When Jesus' flesh and blood are consumed properly, they endow the diners with
eternal life.
• John 6:53-54 . . I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man
and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my
blood has eternal life,
Note the grammatical tense of the "has" verb. It's present tense rather than future,
indicating that folks who properly consume Jesus' flesh and blood have eternal now--
no delay and no waiting period.
Now, eternal life is a bullet-proof kind of life, viz: folks need to obtain it just once
and never have to again because eternal life doesn't get old, or wear out, or decay,
or deteriorate; plus, of course, eternal life cannot be killed and/or exterminated like
natural forms of life. Were that not true, then God could be assassinated-- God
could even commit suicide if He wanted to.
_
Since once eternal life is received is forever once obtained, then Jesus was not talking about communion but His crucifixion, otherwise communion needs only to be taken once.
Throughout most of that chapter starting from
John 6:28-40 KJV is Jesus talking about believing in the One He as sent in doing the works of God Himself for how He is the bread of life that gives life to the world and how to receive that bread of life is by coming to & believing in Jesus Christ.
Why the reference to His crucifixion? Those who believe in the preaching of the cross, God is pleased to save them that believe.
1 Corinthians 1:17 For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.
18 For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God....
21 For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.
Jesus had explained to Nicodemus for when the born again of the Spirit will happen as after His ascension which is after His crucifixion for whenever anyone believes in Him will have eternal life.
John 3:7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.
9 Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be?
10 Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?
11 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness.
12 If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?
13 And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.
14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:
15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
To treat His words as if referring to communion, would be to treat the bread & the wine as idols which the bread & the wine was made by men's hands when we are only to take communion in remembrance of Him of what He has done.
1 Corinthians 10:14 Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry.
15 I speak as to wise men; judge ye what I say.
16 The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?
17 For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread.
18 Behold Israel after the flesh: are not they which eat of the sacrifices partakers of the altar?
19 What say I then? that the idol is any thing, or that which is offered in sacrifice to idols is any thing?
20 But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils.
21 Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils.
22 Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? are we stronger than he?
How else can we apply this warning below if we believe we are receiving Him again with His Presence in the Eucharist?
2 Corinthians 11:3 But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.
4 For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.
2 Corinthians 13:5 Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?
