Stacy Kudlicki
10/30/07
REL 211 - Ludlow
One-Verse Exegesis
St. John 6:35 - "And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst."
This verse is one of Christ's many analogical references to his purpose. He uses the analogy of bread after his miracle of feeding the five thousand. Although he has bfed them physically, he desires to also feed them spiritually. In this verse, he first defines himself as the bread of life, then states the condition of coming unto him, and follows up with a consequnce of abiding that condition which is to never hunger or thirst again.
In many of Christ's teachings, he uses parables or analogies to explain deep principles and concepts to his simple-minded disciples. He compares the bread they had just eaten to what he calls "the bread of life", to which he identifies himself. He is, therefore, the one way we are capable of partaking of the bread of life, and gaining eternal life. That is his role and no man can come unto the Father but through Christ (John 14:6).
In order for any man to partake of everlasting life, or the bread of life, "[...] they must come to him, they must believe in him. This total self-commitment to Christ, this appropriating him my faith, is the secret of eternal life and perpetual soul-refreshment," (F. F. Bruce). One cannot expect one meal to satisfy throughout a lifetime, just so, coming unto Christ once, such as when we are baptized, cannot satisfy throughout eternity. To come unto hm and believe in him, Christ intends that we should come and stay, and to be continually fed by his mercy and the blessing of his atoning sacrifice. It means to not only believe in him, but to follow him, even in his footsteps.
"Hunger and thirst are the two most demanding of physical needs. Jesus transfers them to the spiritual sphere, and promises the complete, abiding satisifaction of both," (Herschel H. Hobbs). These become, then, the most demanding spiritual neeed: to know that we are saved by his love and grace and his atonment, to know that he is always there for us no matter to what degree of grievousness our sins may be, to know that we can indeed return to our Father in heaven and live with Him for the remainder of eternity. How crucial this need is! Yet somehow it is still so difficult for us, and "in our contemporary success and sophistication we too may walk away from the vitally crucial bread of eternal life; we may actually choose to be spiritually malnourished, willfully indulging in a kind of spiritual anorexia, " (Jeffrey R. Holland). We constantly, then, have an undying hunger pang that no meal can fulfill. Our spiritual tngues are parched and yearn for quenching, but no drink may satisify. It is only through the learning and realization of the atonment of Jesus Christ and partaking of the symbolic sacramental bread that we can understand that there is hope and life beyond this day-to-day drudge.
If we choose to come unto Jesus and abide with him, our human hearts will never long painfully for certainty, for repentance, for protection in this world of eveil-filled minds, or to feel the Spirit (L. Aldin Porter). By continually coming unto him and believe in him, we can partake of his life-giving bread and never hunger again.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
This is Life Eternal
Stacy Kudlicki
10/09/2007
REL 211 - Ludlow
One-Verse Exegesis #1
St. John 17:3 -- "And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent."
The significance of this verse is made evident by it being a key scripture taught in LDS seminaries. There are three significant points that can be extracted from this verse; that (1) the definition of life eternal as (2) each person knowing God and Jesus Christ and that (3) one was sent by the Other, making them two separate individuals.
Life eternal is different from immortality. All people given bodies in this life, will be granted immortality in the next life through the resurrection. Immortality is simply living forever in the next life, and does not grant any special bestowal upon any individual, but is promised freely to all of God's children by His grace. In contrast, life eternal is "the greatest of all the gifts of God" (D&C 14:7) and is distinct in that it encompasses dwelling with God, like God, as gods who endure and overcome all things, have all power, and receive the fullness of the Father.
Knowing God and Christ is distinct from knowing about them. To know about them is to know their nature, their purpose, and their omnipotence; but to truly know them is to "think what He thinks, to feel what He feels, to have the power He possesses, to comprehend the truths He understands, and to do what He does. Those who know God become like him, and have his kind of life, which is eternal life" (McConkie, 762). In order to be in such a holy state, we must practice the example of the living Christ; pure charity, pray constantly in our hearts, endure the torment of our enemies, and a ceaseless determination to perform God's will. This is no easy task, but doing these things can give us only holy thoughts and Christ-like attributes which can come as simply as a quiet assurance in our hearts of the truthfulness of the envelope of God's character. This is how we build up a deep and personal relationship with God so we can truly know Him.
Finally, the verse distinctly declares Jesus Christ as being sent by the only true God. This negates God and Jesus Christ being the same person. This scripture is the intercessory prayer of Jesus Christ to God the Father. Jesus is praying to God. Not to himself. He addresses himself in third person as being sent, a messenger, to fulfill prophecies, declare the new laws and commandments, and to redeem us. He, being delivered to us from God, delivers us from the infallible justice of our sins. It was not God's suffering on the cross, it was Christ's. It was not God's atonement, it was Christ's.
Many scriptures in the standard works indicate that eternal life includes following a narrow path of righteousness, believing on the Son, being spiritually minded, enduring to the end, and is synonymous with a crown and an inheritance. Therefore, to do these things brings about feelings inspired by the Holy Ghost as a means of knowing God so that we may gain eternal life.
10/09/2007
REL 211 - Ludlow
One-Verse Exegesis #1
St. John 17:3 -- "And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent."
The significance of this verse is made evident by it being a key scripture taught in LDS seminaries. There are three significant points that can be extracted from this verse; that (1) the definition of life eternal as (2) each person knowing God and Jesus Christ and that (3) one was sent by the Other, making them two separate individuals.
Life eternal is different from immortality. All people given bodies in this life, will be granted immortality in the next life through the resurrection. Immortality is simply living forever in the next life, and does not grant any special bestowal upon any individual, but is promised freely to all of God's children by His grace. In contrast, life eternal is "the greatest of all the gifts of God" (D&C 14:7) and is distinct in that it encompasses dwelling with God, like God, as gods who endure and overcome all things, have all power, and receive the fullness of the Father.
Knowing God and Christ is distinct from knowing about them. To know about them is to know their nature, their purpose, and their omnipotence; but to truly know them is to "think what He thinks, to feel what He feels, to have the power He possesses, to comprehend the truths He understands, and to do what He does. Those who know God become like him, and have his kind of life, which is eternal life" (McConkie, 762). In order to be in such a holy state, we must practice the example of the living Christ; pure charity, pray constantly in our hearts, endure the torment of our enemies, and a ceaseless determination to perform God's will. This is no easy task, but doing these things can give us only holy thoughts and Christ-like attributes which can come as simply as a quiet assurance in our hearts of the truthfulness of the envelope of God's character. This is how we build up a deep and personal relationship with God so we can truly know Him.
Finally, the verse distinctly declares Jesus Christ as being sent by the only true God. This negates God and Jesus Christ being the same person. This scripture is the intercessory prayer of Jesus Christ to God the Father. Jesus is praying to God. Not to himself. He addresses himself in third person as being sent, a messenger, to fulfill prophecies, declare the new laws and commandments, and to redeem us. He, being delivered to us from God, delivers us from the infallible justice of our sins. It was not God's suffering on the cross, it was Christ's. It was not God's atonement, it was Christ's.
Many scriptures in the standard works indicate that eternal life includes following a narrow path of righteousness, believing on the Son, being spiritually minded, enduring to the end, and is synonymous with a crown and an inheritance. Therefore, to do these things brings about feelings inspired by the Holy Ghost as a means of knowing God so that we may gain eternal life.
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