An elephant’s training begins as a baby. When it’s chained to a pole, it learns to go no farther than the chain allows. Its freedom is limited. When an elephant becomes fully grown, the trainer will remove the chain, yet it still will not move. This massive animal, which could destroy anything or anyone that got in its way, continues to walk in circles and never goes farther from the pole than the previous chains allowed. The pole and chain no longer restrain the elephant, but it doesn’t know it’s been set free! The elephant's conditioning prevails. Isn’t that like us sometimes?

To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." (John 8:31 NIV) 

We can see a theme of freedom woven throughout the Bible. Jesus said later in the same chapter, “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36). The freedom Jesus is talking about goes beyond our freedom of choice or freedom of speech. When Jesus sets us free, he’s talking about freedom from sin and its power over us. 

Throughout the Old Testament, we see that the solution to sin was a sacrifice. The blood of animals was used as a covering for sin until Jesus’ death on the cross. He took our sin away, crucified it, removed its power, and set us free. Sin does not need to rule us any longer. If we have put our faith and trust in Jesus, then we are transformed from the inside out because we are given a new nature: Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here (2 Corinthians 5:17).
 

God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21)

We are given Jesus' righteousness, not as a covering but as our identity from the inside out! So when Jesus says, "If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:37), it means completely free, from the inside out—a total transformation. In this broken world, you and I will be tempted by sin and experience its effects, but as followers of Jesus, we don’t have to give in to it, for sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace (Romans 6:14).

If you are in a constant battle with sin, there’s good news — the chain is gone, and you’ve been set free! That is courageous living!

Prayer of Commitment:
Father, please free me from my past conditioning to sin and shame. I receive Your gift of freedom and ask You to help me establish new, godly ways of living.

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Scripture is quoted from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.