Read the transcript from today's video devotional.
Can someone be born a Christian? I remember speaking to a guy when I just moved to Tennessee, and I remember I'm playing ball and I'm trying to get to know people. There was one man who introduced himself to me and we started talking and he said, "Yeah, I was born a Christian."
I thought about that because we live in a time today where people believe that just because you walked an aisle and said a prayer, all of a sudden you're a Christian. But when there's no life change and all we've done is just said one prayer and we don't desire the things of God, we don't love the presence of God, the people of God, the Word of God—and all we've done is just say a prayer—can we truly, truly rest in calling ourselves Christian?
The Example of Judas
There's an example in the Bible: Judas, who was around Jesus for a very long time. He was around Jesus. He was around, I would say, "Christian events," right? He saw Jesus do a bunch of miracles. Yet he never committed his life to the Lord. I've always wondered—there's so many people that are around church events. They can even go to conferences. The question is, do they know the Man? Do they know Jesus Christ?
Jesus Speaking to Those Who Reject Him
In our text today, Jesus is speaking to Jews who actually eventually reject Jesus because they don't like His teaching on sin. In fact, here's what they say. Jesus says, "So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free."
Now in verse 33, here's what the Jews say: "But we are descendants of Abraham. We have never been slaves to anyone. What do you mean? You will be set free?" Jesus is trying to teach them, "I'm the door to freedom." They're like, "What do you mean we're free? We're descendants of Abraham." It's kind of like me saying, "Well, I was born in a Christian home, so I guess I am Christian."
Know About God or Know God?
Here's the message that I want to lay before us: we can know about God and not know God. Is there a love for the Word of God in your life, for the presence of God and for the people of God? Those three things are marks of a true believer. Jesus is trying to tell them, "Just because you're around Me, just because your parents are Christians doesn't make you a Christian."
He says, "If the Son sets you free, you're truly free." You're truly free. Another version says, "You're free indeed." Jesus doesn't just say, hey, you need to be free. No, no, He says, I'm the solution to your freedom. In order for us to be set free, we have to acknowledge, I'm a sinner that needs freedom. When I commit my life to Jesus, He's not just my Savior. He's my Lord. That means He's my Master. That means when I read the Word of God, I let the Word of God speak to me. Then I do what it says.
Now I have a standard by which I'm living, and that standard is the Word of God. My question to us is simple: not do you know about Jesus? But do you know Jesus personally?
