There are many Christians who feel unchanged—stuck in the same patterns, wrestling with the same problems, or worse still, feeling that they have no problems to work on at all.

They’ve read the Bible, said the prayers, even raised their hands at church—and yet, no inner transformation has taken place.

If that’s you, you’re not alone.

Jesus promised something powerful and I’m going to share it with you now: “If you abide in my word, you are my disciples indeed. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

But what is this truth? What is this “word” we’re supposed to abide in? And how does knowing it set us free?

Let’s explore what Jesus actually meant—beyond tradition, dogma, and doctrine—into the very heart of His message.

This statement raises three critical questions:

1. What is the nature of His word?

2. How do we abide in it?

3. How does knowing the truth set us free?

1. The Nature of His Word

During Jesus’ time, the Scriptures He referred to were what Christians now call the Old Testament—the New Testament had not yet been written. This context is vital when understanding His reference to “the word.”

Jesus and His disciples primarily spoke Aramaic, while Hebrew was used in temple worship. In both languages, the word for “word” implies order, law, and substance. In Hebrew, the word davar (דבר) means “word,” “matter,” or “thing.” King David said, “Your davar is a lamp to my feet” (Psalm 119:105). Its feminine form, devorah (דבורה), also means “bee”—a symbol of an ordered, harmonious society.

In the Book of John, we read: “In the beginning was the Word (Logos), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

John, writing in Greek, used the term Logos, which early Greek philosophers like Heraclitus understood to be the divine principle of order, logic, and reason in the cosmos.

Many today mistakenly assume “the word” means the Bible. But when Jesus spoke of “the word,” He wasn’t referring to a text—especially not to the New Testament, which didn’t yet exist.

Rather, “the word” refers to something far deeper: the eternal principle of order, wisdom, and divine law that governs all creation. The Word is synonymous with God. And as John also tells us: God is Love.

2. How Do We Abide in His Word?

Jesus commanded us to abide in His word. But how?

If the word is not merely a book, then abiding in it must be more than just reading scripture. To abide in the Word is to live in harmony with the divine order—God’s law, which is Love.

Living in love means embodying compassion, selflessness, and humility. It means following not our selfish nature, but the higher order of God’s will.

Our own “law” is the law of selfish interest—doing what we want for our own desires. This stands in direct opposition to God’s Word. To abide in His Word, we must go against our own law.

In Christian mystical theology, this eternal Word is sometimes referred to as the “ground of being”—the unchanging, ever-giving Source. Because God is complete, God only gives. He does not take.

Jesus reflected this perfectly: “Greater love has no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve” (Mark 10:45).

To abide in the Word, then, is to embody that same nature.

3. How Does the Truth Set Us Free?

Truth, as Merriam-Webster defines it, is that which aligns with reality. It stands in opposition to falsehood and ignorance.

To know the truth is to be free; to not know it is to remain in bondage.

Let’s consider Jesus’ words again:

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

Implied in this is the opposite: if you don’t know the truth, you remain enslaved.

This echoes the core of Buddhist philosophy: we suffer because of ignorance. The solution is knowledge—enlightenment.

But what kind of truth is this?

It’s not theoretical. It’s not theological dogma. It’s experiential truth. It’s knowing, firsthand, what is real.

Truth is that which is unseen, unchanging, and eternal.

Falsehood is that which is seen, temporary, and perishable.

Let’s explore some scriptures that reinforce this:

• Isaiah 55 urges us to seek nourishment beyond worldly pleasures.

• John 4 reveals the Samaritan woman’s search for fulfillment in multiple relationships—none of which satisfied her.

• Matthew 16:24 reminds us that to follow Jesus, we must say no to ourselves.

These scriptures reveal a core insight: our suffering comes from not knowing.

Because we don’t know the truth of who we are, we seek happiness in things that change—food, sex, possessions, praise. But these always leave us empty.

The only solution is to wake up. To know.

But how?

By abiding in His word.

To abide in His word is to live in Love.

To live in Love is to know God.

And to know God is to know ourselves, our true identity—not the body, not the ego, not the fleeting self—but the eternal soul.

This is THE KNOWLEDGE that sets us free.

Not in theory, not in words. Not in, “I’m born again. I’m a child of God. I’m saved.”

But rather a true first hand direct experience of “taste and see that the Lord is good.”

When we know who we truly are. We see the futility of chasing temporary things.

We let go of false identities.

And we walk in truth, freedom, and love.