John Calvin Commentary John 8:32

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

And you shall know the truth. He says that those who have arrived at some knowledge of it shall know the truth. True, those whom Christ addresses were still uneducated and hardly knew the first elements, and therefore we should not wonder if he promises them a fuller understanding of his doctrine.

But the statement is general. Therefore, whatever progress any of us has made in the Gospel, let each one know that he needs further additions. This is the reward which Christ bestows on their perseverance: that he admits them to greater familiarity with him; though in this way he does nothing more than add another gift to the former, so that no one should think that he is entitled to any reward.

For it is he who impresses his word on our hearts by his Spirit, and it is he who daily chases away from our minds the clouds of ignorance which obscure the brightness of the Gospel. So that the truth may be fully revealed to us, we should sincerely and earnestly endeavor to attain it.

It is the same unvarying truth which Christ teaches his followers from the beginning to the end, but on those who were at first enlightened by him, as it were with small sparks, he eventually pours a full light. Thus believers, until they have been fully confirmed, are in some measure ignorant of what they know; and yet it is not so small or obscure a knowledge of faith that it is not efficacious for salvation.

The truth shall make you free. He commends the knowledge of the Gospel from the fruit which we derive from it, or—which is the same thing—from its effect, namely, that it restores us to freedom. This is an invaluable blessing.

Hence it follows that nothing is more excellent or desirable than the knowledge of the Gospel. All men feel and acknowledge that slavery is a very wretched state; and since the Gospel delivers us from it, it follows that we derive from the Gospel the treasure of a blessed life.

We must now ascertain what kind of liberty is here described by Christ, namely, that which sets us free from the tyranny of Satan, sin, and death. And if we obtain it by means of the Gospel, it is evident from this that we are by nature the slaves of sin.

Next, we must ascertain what is the method of our deliverance. For as long as we are governed by our sense and by our natural disposition, we are in bondage to sin; but when the Lord regenerates us by his Spirit, he likewise makes us free, so that, loosed from the snares of Satan, we willingly obey righteousness. But regeneration proceeds from faith, and therefore it is evident that freedom proceeds from the Gospel.

Let Papists now go and proudly boast of their free will, but let us, who are conscious of our own slavery, glory in none but Christ our Deliverer.

For the reason why the Gospel should be considered to have achieved our deliverance is that it offers and gives us to Christ to be freed from the yoke of sin. Lastly, we should observe that freedom has its degrees according to the measure of their faith; and therefore Paul, though clearly made free, still groans and longs after perfect freedom (Romans 7:24).