“You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

You’ll find these words quoted in courtrooms, classrooms, university mottos—even engraved in the lobby of the CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia. And yet, most people don’t realize those words were spoken by Jesus.

It’s ironic that the CIA — an agency built on secrecy and classified information — chose to chisel into its stone wall a verse about truth and freedom.

But what kind of truth was Jesus talking about? And what kind of freedom did he promise? What did Jesus mean when he said, “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free”?

If we get this wrong, we’ll cling to chains while calling it freedom.