Day 18 – John 8: 31-36; Galatians 5: 1

Truth can often be a hotly contested concept. Closely related to the idea of trust, it can easily assume a fundamental significance in how we view another person. We are brought up to ‘tell the truth’, and trust is an integral part of any successful relationship. Conversely, if we consider someone untruthful, and thus untrustworthy, this can seem like a major character flaw. Yet on the public stage, and especially in some political arenas, truth is treated as a commodity: something to be traded, manipulated and abused to suit a particular agenda. The frequent cries of ‘fake news’ represent a distorted view of truth, whereby anything uncomfortable or unpalatable is rejected as untrue, and its source untrustworthy.

The concept of truth was also something that Jesus wanted His followers to grapple with. Today’s passage makes an indelible link between truth and freedom; Jesus tells us that following Him is the way to understanding what is true, and that such knowledge brings freedom. In our present context, this passage serves as a call to the church to rise above the petty and unsavoury squabbling over ‘fake news’ and proclaim a greater truth – the truth of God’s infinite love and mercy that can set us free from sin. Proclaiming such truth will not always be comfortable – later in John’s Gospel we read how Jesus’ insistence on talking about God’s truth won Him no favours with Pilate – yet the reward for those able to stand firm is great, as Galatians 5: 1 reminds us.

Trustworthy God, inspire Your Church to stand firm in her proclamation of Your truth, that all may find their freedom in You.

by Martin Clarke
Durham & Deerness Valley Circuit
Local Preacher on Trial