Do branch Churches of Christ, Scientist, need guidelines and bylaws? The best answer can be found in the Bible, which explains the spiritual basis for church, and in the writings of Mrs. Eddy, who founded The First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston, Massachusetts.
The Bible makes clear that the children of Israel needed statutes—rules that when obeyed guaranteed law and order. These were given by God through Moses, and in the Old Testament we find numerous instructions and admonitions to keep God's holy commandments and to be obedient to His statutes.
Christ Jesus recognized the necessity for God-given laws to govern mankind's actions. He said: "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled."Matt. 5:17, 18. Christ Jesus brings to full flower the promise of these divine statutes by proclaiming to us in the Sermon on the Mount, "Blessed are . . . ." And then he enumerates the blessings on the poor in spirit, those that mourn, the merciful, the peacemakers, the meek, those who are searching for righteousness, those who are pure in heart, those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake and Christ's sake.See Matt. 5:3-11. In prayerfully pondering these divine promises, we see much more clearly why they are called the Beatitudes.
