Jesus says in John 6:35, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.
Got Questions states that this is a phenomenal statement! First, by equating Himself with bread, Jesus is saying he is essential for life; here yes, but primarily eternal life. He was trying to lead the focus of the Jews from the physical realm, and into the spiritual realm. He was contrasting what He brings as their Messiah, with the bread He miraculously created the day before (feeding 5K - John 6:1-13). That being literal, physical bread that perishes, and His point, was that He (was) is the spiritual bread that brings eternal life.
John 6:35, was the first of the “I AM” statements in John’s Gospel that was also making a claim to deity. The phrase “I AM” is the covenant name of God (Yahweh, or YHWH), revealed to Moses at the burning bush (Exodus 3:14). The phrase speaks of self-sufficient existence (or what theologians refer to as “aseity”), being an attribute that only the living God possesses; something the listening Jews would have automatically understood as a claim to deity.
A point I am continually aiming to address in a world that has long wandered from the truth it needs, Christians included, is that earlier in John 6:26-29, when the Jews and religious leaders, appear to question Jesus, as though genuinely eager to learn and do God's work, Jesus responds in V-26 “I tell you the truth, you want to be with me because I fed you (John 6:1-13), not because you understood the miraculous signs. 27 But don’t be so concerned about perishable things like food. Spend your energy seeking the eternal life that the Son of Man can give you. For God the Father has given me the seal of his approval.” 28 They replied, “We want to perform God’s works, too. What should we do?” 29 Jesus told them, “This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the one he has sent.”
The key verse is '29,' because it really is that simple! By faith and faith alone, in Jesus Christ, every human being on the face of the planet, can secure their soul for all eternity, with zero strings attached and no hoops to jump through; inerrant and infallible truth is all one needs.
And Christian, shame on you, for trying to earn your way into heaven; we dare boast! If born again, hey, you've secured your eternal life, and if that's as far as you choose to take it, living until glory with unnecessary worry, fear, and doubt, by all means, you're welcome to live by that old country expression, FILL YOUR BOOTS. But stop whining and complaining, amidst your denominational pride and ignorance, back biting fellow Christians who may or may not be quite as wise as yourself.
Paul's anointed teaching in Romans 12:13-16 tell us, "13 When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality. 14 Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them. 15 Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all!"
How can we Christians, set the example needed in a dying world, pointing people by faith in action that we don't have, as we ourselves live, learn and/or teach to fulfill Galatian 5:4 and 5:15? When we teach what is known as 'Performance Based Christianity,' that we still have to earn God's blessings (Father forgive me for I have sinned - over & over again), which is not grace, as in the grace & truth that Jesus came to bring us (John 1:17), breaking the curse of the law, then we are wrongfully sending those we teach, out the door of our churches, with unnecessary worry, fear, and doubt; "am I doing this?" "am I doing that?" "am I doing enough?" "does God still love me?" "did I go too far?" etc., etc.
And should we not be confirming all things we learn from our teachers, by reading the living word for ourselves? Yes we should and must, because otherwise, evident of us not doing what God tells us to do, we are fulfilling Galatians 5:15, making a complete mockery of the living word of Jesus Christ Living God, as the world looks on in laughter.
Paul teaches in Ephesians 6:10-17, "10 Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. 12 For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. 14 Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. 15 For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. 16 In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. 17 Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God."
Please take note of the first six words of V-17
If we were to embrace grace for salvation alone, sadly, as the majority of fellow Christians do, this verse alone clearly indicates that from the neck down, in a battle of the flesh we'd be dead already, leaving ninety percent of our body wide open, unable to resist the enemy in the time of evil (V-13), because we are not putting on every piece of God's armor, the sword of the spirt, while missing the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil (V-16).
Christian, do you still refuse to believe and not doubt, that we in Christ can pray for anything, and if we believe we have received it, it will be ours? If you answered yes, then you're calling God a liar.
However, because of His endless love and faithfulness in you, me, and all who believe, along with His mercy and grace, He is pointing you back to a few of His key nuggets, too often overlooked within His inerrant and infallible living word - for example:
Matthew 21:22 | Mark 9:23 | Mark 11:24 | John 14:13-14 *** or you could just read the free book - Lessons to Live by / Invincibility with Christ in you HERE
In closing, I must give this back to Got Questions who says it all so well:
If there is anything the history of human religion tells us, it is that people seek to earn their way to heaven. This is such a basic human desire because God created us with eternity in mind. The Bible says God has placed [the desire for] eternity in our hearts (Ecclesiastes 3:11). The Bible also tells us that there is nothing we can do to earn our way to heaven because we’ve all sinned (Romans 3:23) and the only thing our sin earns us is death (Romans 6:23). There is no one who is righteous in himself (Romans 3:10). Our dilemma is we have a desire we cannot fulfill, no matter what we do. That is where Jesus comes in. He, and He alone, can fulfill that desire in our hearts for righteousness through the Divine Transaction: “For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.” (2 Corinthians 5:21).
When Christ died on the cross, He took the sins of mankind upon Himself and made atonement for them. When we place our faith in Him, our sins are imputed to Jesus, and His righteousness is imputed to us. Jesus satisfies our hunger and thirst for righteousness. He is our Bread of Life.
Consider the purchase of one or all four Holy Spirit led authorship books HERE or HERE to assist Pastor Kevin after losing his career to the PlanDemic and all income sources ... while knowing, Jesus knows and all will be taken care of that you may very well play a role in, amen, and thank you ... thank you, Jesus!
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