Jesus said:

Bringing to you God's wonderful message as found in the Holy Bible.

John's Gospel
records Jesus as having said
the following two sentences
shortly after each other:

Why has Jesus, in the same chapter of John, given TWO different formulas for how to have Eternal Life!


What does the rest of the Bible have to say about this?

These verses in John 6, verses 50-58 are the only place in the whole Bible where Jesus speaks about, or makes any suggestion about, the eating of His body to give you eternal life!
If the eating of His body is the way to receive eternal life why does He not emphasise it over and over again throughout the Bible?

Someone might say, "But what about the Last Supper? Did He not say something there about eating His body?"
At the Last Supper Jesus was not saying anything at all about
how to have eternal life!
To look carefully at what He did say at the Last Supper go to:-
A picture for you.

What does the rest of the Bible have to say
on the subject of how to have eternal life?

Everywhere else in the Bible, and even the rest of this 6th chapter of John's gospel, is very clear in stating that the one and only requirement for our salvation is
FAITH IN CHRIST.

Here in John chapter 6 -
Jesus had already declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me will never go hungry, and he who believes in Me will never be thirsty. But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe." ^2*.

Elsewhere in John’s Gospel - he has repeatedly said God’s requirement of us for Salvation is true faith in Jesus Christ: For example John 3:16-18. "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him. Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son." ^3*.

The rest of the Scriptures also clearly states that you must accept that Jesus is the One whom God sent as the Saviour and Priest for mankind and put your trust in Him to have Salvation. ^4*.


So nowhere else in the Bible does it tell us that food you can eat gives you eternal life.

It tells us over and over again that it is the act of faith in putting your trust in Jesus as your Priest and Saviour that is required for salvation.
Jesus refered to a "Life-giving food" that was not something for the stomach when He said,

"It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’" ^5*.

We all know that food is necessary to our physical life if we are to live and be healthy. But here Jesus was telling us of something more important than physical food! Something that you need to give you spiritual life and keep you spiritually healthy - you need TO KNOW AND BELIEVE GOD'S WORD.

If you refuse to take and eat your food it will do your body no good! And if you don't accept and believe the wonderful message of God's Word, that tells us to trust in Jesus alone as our Priest and Saviour, we will not have spiritual life. ^6*.
Have YOU realised that the message of the Word of God is like life-giving food for your soul that you must either accept, (and live), or refuse, (and die)!
Maybe you had thought or hoped that SOMETHING YOU EAT into your stomach will make you acceptable to God?
The Bible clearly says,

"food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do." ^7*.

Jesus, the Son of God has certainly not left His body on earth to be eaten, but has taken it back into Heaven. He wants you to call upon Him in faith to forgive your sins so that He can give eternal life to you. ^8*.

When a jailor asked the apostle Paul,

"What must I do to be saved?"

he did not offer him bread and wine to eat! Instead, Paul offered him this "life-giving food":-

"Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved..."

The jailor eagerly received the message and, by faith, Jesus was claimed as Saviour that night. ^9*.

In the light of all this we can say that John 6:40 is in complete agreement with the rest of Scripture when it says:

"Everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day."

BUT WHAT ABOUT JOHN 6:54?
Why did Jesus go on to say, "I tell you the truth,
unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood,

you have no life in you."?

Go to

"Food for thought!"

and discover the simple Bible explanation of why Jesus on this one and only occasion, in John chapter 6 verses 50-58, talked about the eating of His flesh as a way to get eternal life!

Bye for now,

Comments or chat to John Nixon.

John Nixon, Ballincollig, Co.Cork, Ireland.

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Bible quotations from N.I.V.

1 John 14:6.
2 John 6:35-36. Also John 6:29, 37, 40, 44, 45, 47, 64, 65, 68, 69.
3 Also John 1:10-13. 4:42. 5:24. Etc.
4 See Romans 3:22-26. Galatians 2:16. Ephesians 2:8-9. etc.
5 Matthew 4:4.
6 John 3:16-18. 20:31. Acts 10:43. 13:38-39. Luke 24:47. etc.
7 1 Corinthians 8:8.
8 John 6:61-64. 35-36. Romans 10:13.
9 Acts 16:31. See also Romans 3:21-26. Galatians 2:16. Ephesians 2:8-10. Philippians 3:7-9. Colossians 1:21-23. Titus 3:4-7. Hebrews 7:23-28. Etc.

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