteristics similar to him. Furthermore, he stated that those who desired to assassinate him were related to the father of murderers rather than the father of love and acceptance. Therefore, the essence of following Christ is to learn of him and acquire his features.

- Terry Minter