John 8:30-47 - Truth And Freedom

³⁰ As he said this, a number believed in him. ³¹ So Jesus addressed the Jews who had believed him, saying, "If you abide by what I say, you are really disciples of mine: ³² you will understand the truth, and the truth will set you free."

³³ "We are Abraham's offspring," they retorted, "we have never been slaves to anybody. What do you mean by saying, 'You will be free'?"

³⁴ Jesus replied, "Truly, truly I tell you, everyone who commits sin is a slave. ³⁵ Now the slave does not remain in the household for all time; the son of the house does. ³⁶ So, if the Son sets you free, you will be really free. ³⁷ I know you are Abraham's offspring! Yet you want to kill me, since my word makes no headway among you! ³⁸ I speak of what I have seen with my Father, and you act as you have learned from your father."

³⁹ They answered him, "Abraham is our father." "If you are Abraham's children," said Jesus, "then do as Abraham did; ⁴⁰ but now you want to kill me ??to kill a man who has told you the truth, the truth I have learned from God. Abraham did not do that. ⁴¹ You do the deeds of your father." They said to him, "We are no bastards: we have one father, even God."

⁴² Said Jesus, "If God were your father, you would love me, for I came here from God; I did not come of my own accord, I was sent by him. ⁴³ Why do you not understand my speech? Because you are unable to listen to what I am saying. ⁴⁴ You belong to your father the devil, and you want to do what your father desires; he was a slayer of men from the very beginning, and he has no place in the truth because there is no truth in him: when he tells a lie, he is expressing his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies. ⁴⁵ It is because I tell the truth, that you do not believe me. ⁴⁶ Which of you can convict me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me? ⁴⁷ He who belongs to God listens to the words of God; you do not listen to them, because you do not belong to God."