John 8:31-47

Contemporary English Version

The Truth Will Set You Free

³¹ Jesus told the people who had faith in him, “If you keep on obeying what I have said, you truly are my disciples. ^32 (A) You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

^33 (B) They answered, “We are Abraham's children! We have never been anyone's slaves. How can you say we will be set free?”

³⁴ Jesus replied:

I tell you for certain that anyone who sins is a slave of sin! ³⁵ And slaves don't stay in the family forever, though the Son will always remain in the family. ³⁶ If the Son gives you freedom, you are free! ³⁷ I know that you are from Abraham's family. Yet you want to kill me, because my message isn't really in your hearts. ³⁸ I am telling you what my Father has shown me, just as you are doing what your father has taught you.

Your Father Is the Devil

³⁹ The people said to Jesus, “Abraham is our father!”

Jesus replied, “If you were Abraham's children, you would do what Abraham did. ⁴⁰ Instead, you want to kill me for telling you the truth that God gave me. Abraham never did anything like that. ⁴¹ But you are doing exactly what your father does.”

“Don't accuse us of having someone else as our father!” they said. “We just have one father, and he is God.”

⁴² Jesus answered:

If God were your Father, you would love me, because I came from God and now I am here. He sent me. I did not come on my own. ⁴³ Why can't you understand what I am talking about? Can't you stand to hear what I am saying? ^44 (C) Your father is the devil, and you do exactly what he wants. He has always been a murderer and a liar. There is nothing truthful about him. He speaks on his own, and everything he says is a lie. Not only is he a liar himself, but he is also the father of all lies.

⁴⁵ Everything I have told you is true, and you still refuse to have faith in me. ⁴⁶ Can any of you accuse me of sin? If you cannot, why won't you have faith in me? After all, I am telling you the truth. ⁴⁷ Anyone who belongs to God will listen to his message. But you refuse to listen, because you don't belong to God.