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John
1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the
Word was God...
John
1: 14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us...
John
10:10 ...I am come that they might have life, and that they might have
it more abundantly.
John
6:63 the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are
life.
The Bible is showing you the relationship between the written Word and
Jesus Christ Himself. Proper interpretation of the Scripture is
essential. Throughout the Scriptures we find that the Lord spoke
in parables. These parables were a figurative language that would
make the truths of Christ more discernible. Jesus knew that the
parables would be difficult to understand without an interpretation,
but He always gave the interpritation to those to whom He had called.
In the above text of
scripture (John 6:52-66) the Jewish people, to whom the discourse was
first addressed, misunderstood it. They quarreled among themselves and
said, “how can this man give us his flesh to eat?” The
Jewish people had seen and heard Him and yet, they did not believe in
Him. Some of their unbelief may have stemmed from their
understanding of the book of the Law (the old testament) in which
eating flesh and drinking blood was prohibited. Even today, we
know that Jesus could not have meant the literal eating and drinking of
flesh and blood because it would be a contradiction of the very Word of
God.
The Roman Catholic
Church, just as the Jewish people, have misunderstood Christ's message
as a corporal and carnal eating of Christ's Body. Jesus' words
have been misread to support the doctrine of transubstantiation.
This doctrine contradicts the Lord's essential message of the need to
solely believe on Him for salvation. When Christ said, “the
bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of
the world,” He is stating that He would offer Himself as a
sacrifice, His voluntary lying down of His life, His flesh. He
gave His flesh willingly as an atoning sacrifice “for the life of
the world” and this is for eternal
life!
According to the
above passage, eating the ‘flesh' and drinking the ‘blood' of the
Son of man signifies the acceptance of the Redeemer and His
sacrifice. Christ Jesus offers all the benefits of redemption:
pardon of sin, acceptance of God and the adoption of sons in which one
receives the Holy Spirit as a pledge of ones inheritance of eternal
life. Eating His flesh and drinking His blood means being
identified with Him by faith. Remember, it is the spirit that quickenith, the
flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are
spirit, and they are life.
Dear Catholic, of
which bread have you partaken? Will you rest your eternal soul on
the person and offering of Christ Jesus for your sins or will you eat
the Eucharist in hope of obtaining eternal life? The Roman
Catholic Church claims that God's power effectively flows from the
element of Communion itself. Christ Jesus teaches that it is
believing on His person, John 6:29 “ this is the work of
God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.” Believing
on Him whom the Father has sent is our duty, yet it is “ the work
of God” which clearly signifying that believing is
possible only by the grace of God.
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