Originally Posted by
JoeT777
Christ started the work at Calvary ~ God ends it on the "last day".
But, where is the guarantee of salvation, of “once saved always saved”? I don't see it in these verses. These verses are simply declaration the merit of 'just' fruits? Furthermore, by what means do we achieve our seat ~ believe? Isn't salvation through baptism (a work) and isn't salvation eternal life through communion, as commanded by Christ “unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you shall not have life in you? How can you render, all I got to do is believe, from these verses. (By the way ~ I've always wanted to ask ~ does one click their heels together like Alice when they 'believe'?) If we hold the heel clicking true, and John 6:52 is true and John 3:5 is true, what good is it to be seated next to Christ? We could never get to heaven to claim our seat; without baptism the Kingdom's portal is never opened, nor will we ever have an eternal life with which to enjoy our seat.
Our salvation is found in two things, God's love and the hope he gives us. There is no salvation in an Alice like heel clicking belief; there are no assurances, guarantees, or warranties outside of of 'hope'. The first hope is found in John's Gospel, “unless a man be born again of water and the Holy Ghost, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” Christ teaches that any man who enters the “Kingdom of God” must be baptized of water and of the Holy Spirit. The 'Kingdom' has different meanings, a place, a certain holiness transcending life to the next, or the Church herself. Knowing the road to the “Kingdom” we can enter gate through Baptism. The water is the cleansing that lathers away sin; the Holy Spirit instructs and strengthens our faith, as we just heard, through the Church. John the Baptist tells us that we will be baptized in the Holy Ghost and fire (Cf. Matthew 3:11). Over a life time, the Holy Spirit stokes the our passions for Christ with fire with a faith that can be likened to flux, smelting away impurities into a lump of pure golden holiness; whereby the created comes to yearn for the Creator wherein for deliverance. (Rom 8)
In Christ the chains of concupiscence are broken away, freeing the faithful from corruption (death); liberating man, making him eligible to be adopted as the children of God. “We ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption of the sons of God, the redemption of our body” Paul shows us how this happens, “we are saved by hope!” (Rom 8:23-24). It's here in the mournful groans that we are invited to be consumed in communion with Christ.
The second offer of hope is found in the Eucharist; you might say sustenance for the Body of Christ. “For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.” The blood signifies a 'real' sacrifice of meat for the first born on Pasch.
What then are we to make of the Christ saying he was the 'meat'; why wouldn't he feed us manna? You may recall that when the manna fell from heaven, it needed to be collected, processed and cooked in short order, or it would spoil – this bread had a 24 hour shelf life. Christ proposes something more substantial than the Twinkie food – a worthless cake surrounding a sweet pasty center with little real nutritional value. How long would such sustenance last? Christ reminds us that our “fathers ate manna in the desert, and are dead. (John 6:49), sounds like all bun without any filling meat. However to Israel the Shew Bread of the temple was eaten by the high priest to receive Divine Wisdom. This bread of a Divine knowledge is a worthless empty burger without the meat of faith hope and charity provided by the Church.
Why is it that Moses' bread didn't save? The bread of the intellect isn't meat enough to last an eternity; intellectual word of God is only good for this world. Christ, however is telling us He'll provide the beef, he says “I am that bread of life”. I am the meat that an eternal death must pass over, I am the meat of everlasting life, a flesh for the life of the world; a meat for the first-born in His Kingdom. The simple fact of the matter is that “unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you shall not have life in you.” A sacrificial meat for the first born of His KIngdom is given us all so that death will pass over.
Why labor “for the meat which perishes;” why not work for “that which endures unto life everlasting, which the Son of man will give you.” So where's the beef? Christ tells us where, and flat out too, and it ain't in the Wonder bread! “For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. (Cf. John 6:26, 55).
Grumpy JoeT
