The Disciple and Truth

By David and Stephen Olford

Text: “If you abide in my word you are my disciple indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:31-32).

Thought: Having entered the “School of Discipline”, there is a lifelong responsibility which emerges for every true disciple of Jesus Christ—a responsibility which calls for three expressions of disciplined living in the Christian’s experience:

1) The Daily Loyalty to the Truth.

“If you abide in my word” (v. 31). Jesus insisted that to be a true disciple demanded loyalty to the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, as it was revealed in Him.

Truth, in the first instance, is the objective revelation of God in Christ, as distinguished from human ideas distorted by desires and special interests. The Jews required the testimony of two witnesses before they accepted a record as valid, and Jesus claimed to represent the two required witnesses since He was one with the Father in speaking, as well as being.

2) The Daily Learning of the Truth.

“And you shall know the truth” (v. 32). These Jews professed to know the truth and to be the official exponents of it. They had yet to learn, however, that truth is not only a system of words to memorize, but an encounter with a living Person in the Word. 

We find in this very Gospel that God’s Word is the expression of eternal truth. John wrote: “Sanctify them by your truth. Your word is truth” (17:17). If we would fulfill our responsibility as disciples, we must read, learn and meditate upon this precious Word. But since truth is essentially moral, and so must be associated with a Person, it is necessary that we recognize Christ as Truth. When answering Thomas on one occasion He made the claim, “I am the truth” (John 14:6). As disciples, therefore, it is our responsibility to maintain a daily contact with Him, for to fail in this is to render ourselves powerless and useless.