Abiding in Christ.

We have been invited to abide in Christ. As we do, we bear fruit. The fruit is the image of Christ, in ourselves first, and then in others whom we influence.

When we bear fruit we are pruned. Much of our life is stripped away; in particular, the fruit we had borne previously. After the pruning we bear fruit of higher quality and in greater abundance.

When we do not keep ourselves in Christ we do not bear the image of Christ in ourselves or in others. We are a dead branch. We then are removed from Christ. The Life of the Vine no longer is in us. We have slain our own resurrection.

The American materialistic culture will kill our spiritual life if we are not careful.

Living because of Christ.

Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. (John 6:57)

To grasp how Jesus Christ lives because of the Father requires a lot of thought on our part. Theologians have labored to accurately define the Godhead. Are the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit one Person in three different forms, or are they three Persons who dwell in perfect harmony?

If They are three Persons, are those three Persons actually co-equal and co-eternal?

I don't believe this to be true. I believe the Father is greater than the Son; that the Son obeys the Father.

"God" is not a name, it is a title. "Father" is not a name, it is a relationship. We do not know the name of the Father. We do know He has made Jesus Christ, God, because the Bible says so. This means Christ has all authority in the heavens and on the earth. It does not mean Jesus Christ is another name for the Father. This simply is not Scriptural.

The Lord Jesus Christ lives by the very Life of the Father. He obeys the Father. He is the perfect image of the Father. He represents the Father throughout the universe of God.

The same is to be true of us.

We are to live by the very Life of Jesus Christ. We are to obey Christ. We are to be the perfect image of Christ. We are to represent Christ throughout the universe of God.

However, this will be true of us only as we feed on Christ. Everything depends on our feeding on Christ. We understand, therefore, that the Christian salvation is not a set of beliefs but a continual feeding on the flesh and blood of the Son of Man.

Immortality.

This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your forefathers ate manna and died, but he who feeds on this bread will live forever. (John 6:58)

What will it be like to live forever? How much money would the rich and powerful of the world spend if they could buy a medicine that would enable them to live forever in their power and luxury?

Actually, death comes as a blessing to many people. Some who spend their days in intolerable pain find relief through death. Some are merely tired. They are ready to lay down their aged body.

There are other reasons why people would just as soon take their chances on there being life after death.

Immortality is to be desired only as long as we are in a state of love, joy, and peace. Isn't that a fact? So when the Lord speaks of raising, in the last day, those who feed on His flesh and blood, He means raising them to endless love, endless joy, and endless peace.

And this is much to be desired!

The prospect of eternal life in a state of endless joy rests on the foundation of the atonement made by Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary.

While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, "Take and eat; this is my body." Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins." (Matthew 26:26-28) (from John 6:25-58)