Introduction
32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free (John 8)
Generally interpreted in terms of a principle of the Gospel, that passage it has a wider application. Yes, Jesus was sent solely to the House of Israel, and His discourses pertained to them, but the principle of truth setting a person free has a wider function. He framed the principle in terms of SIN, LIES, and the DEVIL:
31Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word,a then are ye my disciples indeed; 32And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. (John 8)
34 Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth SIN [e.g., lies]b is the servant of SIN.c (John 8)
44 Ye are of your father the DEVIL,d and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own [lies]:e for he is a liar, and the father of it. (John 8)
a) If Ye Continue in My Word
Learning is at the core of the principle of truth setting someone free. It bespeaks becoming knowledgeable on a topic first and then becoming free once one discovers the truth.
b) Whosoever Committeth SIN [e.g., lies]
Jesus said sin (e.g., lies) is the opposite of truth.
c) Servant of Sin
The person who lies becomes a servant/slave to lies.
d) Devil
Jesus identified the Devil as the originator of lies and sin.
e) He Speaketh Of His Own [e.g., lies]
Anyone who lies is pretending to be a God by falsely creating their own fiction.
Why Are Humans So Trusting?
If we recall back to the Garden of Eden, two paths or trees were presented before Adam and Eve:
1) Tree of Life
2) Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil
9 And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the TREE OF LIFE also in the midst of the garden, and the TREE OF KNOWLEDGE of GOOD and EVIL. (Genesis 2)
In other words, we humans are capable of living in an environment of either good without evil, or an environment of good and evil. The only way a being could live in an environment of good without evil is if they have been made or predisposed to trust and, therefore, obey. This explains why we humans are by default trusting.
How does this apply to the topic at hand? Let’s bring it back around by addressing the path our first parents actually chose—the path of good and evil.
Why Humans Must Become Learned
Because Adam and Eve chose the path of “good AND evil” we must weed through all the “evil” or human-created theories and ideas before arriving at truth.
Juxtaposed
The two paths are actually juxtapositions—the trusting and non-trusting. Humans appear to be better equipped for a trusting environment than non-trusting one, which explains why so many people can be fooled.
You can fool all of the people some of the time, but not all of the people, all of the time.
Or how about this:
We can’t trust people all of the time, therefore we must become learned in all areas of life.
Which should be the impetus for people of good-will to become learned in all areas of life and not just the Gospel.