In his epistle to the Romans the Apostle Paul makes the following significant statement: "The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ." Christ Jesus on different occasions referred to God as "my Father," "your Father," and "our Father." He rebuked the Jews for basing their claim to salvation upon Abraham as their father. He said "to the multitude, and to his disciples, . . . Call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven."
Every time we repeat the Lord's Prayer we affirm that God is "our Father," and pray that His "will be done in earth, as it is in heaven." The effectiveness of our praying depends, therefore, upon the sincerity with which we surrender the belief of human origin and the desire to have our own way. Our beloved Leader, Mary Baker Eddy, makes this point especially clear on page 165 of "Miscellaneous Writings," where she says: "The truth uttered and lived by Jesus, who passed on and left to mortals the rich legacy of what he said and did, makes his followers the heirs to his example; but they can neither appreciate nor appropriate his treasures of Truth and Love, until lifted to these by their own growth and experiences."
It is apparent, therefore, that Christian Science requires more than a religious profession or belief in its teaching; it requires demonstration of the Christ-principle. To say, "I am a child of God," without denying the belief of life in matter, would be equivalent to claiming that God, who is Spirit, is the Father of mortality. In his epistle addressed to "the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad," the Apostle James emphasizes the need for sincerity when he writes: "Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded." Double-mindedness clearly implies appearing to believe one thing at one time and something different at another. This would seem to be pretending to be what one is not, which is the essence of hypocrisy, a state of thought which can never find its way into the kingdom of heaven.
