John 8:27-42

²⁷They did not understand that he was talking about his Father in heaven.

²⁸So Jesus said, “I am the one who came down from heaven, but when you lift me up on a cross to kill me, you will know who I am. You will also know that I do not do anything with my own authority. Instead, I say just what my Father has taught me.

²⁹He is the one who sent me, and he helps me. Because I always do the things that please him, he has never abandoned me.”

³⁰As Jesus was saying these things, many people believed that he was ◄ from God/the Messiah►.

³¹Then Jesus said to the Jews who now said they believed in him, “If you continue to live in accordance with my message, you will truly be my disciples.

³²Then you will know God's truth, and as a result of your believing his truth, he PRS will free you from being controlled by the one who has made you his slaves.”

³³They replied to him, “We are descendants of Abraham. We have never been anyone's slaves. So why do you say we will be freed from being someone's slaves?”

³⁴Jesus replied, “Listen carefully to what I am going to tell you. All those who continue to sin are forced to obey their sinful desires MET, just like a slave is forced to obey his master.

³⁵A slave is not a permanent member of a family. But a son is a member of a family forever. Similarly, you say you are members of God's family because you are descendants of Abraham, but really, because you are like slaves of your sinful desires, you are no longer permanent members of God's family.

³⁶So if you allow me to free you, you will truly be free.

³⁷I know that you are Abraham's descendants. But you are trying to kill me because you are not allowing PRS my message to continue to change your inner being.

³⁸I am telling you what I saw when I was with my Father. But you do the things that you have heard from your father.”

³⁹They replied to him, “Abraham is our ancestor.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham's descendants, your character would be like Abraham's character, and you would do good things like Abraham did.

⁴⁰I have been telling you the truth that I heard from God, but you are trying to kill me. Abraham did not do things like that.

⁴¹No! You are doing the things that your real father does.” They said to him, “ We do not know about you, but we are not illegitimate children. And spiritually, we have only one Father. That is God, and you do not know who your father is!”

⁴²Jesus said to them, “If God were your father, you would love me, because I came from God, and now I have come here to this world. My coming was not ◄because I appointed myself/with my own authority►. He sent me.