MAN'S divine and eternal heritage is epitomized in these familiar verses from I John: "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God. . . . Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is." John then adds, "And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure." And he goes farther with directions for this purifying; for he warns against sin, exhorts to righteousness, shows the necessity of love for the brethren if one would have eternal life, and answers in the following words the question, How may I know that I am following truth? "Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God. . . . And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him."
Our inheritance is made sure to us by Christian Science, the Science of Christ, the truth which Christ Jesus taught and by which we may gain health, freedom, and eternal life. Christian Science illumines the way indicated by Christ Jesus in his teachings. He taught that we are heirs and sons of God.
If heirs, then, of so glorious a heritage, how must we proceed to enjoy it? First, we must claim it. Should we fall heir to an estate, what would be our procedure? Should we act merely as an onlooker in case another endeavored to break the will which constituted us heir? Should we not, instead, use every right means to establish our position as the rightful heir? Should we not actively pursue the matter, maintaining a confident stand based on right? Should we not employ a lawyer to defend our rights and help us to carry out the will of the one who made us heir? How much more industrious and persistent ought we to be, then, in claiming that most glorious heritage of the sons of God!
