Albert Barnes Commentary John 8:32

"and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." — John 8:32 (ASV)

You shall know the truth. (See Barnes on John 7:17).

The truth shall make you free. The truth here means the Christian religion. (Colossians 1:6). The doctrines of the true religion shall make you free—that is, it will free you from the slavery of evil passions, corrupt propensities, and grovelling views.

The condition of a sinner is that of a captive or a slave to sin. He is one who serves and obeys the dictates of an evil heart and the promptings of an evil nature—for instance, Romans 6:16–17: You were the servants of sin; Romans 6:19: You have yielded your members servants to iniquity; Romans 6:20; Romans 7:6, 8, 11; Romans 8:21; Acts 8:23.

You are in the —bond of iniquity. The effect of the gospel is to break this hard bondage to sin and to set the sinner free (compare Galatians 4:3, 9). We learn from this that religion is not slavery or oppression. It is true freedom.

"He is the freeman whom the truth makes free,
And all are slaves beside." —Cowper.

The service of God is freedom from degrading vices and carnal propensities; from the slavery of passion and inordinate desires. It is a cheerful and delightful surrender of ourselves to Him whose yoke is easy and whose burden is light.