John 8:31-47

The Truth Will Set You Free

31 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, ¹"If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples,

32 and you will ²know the truth, and the truth ³will set you free."

33 They answered him, ⁴"We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, 'You will become free'?"

34 Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, ⁵everyone who commits sin is a slave^[a] to sin.

35 ⁶The slave does not remain in the house forever; ⁷the son remains forever.

36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

37 I know that you are offspring of Abraham; yet ⁸you seek to kill me because my word finds no place in you.

38 ⁹I speak of what I have seen with my Father, and you do what you have heard ¹⁰from your father."

You Are of Your Father the Devil

39 They answered him, ¹¹"Abraham is our father." Jesus said to them, ¹²"If you were Abraham's children, you would be doing the works Abraham did,

40 but now ¹³you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth ¹⁴that I heard from God. This is not what Abraham did.

41 You are doing the works your father did." They said to him, ¹⁵"We were not born of sexual immorality. We have ¹⁶one Father--even God."

42 Jesus said to them, ¹⁷"If God were your Father, you would love me, for ¹⁸I came from God and ¹⁹I am here. ²⁰I came not of my own accord, but ²¹he sent me.

43 ²²Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot ²³bear to hear my word.

44 ²⁴You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. ²⁵He was a murderer from the beginning, and ²⁶has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. ²⁷When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

45 But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me.

46 Which one of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me?

47 ²⁸Whoever is of God hears the words of God. ²⁹The reason why you do not hear them is that ³⁰you are not of God."

Cross References

• 1. John 15:7, 8; 2 John 9
• 2. 2 John 1
• 3. ver. 36; Romans 6:18, 22; Romans 8:2; 1 Corinthians 7:22; 2 Corinthians 3:17; Galatians 5:1, 13; James 1:25; James 2:12; 1 Peter 2:16
• 4. ver. 37, 39; Matthew 3:9; [Luke 19:9; Romans 9:7]
• 5. Romans 6:16-20; Titus 3:3; 2 Peter 2:19
• 6. Genesis 21:10; Galatians 4:30
• 7. Luke 15:31
• 8. ver. 40; See John 7:1
• 9. John 3:32; John 5:19; John 6:46
• 10. ver. 41, 44
• 11. ver. 33, 56
• 12. [Galatians 3:7, 9]
• 13. ver. 37
• 14. ver. 26
• 15. [Hosea 2:4]
• 16. Deuteronomy 32:6; Isaiah 63:16; Isaiah 64:8; [ver. 47]
• 17. [1 John 5:1]
• 18. 1 John 5:20; [Hebrews 10:9]
• 19. John 16:28; John 17:8
• 20. John 7:28
• 21. See John 3:17
• 22. John 7:17
• 23. Jeremiah 6:10; [1 Corinthians 2:14]
• 24. 1 John 3:8, 12; [ver. 23]; See Matthew 13:38
• 25. Genesis 4:8, 9; 1 John 3:12, 15; [Romans 5:12]
• 26. [1 John 2:4]
• 27. Genesis 3:4; 2 Corinthians 11:3; Revelation 12:9
• 28. [John 18:37; 1 John 4:6]
• 29. [John 10:26]
• 30. [ver. 41]

Footnotes

• [a]. Greek bondservant; also verse 35