THE student of Christian Science early learns that to forgive means to see the unreality of the thing which is to be forgiven. It is not difficult to forgive when one begins to learn that error is no part of man made in the image and likeness of God—no part of reality.
The beauty of Christian Science lies in the fact that it makes possible through the understanding of man, as the divine reflection of God, the overcoming of every mortal error. Nothing but one's own acceptance of error can even seem to prevent one from realizing his heritage as a child of God. Purification of thought comes with the understanding of the allness of God and the perfection of spiritual creation. On page 365 of "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" Mary Baker Eddy makes clear the Christian Scientist's need for having "enough Christly affection to win his own pardon," that he may be prepared "to practise scientifically and deal with his patients compassionately." He must see the unreality of the difficulty under consideration.
Primarily, forgiveness is the purifying of our concept of God. We need to be divinely forgiven for every false belief we entertain about God and His ideas. Therefore, we turn to God as the creator of all good and endeavor to realize the perfection of His creation. In God's spiritual universe there is no sin, disease, sorrow, or death. We must realize that good alone is real and the material unreal, and this will enable us to see God's ideas as He sees them.
