Anchor My Faith

The Only True Way to Eternal Life

Scripture: John 6:54-58

In the previous lesson we determined that to eat the flesh of the Son of Man was accomplished by coming to Jesus in humble submission and in believing that he died on the cross in our place for our sin. In this lesson we will finish this narrative section with some conclusions.

^{Jn 6:54} “Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” We feed on the flesh of Jesus by coming to him in humble submission and make him the primary love of our life. We drink his blood by believing that he is the Son of God that entered a body of human flesh through a virgin birth; who lived a perfect life and died on the cross in our place for our sin. Those who come to him and believe in him have eternal life and will be raised up on the last day at the return of Jesus.

^{Jn 6:55} “For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.” There are other things we can come to and believe in, but they are not true and cannot provide eternal life. Jesus is the only way to the Father. All other ways that man can think up lead to eternal death.

^{Jn 6:56} “Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.” This will become clearer when we cover the material of John 15 on the vine and branches. The vine and its branches, Jesus and believers, are connected, and are one. As we are connected to the vine we are connected to Jesus and receive that which is needed to bear fruit. Without that oneness of existence, we are dead, just as a branch cut from the vine withers up and dies.

^{Jn 6:57} “As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me.” The living God has life in himself and is the fountain of life to all his creatures. The Father sent Jesus as living bread that endures to eternal life for those who eat of it. The Father has granted authority to Jesus to give eternal life to those who come to him and those who come to him are the ones the Father gives to him.

^{Jn 6:58} “This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread the fathers ate, and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” This bread is different from the manna the fathers ate and died. This bread is different from the bread that Jesus gave to the 5000+ who ate and in a few hours were hungry again. Jesus was the bread that came down from heaven that endures to eternal life when eaten.

Conclusion

Jesus is the living bread that must be eaten if we are to have eternal life. No matter how hard one tries to enter heaven, if they haven’t eaten this living bread they will continue their journey to the pits of a burning eternal hell. This is the plan God has laid out. There is no alternate plan!