The Truth Will Make You Free

³¹ So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “^(A)If you continue in My word, then you are truly ^(B)disciples of Mine; ³² and ^(C)you will know the truth, and ^(D)the truth will make you free.” ³³ They answered Him, “^(E)We are Abraham’s descendants and have never yet been enslaved to anyone; how is it that You say, ‘You will become free’?”

³⁴ Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, ^(F)everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin. ^35 (G)The slave does not remain in the house forever; ^(H)the son does remain forever. ³⁶ So if the Son ^(I)makes you free, you will be free indeed. ³⁷ I know that you are ^(J)Abraham’s descendants; yet ^(K)you seek to kill Me, because My word ^[a]has no place in you. ³⁸ I speak the things which I have seen ^[b]with My Father; therefore you also do the things which you heard from ^(L)your father.”

³⁹ They answered and said to Him, “Abraham is ^(M)our father.” Jesus *said to them, “^(N)If you are Abraham’s children, do the deeds of Abraham. ⁴⁰ But as it is, ^(O)you are seeking to kill Me, a man who has ^(P)told you the truth, which I heard from God; this Abraham did not do. ⁴¹ You are doing the deeds of ^(Q)your father.” They said to Him, “We were not born of fornication; ^(R)we have one Father: God.” ⁴² Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, ^(S)you would love Me, ^(T)for I proceeded forth and have come from God, for I have ^(U)not even come on My own initiative, but ^[c](V)He sent Me. ⁴³ Why do you not understand ^[d](W)what I am saying? It is because you cannot ^(X)hear My word. ^44 (Y)You are of ^(Z)your father the devil, and ^(AA)you want to do the desires of your father. ^(AB)He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because ^(AC)there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks ^[e]a lie, he ^(AD)speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of ^[f]lies. ⁴⁵ But because ^(AE)I speak the truth, you do not believe Me. ⁴⁶ Which one of you convicts Me of sin? If ^(AF)I speak truth, why do you not believe Me? ^47 (AG)He who is of God hears the words of God; for this reason you do not hear them, because you are not of God.”

Walk by the Spirit

5 ^[a](A)It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore ^(B)keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a ^(C)yoke of slavery.

² Behold I, ^(D)Paul, say to you that if you receive ^(E)circumcision, Christ will be of no benefit to you. ³ And I ^(F)testify again to every man who receives ^(G)circumcision, that he is under obligation to ^(H)keep the whole Law. ⁴ You have been severed from Christ, you who ^[b]are seeking to be justified by law; you have ^(I)fallen from grace. ⁵ For we ^[c]through the Spirit, ^[d]by faith, are ^(J)waiting for the hope of righteousness. ⁶ For in ^(K)Christ Jesus ^(L)neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything, but ^(M)faith working through love.

⁷ You were ^(N)running well; who hindered you from obeying the truth? ⁸ This persuasion did not come from ^(O)Him who calls you. ^9 (P)A little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough. ^10 (Q)I have confidence ^[e]in you in the Lord that you ^(R)will adopt no other view; but the one who is ^(S)disturbing you will bear his judgment, whoever he is. ¹¹ But I, brethren, if I still preach circumcision, why am I still ^(T)persecuted? Then ^(U)the stumbling block of the cross has been abolished. ¹² I wish that ^(V)those who are troubling you would even ^[f](W)mutilate themselves.

¹³ For you were called to ^(X)freedom, brethren; ^(Y)only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love ^(Z)serve one another. ¹⁴ For ^(AA)the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, “^(AB)You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” ¹⁵ But if you ^(AC)bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another.

¹⁶ But I say, ^(AD)walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out ^(AE)the desire of the flesh. ¹⁷ For ^(AF)the flesh ^[g]sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, ^(AG)so that you may not do the things that you ^[h]please. ¹⁸ But if you are ^(AH)led by the Spirit, ^(AI)you are not under the Law. ¹⁹ Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: ^[i](AJ)immorality, impurity, sensuality, ²⁰ idolatry, ^(AK)sorcery, enmities, ^(AL)strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, ^(AM)disputes, dissensions, ^[j](AN)factions, ²¹ envying, ^(AO)drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not ^(AP)inherit the kingdom of God. ²² But ^(AQ)the fruit of the Spirit is ^(AR)love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, ^(AS)self-control; against such things ^(AT)there is no law. ²⁴ Now those who ^[k]belong to ^(AU)Christ Jesus have ^(AV)crucified the flesh with its passions and ^(AW)desires.

²⁵ If we live by the Spirit, let us also ^[l]walk ^(AX)by the Spirit. ²⁶ Let us not become ^(AY)boastful, challenging one another, envying one another.