John 8:33 Commentary and Bible Study

What do you mean? ‘How sayest thou, Ye shall be made free?’ We are home and dry. We know God because we are born Jews, we are Abraham’s seed. Nothing wonderful has got to happen to us, this is an insult. What they mean, plainly, is this: we are not in bondage in the sense that nobody has confiscated our national individuality. We are still a distinct people, the Jews. We may be here under Roman rule, but we haven’t given into them. Mark you, not even this is correct, because countless Jews in history had yielded to the gods and the culture of the nations that had conquered them. But still there was this nation, and they were very proud of their nationhood, and their independence; and in that limited sense, they said, ‘We’ve never been in bondage to anyone – no one has taken us over and caused us to merge with them, and lose our national identity.’ They were very proud of that. But actually, it was due to the protection of God – they didn’t deserve it. But they misunderstood - Christ was talking about bondage to sin, bondage to condemnation. But so convinced are they that they are safe in the eyes of God, they can’t take in what he is saying, and they say, ‘We’ve never lost our national identity. They believed he was the Son of God and the Messiah, but they are not saved, because in a flash they have turned against him. They have been offended. They are opposing him, and Christ speaks to them as those who are in the grip of sin. ‘Jesus answered them, Truly, truly, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is’ the slave, says the Greek, servant says our refined translation. The slave of sin; you do not have eternal life.