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John 6:53 - Unless you eat My flesh
http://proclaimingthegospel.org/equip/articles/47-john-6-53-unless-you-eat-my-flesh ^ | Unknown | Mike Gendron

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,


TOPICS: General Discusssion; Theology
KEYWORDS: christians; communion
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To: terycarl

Hail Mary, Mother of GOD...


481 posted on 09/22/2013 4:31:13 AM PDT by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: terycarl
that is precious since without Catholicism you wouldn't even know that He existed....think about it!!

Elijah!

You're BACK!!!

Romans 11:4

Your unique place in the world plan is noted.

482 posted on 09/22/2013 4:35:14 AM PDT by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: terycarl
who had books, who could read them, where were they stored and who had access to them,

Somehow the word ALLOWED has dropped off your statement...

483 posted on 09/22/2013 4:36:04 AM PDT by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: terycarl
I'd wager that virtually none of the apostles could either read or write.

When Jesus started to WRITE on the ground, the ACCUSERS slithered away.

Why?

Could they READ what Jesus was WRITING perhaps?

484 posted on 09/22/2013 4:40:28 AM PDT by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: terycarl
....St. Peter was the fisrt Pope....remember now??

You mean the FIRST one to be called SATAN by Jesus?

The FIRST one who was CLEARLY in error?

(2:11-14) Galatians 2:11 But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned.

What a way to START a church!

485 posted on 09/22/2013 4:44:15 AM PDT by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: Elsie
Ok; post a picture of the present ones.

Image and video hosting by TinyPic

 photo COC3.jpg

 photo COC2.jpg

This one used to be one, but he has a new job now.

 photo COC4.jpg

Yep just like I remembered, each of them has a face.

486 posted on 09/22/2013 4:47:12 AM PDT by verga (Lasciante ogne speranza, voi ch'intrate.)
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To: jodyel
I’ve no interest in defending Protestant or Catholic or whatever. I simply want them to know Him as I do.

Good luck.

That what BOTH sides are trying to do in these threads.

The problem is that this assembled gaggle of blind men have hold of a different part of the elephant.

Your mission, Mr. Phelps, is to try to convince others that YOUR vision is correct.

AS always, if any of your team are captured, we will disavow any of your actions.


"This thread will self-destruct in ten seconds. Good luck, jodyel."

487 posted on 09/22/2013 4:51:39 AM PDT by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: dsc
I think your refusal to admit your bias is worse than the bias itself.

I guess your seeing eye dog is not trained to detect CATHOLIC slurs directed towards PROTESTants.

That's ok; for we've found him to be rather toothless.

488 posted on 09/22/2013 4:53:39 AM PDT by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: Rashputin
Certainly the NON-faceless men have an INFALLIBLE teaching on just WHO and/or WHAT this WHORE is.

I'd like to hear their voices instead of slurs like STUPID and/or BLIND.

489 posted on 09/22/2013 4:55:09 AM PDT by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: Stingray
The Vatican has nothing whatsoever to do with that passage in Revelation 17.

Ok; then WHO is the WHORE?

490 posted on 09/22/2013 4:55:41 AM PDT by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: Stingray
... AND HE WAS NOT OBLIGED TO STONE HER,...

Amen.

DAVE sure did not get STONED as well - though APPLICATION of the LAW required it!

491 posted on 09/22/2013 4:57:00 AM PDT by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: Stingray
Well, that’s a really wrong view of that passage,

Not according to Salt Lake City!!


  "Both Catholics and Protestants are nothing less than the 'whore of Babylon' whom the Lord denounces by the mouth of John the Revelator as having corrupted all the earth by their fornications and wickedness. Any person who shall be so corrupt as to receive a holy ordinance of the Gospel from the ministers of any of these apostate churches will be sent down to hell with them, unless they repent"
 
 (The Seer, p. 255  Orson Pratt )

492 posted on 09/22/2013 4:58:51 AM PDT by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: Stingray
Revelation isn’t about the Pope and it isn’t about the future as we know it.

Oh?

Just WHO 'knows' the future?

493 posted on 09/22/2013 4:59:59 AM PDT by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: verga
So THIS group of fallible men come up with INFALLIBLE doctrine?

I think that is wonderful!

494 posted on 09/22/2013 5:01:13 AM PDT by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: Elsie

another stunning example on why it is IMPOSSIBLE to have an even remotely intelligent discussion with a protestant.


495 posted on 09/22/2013 7:15:27 AM PDT by verga (Lasciante ogne speranza, voi ch'intrate.)
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To: Elsie
Oh now, someone who loves to post long sections of Mormon doctrine no doubt agrees with the Mormon view and like their fellow Mormons only feigns interest in what others believe as an excuse to post still more large sections of Mormon doctrine.

Why blather about my having the Christian charity to characterize someone who slanders the Church Jesus Christ Himself founded as possibly being stupid and/or blind rather than just pointing out the fact that such people are aiding and abetting Satan?

Just go ahead and spew out the Mormon view for us.

496 posted on 09/22/2013 7:35:57 AM PDT by Rashputin (Jesus Christ doesn't evacuate His troops, He leads them to victory.)
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To: Elsie

Look to the Old Testament for the answer to that! That’s where the keys to understanding the symbolic language of Revelation is to be found! I’ll get you started:

How the faithful city has become a harlot, She who was full of justice! Righteousness once lodged in her, But now murderers. Isaiah 1:21

The faithful city was Jerusalem. The harlot of Revelation 17 is its corrupt, apostate priesthood, which opposed Christ and had Him crucified.

The clothes she is described as wearing are the clothes of an ancient Jewish priest. Read Exodus 28 to see how the priest’s clothes were to be made.

Revelation was completely fulfilled in 70 AD, with the destruction of Jerusalem and its Temple.


497 posted on 09/22/2013 9:49:28 AM PDT by Stingray (Stand for the truth or you'll fall for anything.)
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To: Elsie

“Revelation isn’t about the Pope and it isn’t about the future as we know it.

Oh?

Just WHO ‘knows’ the future?”

Christ did. He correctly predicted the destruction of Jerusalem almost 40 years (within a generation) before it happened.


498 posted on 09/22/2013 9:55:06 AM PDT by Stingray (Stand for the truth or you'll fall for anything.)
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To: Elsie; terycarl
"...of course they are Christian, some better than others, but ALL are incomplete."

Not according to Paul:

For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority; Colossians 2:9-10

By definition, a Christian is someone who has been made complete in Christ.

499 posted on 09/22/2013 10:06:37 AM PDT by Stingray (Stand for the truth or you'll fall for anything.)
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To: Stingray

>> “But the truth is both Luther and Ribera were wrong. Revelation isn’t about the Pope and it isn’t about the future as we know it.” <<

.
You belong to a strange cult!

The Revelation is Yeshua’s 5th gospel.

It is literal in its general respects, using figurative language only to better set the scene for its prophecies.

It told the past, and it tells the immediate future in vivid detail to those that have the Holy Spirit.

The foolish term “futurism” in no way describes Darby’s beliefs. Darby was simply confused as to the extent to which Yehova would protect his elect. Take away the pre-trib rapture, and place it back where scripture has it, at the last trump of Yom Teruah, and Darby ceases to matter.

Luther doesn’t matter due to the anti-semitism that he acquired toward the end of his life; his earlier beliefs were closer to reality.

You need to get out of the cult and find Yeshua, the real one, not the Greek Jesus.


500 posted on 09/22/2013 10:08:35 AM PDT by editor-surveyor (Freepers: Not as smart as I'd hoped they'd be)
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