A King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. . . . And this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.—Jeremiah, 23: 5, 6.
In common with many Biblical terms employed to indicate some approximation toward a right ideal of thought and action, the word righteousness has been continuously misinterpreted by the darkened human mind. The meaning of the word has generally depended on the differing concepts of various schools of theology, and its genuine significance has thus been obscured by erroneous interpretations expressed in variable and imperfect standards of conduct. Because of the instability of these unscientific standards the word is commonly clothed with such an unwelcome import that thinking men are not induced to desire or love "righteousness" as it is commonly understood. Even in a world of mortal thought men and women of alert minds are quick to observe that the mental attribute is only too often self-righteousness, and entirely lacking in the substantial character of principled rightness, to the attractions of which there is an innate response in the hearts of all honest thinkers. The human mind, although continually self-centered in its inclinations and occupations, invariably finds all outward manifestations of self-righteousness to be repellent if not reprehensible, and inasmuch as this so-called mind cannot accord with nor accept what it does not understand, it rejects the trite righteousness, because it is the spiritual idea of God— "slain from the foundation of the world" (of material sense).
The right-minded student of Christian Science, whose mental capacity to understand spiritually the Scriptures is thereby quickened, ultimately discovers that this Science is the indisputable Word, or idea, of God,—in verity His Christ,—which heals and saves mankind from all that is unlike Him. To the honestly expectant thought this Science is therefore the impersonal Christ which Paul declared should finally appear to those who look for his coming, "without sin unto salvation." It was clear to Paul that in the fulness of time a purely metaphysical manifestation of Christ, or Truth, should be presented to mankind, but without the physical form such as necessarily accompanied the human existence of Jesus. Indeed this prophesied final appearing could never have been possible had not the Word been "made flesh" in the human personality of Jesus, whose understanding of spiritual Life overcame death and ultimately dispelled the fleshly form wherewith he seemed to have been clothed, as scientifically explained in the chapter "Atonement and Eucharist," in our text-book. Science and Health by Mrs Eddy.
