John 8:33-59

“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (v36).  The Pharisees couldn’t accept Jesus’ offer of freedom because they would not admit that they were enslaved to sin (v34).  Their bondage took the forms of pride in their heritage and traditions (v39), self-righteousness (v41), spiritual blindness (v48), and anger (v59).   They wanted to destroy Jesus rather than admit that they were lost without him.

“But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me” (v45).  Our pride can keep us from acknowledging the ways in which we struggle with sin, yet when we confess our sins, Jesus sets us free.