The Truth Will Set You Free
You have probably heard of the phrase “The truth will set you free”, but what does it really mean and where does it originate from?
Martin Luther King once said these words in March 1968, just 3 weeks before he was shot and killed:
Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free. And I do not see how we will ever solve the turbulent problem of race confronting our nation until there is an honest confrontation with it and a willing search for the truth and a willingness to admit the truth when we discover it.
Martin Luther King
A very powerful speach to give, especially at that time and where he said it.
Who Originally Said “The Truth Shall Set You Free”?
You will have to go back a number of years further in history to find the person who said these words for the very first time.
It was in fact Jesus of Nazereth and we know this, as it is recorded in the Bible. The Amplified translation says:
“And you will know the truth [regarding salvation], and the truth will set you free [from the penalty of sin]”
Amplified Bible – John 8:31
Many others have tried to claim they said this first, but it was The Lord Jesus Christ as a man on earth that stated these words. That’s the truth!
What Does It Mean?
I believe God has implanted within everyone the knowledge of right and wrong. You instinctively know when you have done something wrong in your life. Call it a consience if you will, but it’s there in everyone.
However, the more a person does wrong, the more the conscience lessens its effect, which is why we have serial killers, etc. which do not appear to be affected by their terrible actions.
However, I’m sure you have heard of people turning up at their local police stations and confessing to crimes they have committed perhaps some time ago, but they just could not live with the guilt and had to tell the truth and accept the punishment for it.
You could imply this meaning from that verse, but that is not the true meaning or the true interpretation of this verse in the Bible.
What Does The Verse Really Mean?
The truth of this verse is very important and we all need to grasp it.
I love the Amplified version of the Bible, as it helps to get to the true meaning of the original Greek text, as I am certainly no Greek scholar!
This is not a general comment about all kinds of “truth” you might come across in life, like the examples we gave in the previous section.
The “truth” the Lord Jesus is talking about is the truth of Salvation. The setting free is not getting out of prison or such like thing, but of freedom from the penalty of sin.
If you do understand Greek, read the original text and you will find the last paragraph to be the true meaning of the verse.
So to summarise, the truth regarding Salvation, will set you free from the penalty of sin.
The Truth Of The Penalty Of Sin
Let us look at the last bit first, the penalty of sin.
The Bible tells us we are all sinners against God:
..all have sinned and continually fall short of the glory of God
Amplified Bible – Romans 3:23
It does not change the truth whether you believe you have sinned or not, the fact or the truth is, God has said you are a sinner!
It would be foolish to ever say you were not a sinner. Can’t you think of times when you have done something wrong or said the wrong thing to someone and you couldn’t take it back?
To be honest, I completely believe this truth that I am a sinner and confess to sinning every day. If I was to list out on this page (it would take quite a few pages!) the things I remember that I have done wrong in my life over the years, I would be totally put to shame, as the list would be very long.
Being sinners though doesn’t make it right or acceptable either. God says in the Bible that he must punish every sin, as He is completely righteous and holy. Have a look at the article called Nothing But The Whole Truth which tries to show why God must punish sin.
The Truth Regarding Salvation
Thankfully it is not all doom and gloom, as we come to the truth regarding Salvation!
God punished His Son, The Lord Jesus Christ, on the cross during the 3 hours of darkness for your sins and mine. He bore your sins.
If you will trully and truthfully believe that, God will forgive you ALL of your sins and you will be free from the penalty of your sins. That is Salvation.
Don’t believe it?
Then you do not know the truth of Salvation and you will not be set free from the penalty of sin.
I am only trying to convey to you the truth of the scriptures and what God has said. I must make it crystal clear to you, as this matter is too serious to get wrong.
If you do not get saved, the Bible says:
And just as it is appointed and destined for all men to die once and after this [comes certain] judgment
Amplified Bible – Hebrews 9:27
If you have any questions or queries, then please get in touch.
The Truth Will Set You Free
