After coming into Christian Science people often begin to ask to what extent their former religious views concerning the belief of sin and its punishment are in line with the teachings of Science. It may be said that very few religious people apart from Christian Science are at all agreed respecting the punishment of wrong-doers, although the faithful study of the Scriptures throws a wonderful light upon this whole subject. In the earlier time men were not sent to prison for theft, but we read that they were required to make good that which they had taken, oftentimes to the extent of fourfold, so that there could be no advantage in violating the commandment "Thou shalt not steal."
When we come to Jesus' teachings we find a higher interpretation given to the Mosaic law,—one that lifted thought up to the mighty operation of the law of Love, which never condones evil of any sort, but makes perfect restoration possible through obedience to divine law. To the woman whose offense was so grievous that according to human law her life must pay the forfeit, he said: "Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more." Later we find Paul thus passing sentence upon a wrong-doer from the Christ-standpoint, "Let him that stole steal no more;" and many similar passages are to be found in the New Testament. The fact is usually overlooked that the words restitution and retribution are very closely related when their true meaning is reached; and the word retribution, which is usually related to evil alone, also has the higher meaning and includes the reward which inevitably comes for right doing.
Here it should be said that with the healing experienced in Christian Science there usually follows a growing desire to make restitution in respect to whatever has been wrong, and this begins with the deep desire to be just to God, who is the very source of all justice as well as of love. It also brings freedom from the gloomy belief that good has no reward and that evil may be looked for at every turn of the way; but when one turns his face toward the kingdom of God, the realm of righteousness, the law of pains and penalties is replaced by the conscious recognition of divine law, which inspired the psalmist to say, "I delight to do thy will, O my God." On page 66 of "Miscellaneous Writings" Mrs. Eddy points out the imperfect nature of human law, or the human concept of law, which often causes "the innocent to suffer for the guilty." From this she goes on the New Testament declaration, "Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." In commenting upon this decree she says, "No possible injustice lurks in this mandate, and no human misjudgment can pervert it; for the offender alone suffers, and always according to divine decree."
