We propose to examine the words of Jesus Himself, in this short paper on the deeply interesting subject of eternal life.
“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.” (John 3:14; 1514And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: (John 3:14)
14Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. (John 15:14)) In the outset, then, it is something far beyond believing on Him as a prophet because of His miracles; or believing in the coming kingdom; or as the Messiah. The very deepest aspect of atonement is here implied, His being lifted up, as the serpent was in the wilderness. His atonement, to be lifted up, was absolutely necessary.
But then in all this it was the very thought and purpose of God, that the believer should not perish, but have eternal life. “For God so loved the world [not merely Israel] that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.” What words of Jesus! What a revelation of God! Dwell on them, oh my soul. How often repeated is that blessed truth, “He that believeth on the Son hath eternal life.” (John 3:3636He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him. (John 3:36).) This is not mere continuity of existence. The unbeliever clearly has that in the same verse. “And he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.” He never knows or sees the eternal life in the Son; but he will continue to exist, or the wrath of God could not abide on him.
Eternal life then is the eternal Son. In him was life eternal, self-existent.bWe will now look at those words of Jesus in John 5:2424Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. (John 5:24). “Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me hath eternal life, and shall not come into judgment; but is passed from death unto life.” Now it is remarkable, that these words of Jesus were spoken to His very enemies. To such as sought to slay Him; yes, to those that sought to kill Him. (Vers. 16, 18.)
The occasion was remarkable. The impotent man had heard the words of Jesus, as to his poor infirm body, and was immediately made whole. That was not life to the dead, but healing for the infirm. Something far more wonderful than this would take place, to those who are dead—to man, as God sees him, dead in trespasses and sins. “The dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God; and they that hear shall live.” And on the assurance of Christ, this life shall not be temporal, that which may cease, or exist for a time only, but eternal. This was beyond all Jewish ideas or thoughts, for they knew not the eternal One in their midst. But the fact, the result, of hearing the word of Jesus is as sure and immediate in one case as in the other. Thousands could bear witness, though they might not be able to explain it, that no sooner had they heard the word of Jesus speaking to them—that so soon as they believed God, that sent Him—immediately they had eternal life. And they rest in the certainty, that into judgment for sins, they can never come. That they are passed from death unto life. Yes, they have passed from the old to the new creation. Do you believe these words of Jesus?
If you never have believed, remember these words were spoken to His greatest enemies, such as thirsted for His death: yea, to those who did not believe on Him. (Vers. 38-47.) Yes, they are the words of Jesus to unbelievers. Oh, what riches of grace!
Now we will look at the explanation of this subject in the words of Jesus, chapter 6.
As in chapter 5, so here, a miracle is the occasion of all the teaching of Jesus on eternal life in chapter 6 Jesus had compassion on the great multitude faint in the mountain. He gave them bread, and about 5,000 were filled. Jesus said, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves and were filled. Labor not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto eternal life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.”
This brings out a very important question from the multitude: “What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?” This is the question of the multitude still, and oh, what answers men do give; but what is the answer of Jesus? “This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.” So far, then, the answer is most clear, it is faith, to believe on Jesus the sent one of the Father, just as in chapter 3:16, 17; and chapter v. 24. And the miracle of the loaves serves for further illustration. They say, “Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat.” Jesus continues the figure and says, “My Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.”
How far beyond all human thought or Jewish hopes is this! The loaves they had eaten refreshed and satisfied for a time, but Jesus said, “I am the bread of life; he that cometh unto me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.” They did not understand Him. They had seen Him, but believed not Their thoughts were carnal, and only dwelt on temporal things. Jesus spoke of that which is eternal. And of that life that would be fully manifested in resurrection. Again He repeats the all important truth: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on me hath eternal life. I am that bread of life.” They had eaten the loaves which He had given them. Their fathers had eaten the manna and were dead. He was about to give that which would not be for a time, but eternal life.
We now come to those words of Jesus which have been so strangely perverted for centuries. He presents Himself the living bread that came down from heaven. “If any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” The poor dark Jews thought in their ignorance, that He meant His literal flesh; but what He did mean was of such importance, that He presses them still more closely.
“Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.”
Now first a few words on the awful perversion of these words of Jesus. That which is called Christendom, nay, calls itself “the church,” has sunk so low in superstition, as to suppose, that Jesus meant to teach by these words, a literal eating of human flesh, and drinking human blood. And a priesthood has been invented, which would make men believe that they have some mystic power to change bread, or wine, into the very flesh and blood of Jesus. And this bit of baked bread, they say, is God; and it is worshipped by millions with the deepest idolatry. The highest dignitaries of this world fall down before it in adoration. And this delusion is held out as the salvation of dying men!
Now let us suppose that the priest had power to change the bread or wine into the very flesh of Jesus, true human flesh, and that a poor dying man could actually eat this human flesh before he dies, what would it profit him? “Nothing,” This is the reply of Jesus to these poor deceived men. Jesus said “ What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before? It is the Spirit that quickeneth; THE FLESH PROFITETH NOTHING: the WORDS that I speak unto you they are spirit and they are life.”
Does not the Lord Jesus then say here that all who are trusting in masses, or sacraments, for eternal life, are deceived? For if even the pries b could turn the bread into flesh, it would profit them nothing. Sacramental salvation then is all a delusion.
What then do these words of Jesus mean? “Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.” Most surely the whole teaching of scripture shows, that “his flesh” means His incarnation. The eternal Son of God. “The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father) full of grace and truth.” (John 1:1414And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. (John 1:14)) It is then he that believeth the great truth of the incarnation, God manifest in the flesh.
And there could be no doubt that the blood points to the atonement of Jesus, Son of man, on the cross. But why eat His flesh, and drink His blood? Because, that merely to assent to these great truths will not meet the case. One of the 5,000 might have believed, that was fish and this was bread, but would this have satisfied, and refreshed him for a time? Would this have filled him? Clearly not, he must eat. This is a very striking illustration. To merely say, I do not doubt that Jesus was the incarnate Son from heaven; I do not doubt He made atonement for everybody on the cross; nay, many do say so, and yet are not saved and have not eternal life. I must personally receive these two facts for my own life: eternal life. As Jeremiah says, “Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and they word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart.” (Jer. 15:1616Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O Lord God of hosts. (Jeremiah 15:16).)
The great lesson then is that it is not the mere assent to these truths, or the believing in Jesus as a prophet, or as Messiah; neither is it true that going to mass, or taking the sacrament will give eternal life; but the receiving of Him who came down from heaven, became man that He might make full atonement for my sins believing His word as to this, in faith, and repentance, an entire change of mind. We are thus assured by His words, we have eternal life. Peter did not say, Thou hast the flesh of eternal life. May we, with Peter, say, “Lord to whom shall we go? thou hast the WORDS of eternal life. And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ the Son of the living God.”
C. S.
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