Christianity as established by Christ Jesus is something vastly more than a set of doctrines or a category of dogmas; it is the way of Life, the means whereby mankind may emerge from its self-imposed bondage of matter into that understanding which constitutes salvation and eternal life. Christianity as established by Jesus is practical religion, possible of proof through demonstration. All Christians agree that the brief years of his ministry were signalized by works which proved the truth of his teachings,—teachings not theoretical and general, but practical and explicit, setting forth to the least detail the means whereby to overcome evil with good, that is to say, to manifest the Christ.
While many have claimed to accept the precepts of the Nazarene, few have really been willing to undergo the sacrifice of materiality to a degree necessary to gain that spiritual consciousness which Paul termed "the mind of Christ." Herein lies the explanation of the failure to make manifest the kingdom of God on earth, whereby the stress and strife of human experience are overcome and true brotherhood is established.
Christian Science, as the restoration of primitive Christianity, is teaching and demonstrating the truth set forth by Christ Jesus with the same results he accomplished in the regeneration of mankind. Christian Scientists recognize that in order to spread the gospel of Spirit, the lives of its disciples must bear witness to the quality of the message. The final appeal of any religious teaching is what it does, not what it claims to do. This age makes strong claims to be first of all practical. Nothing is accepted on a mere ipse dixit: the demand is for proof. The philosophical discussions of the centuries have not healed the broken-hearted, comforted the sorrowing, redeemed the sinful, or healed the sick. Mere speculative theory has no more efficacy in meeting the needs of humanity than have "moonbeams to melt a river of ice," to use Mrs. Eddy's apt expression on page 241 of "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures."
As recorded in John's gospel, the Master declared to his disciples, "It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing;" and he followed this declaration with the significant sentence, "The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life." Despite these explicit statements as to the quickening agency, humanity has clung tenaciously to its course, quite unwilling to abandon its earthborn sense of existence, even though it is known to lead only to ultimate disaster. The statement has sometimes been made that proof of the Biblical promises is not sufficient,—that more tangible evidence should be adduced in order to insure their acceptance as established fact; and the materialists who make such claims would, it seems, scarcely be convinced "though one rose from the dead."
Scriptural evidences of the supremacy of Spirit over the beliefs of matter, of the omnipotence, omniscience, and omnipresence of God, are found very convincing when examined in the light of true Christian faith. Christian Scientists are constantly adding to the weight of evidence through their healing and redemptive works. They are not in doubt as to the quality of the gospel teachings; theirs is the indisputable proof of individual experience that the gospels are demonstrably true. Not on faith alone, not on a blind credulity, but on the most substantial proof consequent upon scientific knowledge do they rest their case. The evidence is conclusive in its character, overwhelming in its volume.
Moreover, Christian Scientists are convinced that the teachings of Christ Jesus as interpreted by Mary Baker Eddy constitute the only way to the kingdom of heaven. They are assured that there is no other course whereby the seeming weight of evil may be overcome and salvation won. Our Leader's words are definite:
"When we learn the way in Christian Science and recognize man's spiritual being, we shall behold and understand God's creation,—all the glories of earth and heaven and man" (Science and Health, p. 264). What a wonderful prospect! To witness and understand the beauty and perfection of God's creation, even "the glories of earth and heaven and man"!
A clergyman, writing on "Protestantism at the Crossroads" in a current issue of a popular magazine, says: "Protestantism must accept, with all its implications, and in daring spirit, the truth that religion is a 'way' of life rather than a formula. It must test a Christian, not so much by what he thinks or by what he feels, as by the way he lives. It must assert that Jesus meant us to live in the way of his words and example, and that any profession of faith in him is hollow and ineffective which does not issue in doing as he says." The necessity for doing the works and living the life as exemplified by Christ Jesus can scarcely be more clearly set forth. The way may seem hard; but there is no other, and true Christians will follow it.
Christian Scientists lay great emphasis upon the necessity of obedience to Jesus' precepts. Profession is not sufficient. Is not obedience the test of our status as Christians? Are we truly living in accord with his mandates, following in his footsteps, thinking as he thought, and giving God all the glory? If so, then we are manifesting the results which he explicitly stated should be the signs following the belief in—that is, the understanding of—him and his mission. The standard seems high, but the reward is great, nothing less than the abiding sense of Love's everpresence. What more can one hope for or desire than this transcendent experience, which reveals God's infinity and perfection? If we be not weary in well-doing, but rise higher and ever higher in an effort to find God, we shall profit immeasurably; we shall even gain eternal life in the very present. A poet described the way of life in these words:—
"A way, it is not hedged with forms,
A truth, too large for creeds,
A life, indwelling, deep and broad,
That meets the heart's great needs."
Manifestly, that which "meets the heart's great needs" must be the true way, the way which is Christ.
