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John 6:53
We have to choose! It is our responsibility to choose to intensify the sanctification process or to stop it. It is our choice. God says, "See, I have set before you this day life on the one hand and death on the other. Therefore, choose life!" (Deuteronomy 30:19). We can choose to go along with God's program, and if we do, we cannot hide the fruit. It will be produced. However, we can choose to reject it. It is our responsibility to make the choice.
John W. Ritenbaugh
The Covenants, Grace, and Law (Part Nine)
John 6:53-58
These people knew well that Leviticus 17:10-11 forbids the eating of blood. They should have understood that He was not speaking of literally drinking the blood coursing through His body. If they knew Him from His youth, as they had earlier claimed, they should have known He was the most law-abiding person they had ever witnessed. What Jesus means is: "He who accepts, appropriates and assimilates, and understands My sacrifice as the only ground of his salvation remains in Me and I in Him." This is why He adds, "He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood dwells in Me and I in Him." He is the living Word.
As physical food and drink are offered, accepted, and eaten, so also must Christ's sacrifice be offered, accepted, and eaten. As the stomach assimilates the physical, so His sacrifice is spiritually assimilated in the heart of believers. As food nourishes and sustains the physical body's life, so Christ's sacrifice nourishes and sustains spiritual life.
John W. Ritenbaugh
Eating: How Good It Is! (Part Four)
Other Forerunner Commentary entries containing John 6:53:
Matthew 6:11
John 3:1-12
John 15:4-5
Revelation 12:11
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What Does John 6:53 Mean?
In relation to John 6:53, eating the flesh of the Son of Man and drinking His blood is essential for having life. This is understood symbolically, not literally, despite the prohibition in Leviticus against consuming blood. The bread and wine represent Christ's body and shed blood, and partaking in them during Passover reaffirms the covenant with Him and God the Father. Accepting and assimilating Christ's sacrifice spiritually nourishes and sustains life, just as food sustains the body. Choosing to participate in this sanctification process is a personal responsibility, with no middle ground; without properly keeping Passover, there is no eternal life.