What is the meaning of John 6:56? Whoever Jesus opens the statement with an open-armed invitation. • This word sweeps in every person willing to respond—echoing “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish” (John 3:16). • “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:13). No one is excluded by background, age, or past. • The verse therefore establishes responsibility: the offer is universal, but the response is personal. Eats My flesh The Lord points to His physical body given on the cross. • At the Last Supper He broke bread and said, “Take and eat; this is My body” (Matthew 26:26). The same literal body would be nailed to Calvary (1 Peter 2:24). • Isaiah 53:5 reminds us that “by His wounds we are healed.” To “eat” is to appropriate—take in—His once-for-all sacrifice. • Practical outworking: – Trust that Jesus’ death satisfied God’s justice. – Participate regularly in the Lord’s Table, remembering the tangible cost of redemption (1 Corinthians 11:24). And drinks My blood The shedding of blood sealed the new covenant. • “This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matthew 26:27-28). • Hebrews 9:14 affirms that Christ’s blood “purifies our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.” • Drinking symbolizes inward reception of that cleansing. We are not talking about figurative myth but the real, historical flow of divine blood that secures forgiveness (Ephesians 1:7). Remains in Me Union with Christ is meant to be ongoing, not a one-time event. • “Remain in Me, and I will remain in you” (John 15:4). The same Greek verb here is used in both texts; abiding brings continual life. • Marks of remaining: – Daily dependence on His Word (John 8:31). – Conscious obedience (1 John 3:24). – Ongoing fellowship with other believers (Hebrews 10:24-25). And I in him Astonishingly, the indwelling is mutual. • “Christ lives in me” (Galatians 2:20) describes an inner reality made possible by His Spirit (Romans 8:9-11). • Colossians 1:27 calls this “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” • The result: – Empowerment to bear fruit that lasts (John 15:5). – Assurance that nothing can separate us from His love (Romans 8:38-39). Summary John 6:56 promises that anyone—who personally receives the crucified body and shed blood of Jesus, signified in faith and celebrated in communion—enters a living, ongoing union with Christ. As we continually abide in Him, He actively dwells in us, sustaining, transforming, and securing us for eternity. |
    |