John 8:31 To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teachings, you are really my disciples.”
When Jesus taught and experienced resistance from the Pharisees, He was blunt: “Unless you believe that I AM who I claim to be, you will die in your sins” (John 8:24b). That’s pretty blunt! Then there were those in the crowd who did express belief in Jesus but probably had a shallow faith that Jesus was attempting to deepen: hold to my teachings. His instructions faced resistance. “Resentment aroused by his teaching showed how superficial was the belief of these hearers—otherwise they would have accepted Jesus’ implications and have gone on with Him to new spiritual progress. But the pride which this word brought to the surface revealed the latent sin in their hearts.” How are you holding to Jesus’ teachings? “If you stick with this, living out what I tell you, you are my disciples for sure…and the truth will free you” (8:31-32 -The Message).
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