“If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

John 8:31-32 ESV

There is a prerequisite for being set free by the truth. You have to know the truth, but for that you have to abide in His word. What does that mean?

Abide is dwell. We have to make His word our home. Later in John we’ll read it as the word abiding in us. That would parallel the antithesis said about the unbelieving Pharisees. “My word finds no place in you” (vs. 37).

How can we live in God’s word? We’d have to have His words with us. We’d have to have them on our hearts and minds. We’d turn to them for comfort and in need as we’d turn to food or our bed.

Large scripture memorization, such as chapters or whole books, as well as staying in one Scripture portion (even down to a verse) for a long time, day after day until the Lord gets it in you, are great ways to keep God’s word abiding in you and you in the Word. I’m memorizing 1 John at the time of writing this and have been studying Romans for half a year so far. What word are you dwelling in?

And, of course, Jesus is the Living Word we abide in!