John 6:53 - Unless you eat My flesh

"Unless You Eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and Drink His Blood You Have No Life In You"

Are these words of Jesus from John 6:53 to be taken literally or figuratively? The Roman Catholic Church teaches the context of John chapter six and the above headlined verse 53 are literal. Thus Jesus is giving absolute and unconditional requirements for eternal life. In fact, this literal interpretation forms the foundation for Rome's doctrine of transubstantiation -- the miraculous changing of bread and wine into the living Christ, His body and blood, soul and divinity. Each Catholic priest is said to have the power to call Jesus down from the right hand of the Father when he elevates the wafer and whispers the words "Hoc corpus meus est." Catholics believe as they consume the lifeless wafer they are actually eating and drinking the living body and blood of Jesus Christ. This is a vital and important step in their salvation and a doctrine they must believe and accept to become a Catholic.

If priests indeed have the exclusive power to change finite bread and wine into the body and blood of the infinite Christ, and if indeed consuming His body and blood is necessary for salvation, then the whole world must become Catholic to escape the wrath of God. On the other hand, if Jesus was speaking in figurative language then this teaching becomes the most blasphemous and deceptive hoax any religion could impose on its people. There is no middle ground. Therefore the question of utmost importance is -- Was the message Jesus conveyed to the Jewish multitude to be understood as literal or figurative? Rome has never presented a good argument for defending its literal interpretation. Yet there are at least seven convincing reasons why this passage must be taken figuratively.

There is no Biblical precedent where something supernatural occurred where the outward evidence indicated no miracle had taken place. (The wafer and wine look, taste and feel the same before and after the supposed miracle of transubstantion). When Jesus changed water into wine, all the elements of water changed into the actual elements of wine.

The Law of Moses strictly forbade Jews from drinking blood (Leviticus 17:10-14) A literal interpretation would have Jesus teaching the Jews to disobey the Mosaic Law. This would have been enough cause to persecute Jesus. (See John 5:16)

When John 6:53 is interpreted literally it is in disharmony with the rest of the Bible. "Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you," gives no hope of eternal life to any Christian who has not consumed the literal body and blood of Christ. It opposes hundreds of Scriptures that declare justification and salvation are by faith alone in Christ.

It appears that the "eating and drinking" in verse 6:54 and the "believing" in verse 6:40 produce the same result - eternal life. If both are literal we have a dilemma. What if a person "believes" but does not "eat or drink"? Or what if a person "eats and drinks" but does not "believe?" This could happen any time a non-believer walked into a Catholic Church and received the Eucharist. Does this person have eternal life because he met one of the requirements but not the other? The only possible way to harmonize these two verses is to accept one verse as figurative and one as literal.

The Jews were familiar with "eating and drinking" being used figuratively in the Old Testament to describe the appropriation of divine blessings to one's innermost being. It was God's way of providing spiritual nourishment for the soul. (See Jeremiah 15:16; Isaiah 55:1-3; and Ezekiel 2:8, 3:1)

Jesus informed His disciples there were times when He spoke figuratively (John 16:25) and often used that type of language to describe Himself. The Gospel of John records seven figurative declarations Jesus made of Himself -- "the bread of life" (6:48), "the light of the world" (8:12), "the door" (10:9), "the good shepherd" (10:11), "the resurrection and the life" (11:25), "the way, the truth and the life" (14:6), and "the true vine" (15:1). He also referred to His body as the temple (2:19).

Jesus ended this teaching by revealing "the words I have spoken to you are spirit" (6:63). As with each of the seven miracles in John's Gospel, Jesus uses the miracle to convey a spiritual truth. Here Jesus has just multiplied the loaves and fish and uses a human analogy to teach the necessity of spiritual nourishment. This is consistent with His teaching on how we are to worship God. "God is Spirit and His worshippers must worship in spirit and in truth" (John 4:24). As we worship Christ He is present spiritually, not physically. In fact, Jesus can only be bodily present at one place at one time. His omnipresence refers only to His spirit. It is impossible for Christ to be bodily present in thousands of Catholic Churches around the world.

When Jesus is received spiritually, one time in the heart, there is no need to receive him physically,

But are you truly born again and filled with the Spirit or are you just paying lip service to it?

Many who think they are saved will be sorely disappointed when they find themselves still here when the rapture of believers occurs.

Are you so sure, narses, that you would stake your eternal soul on what you believe? I know I could not before I was born again.

I am not here to tear you down...I am here to tell you of something so much better and life altering than anything you could ever get out of religion. I am not here to make you a Protestant or a Baptist or anything else other than filled with the Spirit of the great I AM.

Why don’t you want that? It is the most wonderful thing in all the world and instantly gives you access to God and confers all right and privileges of heaven upon you. It is worth giving up everything for.

It does have to be excruciating to give up what one has believed all one’s life, colt.

I met a young Indian man online that had to leave his beloved family and everything he knew behind once he placed his faith in Jesus.

I am so thankful that I have not been in that position because I think it keeps so many in darkness.

I’m sorry, Mike, but if one need ask this.....

One must be filled with the Holy Spirit to understand the things of God. Only then can one receive God’s mind and wisdom and discernment, thru His Spirit, to understand these things.

Until then, questions like these are asked again and again.

Thanks for the English btw. I do appreciate it.

And that is exactly what we are trying to impart to them, Talisker.

We want them to have “the majesty that is Jesus Christ.” But they will not find that in Catholicism.

I have never known anyone, born again and filled with the Spirit, attending a Catholic church. Once the spiritual eyes are open nothing is left for them there.

