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The Fundamentals of those essential processes for the briefest time, the poor creature would miserably perish. As with the physical life, so is it with the spiritual life of those who have been begotten again of the incorruptible seed of the Word. These spiritual beings require appropriate food; and God has abundantly provided for this need. In studying the important subject of spiritual nutrition we shall learn again the relation between Christ, the Incarnate Word, and the Written Word. Both are spoken of repeatedly as food for the children of God. The third, fourth and fifth chapters of the Gospel by John treat of the imparting of eternal life as the free gift of God through Jesus Christ, the Son of God, to all who believe on Him; and the sixth chapter treats of spiritual nutrition. Therein, after feeding the multitude miraculously, thus show ing Himself as the one by whose power food is multiplied in the earth, He reveals Himself as “the Bread of Life.” Twice He says, “I am that bread of life” (verses 35 and 48) and in verse 33, “For the bread of God is He which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.” He Who gives the life is the One who also sustains, it. Again He says, “I am the living bread which came down from heaven” (verse 51). And of .His words He says, “It is the spirit that quick- eneth; the flesh profiteth nothing; the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life” (verse 63). These sayings to the natural mind are, of course, mean ingless ; but they are addressed to faith. “How can this man give us His flesh to eat?” is the question which the unbelieving heart asks. How Christ can impart Himself to sustain the “inner man” is a question to which no answer can now be had. The process is incomprehensible to man. But we have seen that the process of physical nutrition is equally beyond human comprehension and contrary to all a priori probabilities. Looking more particularly at what is said in this connection concerning the written or spoken Word of God we find that
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