Do you remember learning “If…then” clauses in grammar school. In science class it was called cause and effect. If you do A, then B will happen. People use “if…then” statements constantly without realizing it. You can find them in Scripture as well, and we need to pay close attention to them. God tells us the results we can expect if we do things a certain way. It’s better than getting a stock tip before Wallstreet opens.
One of the most commonly quoted Scriptures is “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” People who aren’t Christians say it also; they are simply referring to a different truth than Christians. What you may or may not be aware of is that phrase is the end of an “if…then” statement. It tells us how we will find the freedom we seek in seeking the truth.
John 8:3-32 says “To the Jews who had believed Him, Jesus said, ‘If you hold to My teaching, you are really My disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’”
What is the condition required to know the truth and be set free? What follows the “if” in the sentence? “Hold to My teaching” is the requirement to reap the benefit of knowing the truth and being set free by that truth. To hold to something is to cling to it. Jesus is saying we should cling to His Word, thus cling to Him, and then we will know freedom [John 1:14].
What are you clinging to today? Will it reap the benefits you desire? It’s not too late to cling to Jesus.