John 8:31

Context

This scene continues from chapter 7 of the Gospel of John. The words are spoken during a dispute in the temple at Jerusalem around the time of the Feast of Tabernacles. Jesus calls himself "the light of the world" (John 8:12) and speaks of his relationship with the Father. Verse 30, immediately preceding, records that as he spoke these words, "many believed on him." Verse 31 is addressed to the Jews who had believed in this way, and it leads into the promise of verse 32: "ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."

The hearers soon protest that they are the seed of Abraham and have never been in bondage to anyone (v. 33). The exchange grows increasingly heated and ends in verse 59 with their taking up stones against him.

The Greek word menō, rendered "continue" (or "abide"), means "to stay" or "to remain." It is a key term in the Gospel and Epistles of John for the believer's relationship with Christ, and it recurs in the parable of the vine in chapter 15.

Interpretation

• Readings emphasizing perseverance: The Reformed (Calvinist) tradition reads continuing in the word as a mark of genuine faith. It connects the verse with the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints, which holds that those who are truly born again will keep the faith to the end. Accordingly, it reads the verse alongside 1 John 2:19, which indicates that those who departed were never true believers in the first place.
• Readings emphasizing the condition: The Arminian and Wesleyan traditions (Methodist, Holiness, and others) stress the condition "if ye continue" as the believer's responsibility. They also read the verse as a warning that one can fall away from the faith.
• Readings distinguishing faith from discipleship: Some evangelical interpreters note that the verse sets out the condition for becoming a "true disciple" for those who have already believed. On this basis they distinguish between being saved and growing as a disciple. Other interpreters hold that the Gospel of John does not separate believers and disciples in this way.

Debates and Issues

The central question is whether the faith of the "Jews which believed" in verse 31 was genuine. In the ensuing exchange these hearers oppose Jesus, and in verse 44 they are even told, "Ye are of your father the devil." For this reason many commentators regard their faith as superficial or incomplete.

Some interpreters, pointing to a difference in the Greek wording of verses 30 and 31, hold that the two verses refer to different groups. Verse 30 uses an expression closer to "believe into him," while verse 31 uses one closer to "believe him." Others counter that the difference is merely stylistic.

Some scholars also urge caution against generalizing the "Jews" of this chapter to the Jewish people as a whole.

In the Korean Church

Together with verse 32, the verse is commonly cited in discipleship training and Bible studies to explain "a life of abiding in the Word." The words of verse 32, "the truth shall make you free," are also widely known as the motto of Yonsei University.

Related Passages

• John 8:34-36
• John 15:1-8
• 1 John 2:19
• John 10:27-29