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NASB | John 6:53 So Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | John 6:53 And Jesus said to them, "I assure you and most solemnly say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood [unless you believe in Me as Savior and believe in the saving power of My blood which will be shed for you], you do not have life in yourselves. |
Bible Question: In John 6 Jesus said we must eat His flesh and drink His blood. I studied the Greek word for flesh used here and it seems to be literal (not figuretive). What could be the proper interpretation? |
Bible Answer: Jesus is speaking symbolically. Christians are not carnivores. There are several different ways of looking at it in the Protestant tradition. Some see it as just a "picture" or a "memorial" like they see baptism as a picture of something else. This is the view of most "low church" (non-liturgical) Protestants. Lutherans do not hold to transubstantiation (the Catholic view that the bread and wine actually become the body and blood of Christ), but rather hold to something called "consubstantiation." According to CARM (http://www.carm.org), this is "an inclusion of one substance in another where the body and blood of Christ co-exist in the elements of the Supper...The body and blood of Christ are "in, with, and under" the elements...The transformation is effected by the Word of God and not by a priest." My Reformed tradition holds that it is more than simply a symbol of something else, but that it is a means of grace, whereby our faith is "nourished by Christ," so to speak. Therefore, communion for the believer actually DOES something, but there is no change in nature of the elements themselves, nor is the body of Christ physically present. --Joe! |