Greek in John 6:57

John 6:57  •  1 min. read  •  grade level: 8
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Question: John 6:5757As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me. (John 6:57). Why is it διὰ τὸν πατέρα, and not διὰ τοῦ π, as the Authorized Version might imply? And why not χάριν?
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Answer: We live διὰ τὸν Χρίστον, not merely διὰ του Χ., if it was merely a means of living, but on account of Christ, because of Him, and hence according to what His life is derived from, as He lived διὰ τὸν π. It is not χάριν, but the continuous cause, only objectively so, for we eat this blessed food. The force seems to be the moral source of the character of what is produced; thus in Gal. 4:1313Ye know how through infirmity of the flesh I preached the gospel unto you at the first. (Galatians 4:13), δι’ ἀσθενείαν, in infirmity. Infirmity of the flesh was the moral source of the character of his preaching; as in Phil. 1:1515Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife; and some also of good will: (Philippians 1:15), envy was the moral source of the character of the preaching for some, as goodwill was for others. So here the Father was the moral source of the character of Christ’s life in the world, as Christ is of ours.