You may think I am attacking, but I am not. As you can see, no Catholic here is interested in anything other than defending Catholicism. The snarky pics and comments start immediately.

My hope is that the stark contrast will be noticed by those seekers of no faith and that the Lord will use us to reach them. We are commanded to go out and make disciples after all, and that means Catholics too.

Also, Talisker, I don’t consider Catholics to be Christian...perhaps what I have heard called nominal Christians but not true believers. So we differ on that point. And anyone not born again and filled with the Spirit is not a Christian no matter what they say.

And it is very telling because not one Catholic here has ever said to me that they are born again and Spirit filled. Most don’t even know what it means. Catholics are definitely a mission field.

Thanks for your comment.

“It is impossible for me to believe any man, certainly no mortal, regardless of how many hands have been laid upon his head since Peter, has the power to turn bread and wine into the literal Body and Blood of Jesus The Christ.”

The power is God’s; the priest is merely His instrument—as with all miracles delivered through an agent of God.

“Catholics have repeatedly refered to the posting of scriptures as “anti-catholic hate.”

Really? Then kindly point out to me where this, from the article, is found in Scripture: ”On the other hand, if Jesus was speaking in figurative language then this teaching becomes the most blasphemous and deceptive hoax any religion could impose on its people.”

You speak untruly when you say, “Catholics have repeatedly refered to the posting of scriptures as “anti-catholic hate.”

That has never occurred. Never. Not once. It is commentary such as I cite above that is objectionable, and as hard as I try I am unable to see how you could, in good faith, make that mistake.

the result of private interpretation claiming the guidance of the Holy Spirit has resulted in over 40,000 different protestant sects that adhere to different and even mutually contradictory doctrines, making it harder for those interested in finding the fullness of the truth, to find it. claiming the supremacy of private interpretation is the ultimate form of liberalism, denying the existence of visible divine authority, results in an independent morality and substitutes as a boundless license for heretics. Jesus established one visible universal Apostolic hierarchal Church to faithfully guard and protect the fullness of the truth.

“I have never known anyone, born again and filled with the Spirit, attending a Catholic church.”

Now you have.

Protestantism is a cut-down, abridged, Reader’s Digest version of Christianity.

Everything good in Protestantism was brought from The Church. The difference is that Protestantism jettisoned much of the Good out of wrong-headed, wrong-hearted iconoclasticism.

Been a long time since I was in any particular church or denomination, Geron, but when I was a youngster they offered the church members grape juice and crackers and this was done in remembrance of the Lord’s sacrifice. They did not use real wine or bread.

http://www.gotquestions.org/communion-Christian.html

Do this in remembrance of Me is engraved on all pulpits in churches I have attended. It is actually a fond memory along with all the wonderful hymns. Much was instilled in me as a child that has never been forgotten.

http://www.churchfurniturestore.com/900series.htm

“And it is very telling because not one Catholic here has ever said to me that they are born again and Spirit filled.”

We use different terminology, and view the thing from the standpoint of a more sophisticated, more mature, and deeper understanding of theology.

Signing on to the Protestant understanding of ”born again and Spirit filled” is several steps backward in spiritual and intellectual development.

...the result of private interpretation claiming the guidance of the Holy Spirit has resulted in over 40,000 different protestant sects ...

the result of Roman interpretation claiming the guidance of the tradition has resulted in millions of people probably headed for hell!

Didn't you get the memo, JPH? The party line now says it's only 31,000 or so (posted the other day on another thread). But, it doesn't really matter how you look at it, it is God that judges us individually. Membership in a group will not get you anywhere with Him. It doesn't work like Sam's Club. The price to get in the door has been paid by Jesus's work on the cross. Your groups claim is only valid to the faithful members of the groupAnd God has no reason to honor this group since he is not a respecter of persons.

Scripture makes it clear that the Holy Spirit is our guide, not some guy in a fancy gown laden down with gold. Scripture tells us that there is only one mediator between God and man and that is Jesus Christ. All of that “tradition of men” is anathema to God. Believe it or not!

Romans 8 :1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

I have claimed no sect or denomination whatsoever. I have claimed Christ and being filled with the Holy Spirit, and that is all that is necessary for me to speak with authority.

I am not asking you to believe me, but go to the Lord and ask Him if I have spoken truth. But your blindness and arrogance and your pride and self-righteousness, like the Pharisees before you, will not allow you to do that.

Instead all you do is claim Catholic talking points. How I wish just one of you would come with an open heart and truly ask Him if what we say is true!

I am not Protestant...I am a follower of Christ, born again and filled with the Spirit.

And I truly hope that you are, and are not just giving lip service to it....because the cost is your soul.

Thanks for the comment.

Signing on to the Protestant understanding of ”born again and Spirit filled” is several steps backward in spiritual and intellectual development.

Oh, really! Then Jesus must not have been speaking for God. Oh, wait! Jesus is God!

Please use that great Catholic intellect to quote the Scriptures that say that we do not have to be born again, no are filled with his Spirit. Oh wait, that's just another tradition of men... Or, Roman Catholic theology as it's commonly referred.

John 3: 3 Jesus replied (to Nicodemus), “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”

4 “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”

5 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

Everything good in Protestantism was brought from The Church. The difference is that Protestantism jettisoned much of the Good out of wrong-headed, wrong-hearted iconoclasticism.

Let me rephrase it to present the actual truth...

Everything good in Protestantism was brought from The Holy Spirit. The difference is that Protestantism jettisoned much of the error out of wrong-headed, wrong-hearted Catholicism.

There, fixed it for you.

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