Editorial February 9, 1924 Issue

"Have faith in God"

Editor

Christ Jesus' teachings explicitly emphasize the need among men for firm and unchanging faith in God, the need to trust Him under all conditions, always and implicitly. In his purpose to inculcate faith in God upon his followers he never faltered. "Have faith in God," he admonished the disciples, as recorded in Mark's gospel; and he illustrated the sure results of reposing full faith in the Father in words deeply pondered by Christians during all the centuries since he uttered them: "Whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast intothe sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith." Wonderful words! "And shall not doubt in his heart"! What an incentive to gain unshrinking faith in God, in His power, goodness, presence, and readiness to meet every need, when sought righteously through the prayer of understanding!

To have faith in God—that is to say, faith which rests upon spiritual understanding—is the best preparation for meeting the problems of human experience. And when, as we learn in Christian Science, faith springs from a clear and demonstrable understanding of God, it becomes an impregnable fortress, against which the waves of doubt and uncertainty beat in vain. How great a factor, then, is faith in the working out of one's salvation, that is, in gaining the kingdom of God!

Christian Science clearly sets forth the conditions which make for the development of faith. Writing of self-reliance and confidence, on page 23 of "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," Mrs. Eddy makes this significant statement: "Faith, if it be mere belief, is as a pendulum swinging between nothing and something, having no fixity. Faith, advanced to spiritual understanding, is the evidence gained from Spirit, which rebukes sin of every kind and establishes the claims of God." How important, then, that we gain faith in order to know and demonstrate the rule of divine Love, the God of heaven and earth!

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