Have you ever gone to a grocery store because you had run out of milk? And then when you got to the checkout counter, you noticed that your shopping basket contained breakfast rolls that were on sale, strawberries that looked particularly fresh, pork chops that would go in the freezer...but no milk! Most of us have done something like this, have allowed various distractions to pull us away from our original intention.
We sometimes become distracted and lose sight
of our primary purpose. The college student may
need to remind himself of his original goal. The
employee may need to re-identify the vision that first
prompted him to take a particular job.
And even in the much more significant areas of human endeavor, we sometimes become distracted and lose sight of our primary purpose. The college student may need to remind himself of his original goal for attending school. The employee may need to re-identify the vision that first prompted him to take a particular job.
Similarly, a student of Christian Science needs to keep in view the deeper mission of Christian Science, which is the healing of sin. We may find ourselves viewing physical healing as the fundamental aim of Christian Science. But Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer and Founder of this Science, explains: "Healing physical sickness is the smallest part of Christian Science. It is only the bugle-call to thought and action, in the higher range of infinite goodness. The emphatic purpose of Christian Science is the healing of sin; and this task, sometimes, may be harder than the cure of disease; because, while mortals love to sin, they do not love to be sick." Rudimental Divine Science, pp. 2-3
In emphasizing the healing of sin, Mrs. Eddy is following the Way-shower, Christ Jesus, who consistently taught his followers to repent of sin. The multitudes were attracted to Jesus by his marvelous healing works; these healings acted like a "bugle-call." But when the people came to Jesus, he did not specifically teach them about physical health. Rather he taught them to see their sonship with God and express it in Christly living. Meekness was to replace pride. Forgiveness was to replace anger. Genuine holiness was to replace religious ritual.
The Master once explained his mission in these words: "I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." Mark 2:17 Can we not also say that the "emphatic purpose" of Jesus' ministry was the healing of sin—overcoming anything that would claim to separate us from God, divine good? To be an honest follower of Christ Jesus (and to be an honest Christian Scientist), each individual must give priority to overcoming sinful beliefs. This is our emphatic purpose.
Eliminating sin from character requires us to admit that sin can be healed. Jesus was not asking us to do the impossible but to abandon that which has no normal or necessary place in our lives.
Sin is healable because man, as the reflection of God, Spirit, is always spiritual and innocent. Any claim of a mortal, sinful selfhood is the opposite of God and is destined to be overthrown, since God is the only true creative Principle.
We usually progress gradually in the demonstration of this spiritual fact. We tend to see sin's unreality more or less slowly because we sometimes think of certain faults as legitimate, even inescapable. The carnal or mortal mind suggests that some sins are too well-established to be healed and that others are too insignificant to be counted as sin. Mortal mind would resist the healing of sin because this spiritual progress silences the mortal claim that we have a material selfhood.
But what a great encouragement it is when we see another person steadily putting off sinful anger, procrastination, or self-depreciation. This individual's example can inspire us to resist mortal mind's discouraging arguments and to press forward in our own efforts to demonstrate man's God-given exemption from sin.
When we feel the need for help in this struggle, we can turn to the Bible and to Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures and the other writings of Mrs. Eddy, Here we learn of the importance of recognizing sin, repenting of sin, and understanding that sin has no originator.
Recognizing sin
Sin doesn't commonly announce itself as evil or undesirable. It often lies unrecognized against the everyday expectation of human foibles and imperfection. Although sometimes, in blatancy and egotism, sin stands out in the open and claims to be legitimate, more frequently our work is to bring the subtle argument that we are something other than God's idea out from its resting place in common consent.
Even a casual reading of the Gospels shows that Jesus was persistently unveiling sin. To Peter he said, "Thou savourest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men." Mark 8:33 To an immoral woman whom he had never met before, Jesus said, "Thou hast well said, I have no husband: for thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband." John 4:17, 18
Perhaps summarizing his efforts to uncover sin, Jesus explained, "If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloke for their sin." John 15:22
Why did Jesus devote so much time to uncovering sin? Certainly he was not seeking to heap torment upon sinners. Jesus loved others. And this deep love had the effect of exposing the evil that would claim to attach itself to man's God-given innocence. The Master's method was to detect sin so that sin could be seen for its godlessness, hence its impotence and lack of identity.
Jesus' expression of God's love was a redeeming love. Christly love brings sin to the surface only for the purpose of healing it. This is why we must identify whatever is sinful.
Recognizing sin requires honest self-examination and self-knowledge. Because we are in truth children of God, the one Mind, we can express the wisdom to see what is good and worthy in character and what is not good and not truly worthy. We can realize that the good is God-given and therefore real, and that the evil is not of God and therefore unable to endure. As we realize that it is not our true nature to be sinful or to cover over sin, we can lift it out of character and out of our lives.
Repenting of sin
Once we have exercised the honest discernment needed to recognize sin, we can repent of it and turn away from its temptations.
Genuine repentance is a welling up of our desire to do right and be good. It occurs when we are fed up with the wrongness of our old ways and yearn to be better. Repentance is the effect of God's goodness, coming to the human consciousness, showing us our need and our ability to reform. Mrs. Eddy explains: "Three cardinal points must be gained before poor humanity is regenerated and Christian Science is demonstrated: (1) A proper sense of sin; (2) repentance; (3) the understanding of good." Miscellaneous Writings, p. 107
A beautiful and clear example of heartfelt repentance is found in Luke's Gospel. See Luke 7:36-50 A sinful woman came to Jesus while he was eating at a Pharisee's house. With tears caused by a repentant heart, she bathed the Master's feet and anointed them with an ointment.
Her contrition showed itself as utter humility. Sorrow over sin welled up from the deepest reaches of her heart. Yearning for something better, she came to honor Christ Jesus. And in doing this, she honored the integrity and morality for which Jesus stood.
Our humble desire to do right can grow. And we can sincerely endeavor to part with sin by accepting the spiritual fact that in reality we are not saddled with any false character trait.
Sin has no originator
Successful repentance doesn't hinge on human will but on acknowledging our God-established freedom from sin. For man to be a hostage of sin, God would have to be supplying man with it, or at least tolerating it in His creation. But God is not originating even a moment of sin.
Christian Science affirms that God is the only creator, and all that He creates is good and worthy. God's creation expresses unstained purity and unwavering fidelity to Him. God, being perfect Love, could never fashion evil, sensuality, or lawlessness. Nor has God formed man to be a battlefield between right and wrong, good and evil. He hasn't subjected man to irresistible carnal influences or vested man with self-centered material instincts. God's man is spiritual and forever sinless.
Christ, Truth, awakens us to our true, sinless nature. Christ shows us that we need not be slaves to lust, dissatisfaction, intemperance, hatred, or any species of sin. Our eternal nature is to love only that which is good and pure.
In proportion as we glimpse this true identity and make strong efforts to demonstrate it, sin diminishes in our experience. As we gain in the understanding of our real being as the image of God, good, we find that sin cannot successfully hide itself in our character. And our efforts to tackle sin and prove its emptiness and powerlessness are undergirded and strengthened by our understanding of man's God-given innocence.
