The Bible Study Podcast, episode 220. Today, the Bible Study podcast starts a Bible study on freedom.

Welcome to the Bible study podcast. We finished up to the study of Daniel last week, and I was debating what to do this week

and decided to start a study on freedom. And one of the key verses that I want to start with

comes from John, John chapter 8. Jesus is teaching in the temple, and he has this exchange.

To the Jews had believed in 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. They answered him, we are Abraham's descendants and have never

been slaves to anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?

Now, you may recall that that's not true. And coming here out of a study of the book of Daniel,

it's obviously not true because we were studying when they were in captivity in Babylon.

And of course, before that, they were slaves in Egypt.

And as they're speaking, they're speaking in the temple, and the Romans have built a barracks

near the temple so that the temple is literally in the shadow of a Roman barracks.

They may be standing in the shadow of a barracks for the occupying

army, as they say, we are Abraham's descendants and we have never been slaves of anyone. How can you

say that we shall be set free? It's a very strange thing to say, especially in light of their history, but it's probably also

not the same thing that Jesus is talking about. And so that's what we'll try and uncover

as we look at freedom and that theme of freedom in the Bible. As we look at freedom, we're coming up here

on the 4th of July weekend, and as an American, we talk a lot about freedom. And usually when we

talk about freedoms, we talk about freedom to. In the United States, we talk about freedom of

speech, freedom of assembly, freedom of the press. That means freedom to speak,

freedom to assemble, and freedom for the press to print. And that may be a definition of freedom.

Certainly that's one we'll look at. But what is Jesus talking about here when he's talking about

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