Fortunately, the New Testament clears up this false teaching of roman catholicism.
18For this reason therefore the Jews were seeking all the more to kill Him, because He not only was breaking the Sabbath, but also was calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God. 19Therefore Jesus answered and was saying to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner. 20“For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself is doing; and the Father will show Him greater works than these, so that you will marvel. 21“For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son also gives life to whom He wishes. 22“For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son, 23so that all will honor the Son even as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.
24“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life. John 5:18-24
No mention of having to eat/drink flesh and blood.
If the roman catholic position is correct, then Jesus was not upfront with these Jews and prior to this Nicodemus as He did not mention the necessity of eating/drinking His flesh and blood. Nicodemus, a Pharisee, would have immediately, recognized that as a violation of the Law.
There is also the fellow named Paul...you may have heard of him. He had this to say:
But what does it say? “THE WORD IS NEAR YOU, IN YOUR MOUTH AND IN YOUR HEART”—that is, the word of faith which we are preaching,
9that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;
10for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. 11For the Scripture says, “WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.” 12For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him;
13for “WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.” Romans 10:8-13
And as previously noted, this would have been against the Council of Jerusalem's ruling in Acts 15. IIRC not only the disciples, but the whole church was in favor of this. The final ruling as noted by James, the Lord's brother.
28“For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay upon you no greater burden than these essentials: 29that you abstain from things sacrificed to idols and from blood and from things strangled and from fornication; if you keep yourselves free from such things, you will do well. Farewell.”
No mention of eating/drinking flesh or blood as they knew it would be against the OT Law. Peter, being the outspoken one he was, would have said something against this if he had understood Jesus's words to the unbelieving Jews in John 6 to be literal. That he did not object to this is very telling.
Either the CoJ got it wrong or roman catholicism has it wrong.
And if the catholic appeals to the ECFs...well, as always they are consistently inconsistent on this topic.
Peter did not eat blood or think that he did.
In Acts 10:14 Peter tells the Lord that he had never, ever eaten anything unclean and that would include the blood.
So if Peter really did eat and violate the Law then he is also a liar cause he said he didn’t.
In Luke 7 Jesus tells a woman that her faith has saved her to go in peace.
No mention of eating and drinking there.
Just her faith.
I believe; and therefore; on the basis of this incorruptible Word; I HAVE eternal life.
Praise the LORD!!!
It's too bad that Catholics are so thoroughly taught that they can NOT know for sure if they are saved until AFTER they die.