Posted on 09/17/2013 8:25:21 PM PDT by jodyel
"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.
Counterfeit Miracle
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.
Drinking Blood Forbidden
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)
Biblical Disharmony
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.
Produces Dilemma
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.
Figurative In Old Testament
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 Confirmed
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).
Words Were Spiritual
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,
Most likely due to the persecution of the believers beginning in full at Stephens death. The Gospel would have spread into Asia and parts of Europe by ones who escaped as many came from far distances to Jerusalem to worship.
We can be reasonably certain for example it was taken to Ethiopia about 800 miles away by the queens servant whom Phillip met. Paul stated in Romans ch 10 the Gospel was already going out to the world. This would have been 50-60 AD.
Nice try, but out of context, as usual. It doesn't matter how may times you posted, it is completely wrongheaded in its use .Those pieces of text where Jesus is speaking to a specific situation, and you try to make it into a support for your Roman Catholic error and heresy. Claiming to be the one true church is what got people to begin listening to the Holy Spirit and come out of that deathtrap.
Rome teaches death. Jesus teaches life. Try echoing Him more fully and sincerely, instead of trying to make some foolish claim to something that only makes sense if there is no God reigning from heaven. I don't need your stinking putrid organization. I have God's Holy Spirit in my life teaching me and keeping me from the errors of Rome! You can keep the smells and bells and all the mystical ceremonies. There is no salvation anyplace other than in Jesus Christ. Believe it or not!
Matthew 18: 15 “If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. 16 But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ 17 If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector.
Seems there was an Apostle who in fact did judge a church and gave it considerable chastening because of the behavior tolerated of some of it's members. His name was Paul. BTW was Paul Catholic? No. He states as much in Galatians ch 1.
Pauls comments in 1 Corinthians Chapter 5 is an ear burner. If the church refuses to cast them out then yes the church involved is to be judged.
9When I wrote to you before, I told you not to associate with people who indulge in sexual sin. 10But I wasn’t talking about unbelievers who indulge in sexual sin, or who are greedy or are swindlers or idol worshipers. You would have to leave this world to avoid people like that. 11What I meant was that you are not to associate with anyone who claims to be a Christian£ yet indulges in sexual sin, or is greedy, or worships idols, or is abusive, or a drunkard, or a swindler. Don’t even eat with such people. 12It isn’t my responsibility to judge outsiders, but it certainly is your job to judge those inside the church who are sinning in these ways. 13God will judge those on the outside; but as the Scriptures say, “You must remove the evil person from among you.”£
This applies to all churches BTW. That's pretty straight forward. The ones that were mentioned should not have been allowed through the doors. Why? Because by being members of the church and yet sinning deliberately they do bring shame upon the church. IOW They know better and do otherwise yet claim to be a member of the church.
Because church members and leaders are not casting out ones who support abortion, gay marriage , etc our nation is in deep trouble. They have already given the devil control of our government and the churches are next.
And THAT is the problem with it and Catholicism.
Just where was the Christlike response from those calling themselves Christ's representatives on earth?
To protect the christian religion, they attacked the interlopers....kind of like the crusaders attacking the enemy at that time, the muslims.
Baloney. There's no comparison between the Reformationists and islam and the muslims and anyone with any real knowledge of history would know that.
There's a world of difference between employing islamist methods to subjugate dissenters by torture and murder, confiscation of property and families, and defending yourself from armed attack by muslim invaders.
tc:WOW, thanks for the warning....Now I'll be circumcised and zip down to the synagogue!
Are you really so ignorant of Scripture?
Jesus Himself said that He came to fulfill the Law and the Prophets.
Matthew 5:17-18 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.
Do you even have a clue as to WHY God gave us the Law?
It's obvious you don't know a lot.
No, not ALL men had to be circumcised until after the crucifixion. JEWISH men did.
And *they* did away with what. *THEY* who? Who are you talking about?
Sure they were. The Baptists were there first.
John the Baptist was the first one, so it proves that Baptists are the oldest denomination in the world. It was there before the Catholic church, which doesn't even get mentioned by name in the Bible......
John 8:31-32 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
Galatians 5:1 For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.
Hey, Mom...
I wonder what they do teach in their Catholic catechism classes besides legalism and heresy? It certainly isn't Scripture, or at least not how to ask the Holy Spirit for His guidance! Of course, that begins with salvation!!!
Galatians 2: ... 3 Yet not even Titus, who was with me, was compelled to be circumcised, even though he was a Greek. 4 This matter arose because some false believers had infiltrated our ranks to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus and to make us slaves. 5 We did not give in to them for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you....
...14 When I saw that they were not acting in line with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in front of them all, “You are a Jew, yet you live like a Gentile and not like a Jew. How is it, then, that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs?
15 “We who are Jews by birth and not sinful Gentiles 16 know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in[d] Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified.
**************
Acts 10: 9 About noon the following day as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. 10 He became hungry and wanted something to eat, and while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. 11 He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. 12 It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles and birds.
13 Then a voice told him, “Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.”
14 “Surely not, Lord!” Peter replied. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.”
15 The voice spoke to him a second time, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.” ...
“WOW, thanks for the warning....Now I’ll be circumcised and zip down to the synagogue!”
Wow. So much heat. So little light.
“The law specifically called for the stoning of the woman caught in adultery. Jesus prevented them from following this law. Was that a sin?”
The man was supposed to be stoned to death under that same law, yet he was nowhere to be found in that story. The mob dragged only the woman out to be stoned. Jesus didn’t break the Law of Moses: He condemned their hypocrisy and then told them to cast the first stone if they had never sinned.
It’s likely there were a number of adulterers in that crowd, as they all walked away.
You so funny.
Prots believe that it is so they can sling Bible verses with reckless abandon and out of context.
Please tell me that this is a feeble attempt a humor.
I agree that both were the man and woman were both guilty, but she was still subject o the penalty.
Just that Damned Luther!
Thanks for saying those PROTESTant church are Christian.
No.
....will Catholicism's claim to be the ONLY true Christianity never end???
Up until the goat/sheep thingy...
Now THIS made me smile!
Why; he’s LEGENDARY!!
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