If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
What does John 8:36 mean?
Such power attended our Lord's words, that many were convinced, and professed to believe in him.
Key themes
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Keep this verse inside John 8:36-38 and alongside a few nearby related passages.
Commentary on John 8:36
If the Son ... - The Son of God - heir of all things - who is forever with God, and who has therefore the right and power to liberate men from their thraldom. Shall make you free - Shall deliver you from the bondage and dominion of sin. Free indeed - Truly and really free. You shall be blessed with the most valuable freedom; not from the chains and oppressions of earthly masters and monarchs, but from the bondage of sin.
Key words
- therefore
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If the Son therefore shall make you free,.
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If the Son therefore shall make you free,.
Context in John 8
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John 8 belongs to the middle movement of the book, especially the section often described as conflict and witness. John presents Jesus in contemplative, symbolic, and theological richness as the Word, Lamb, Light, Bread, Shepherd, Resurrection, Way, Vine, and Son. Read this chapter with the wider themes of incarnation, life, and light in view so the individual verses keep their proper weight.
Related topics
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Passages on trusting God, receiving Christ, persevering without sight, and the relation between faith and lived obedience.
Passages on the nature of truth, honesty, deception, the word of God as truth, and Jesus' claim to be the truth.