The Fourth Discourse: Jesus, the Bread of Life (6)

Last week we gave our attention to our Lord's words in John 6:47-59. These were the final words of our Lord in this teaching session before a Jewish gathering in the synagogue of Capernaum. Our Lord pressed upon these people the vital importance that they believe on Him solely and fully in order to receive the gift of eternal life. Our Lord spoke in terms that startled and even offended these people. Because of the nature of the language and the history of interpretation of this passage, we felt compelled last Lord's Day to address the Scriptural teaching regarding the Lord's Supper, over against those who have twisted this passage to justify their errant belief and practice; namely, Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy with their aberrant promotion and practice of the Mass and transubstantiation. Because we felt compelled to address those matters last Lord's Day, we were not able to say a great deal about some of the details of these verses before us. We will do so this morning for several minutes before continuing our consideration of the rest of this chapter. Today we will give particular attention to temporary "believers" or "disciples" who do not have salvation, whose turning away from Christ reveals that they never knew Him.