Editorial March 16, 1935 Issue

"The warfare with one's self"

Duncan Sinclair

Every sincere student of Christian Science is alive to the need of mastering whatever tends to hinder his spiritual progress. The apostle's words to the Galatians persistently present themselves to his thought: "And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit." Paul certainly put spiritual things first! Students of Christian Science admit the sincerity, the reasonableness, of his words, and pray for the understanding, patience, and steadfastness which will enable them to be faithful to them.

The flesh! The term may be taken as embracing all the material beliefs held by mortals—the sensuous, the sinful, the depraved; self-righteousness, self-will, envy, jealousy, hatred, malice, revenge, covetousness. All such evil beliefs are related to "the flesh." And it is these which the Christian Scientist in the warfare with himself must scientifically overcome through spiritual understanding, in order that health, happiness, and peace shall be established within him. Mrs. Eddy writes on page 118 of "Miscellaneous Writings," "Self-ignorance, self-will, self-righteousness, lust, covetousness, envy, revenge, are foes to grace, peace, and progress; they must be met manfully and overcome, or they will uproot all happiness."

The Christian Scientist has an advantage over those uninstructed in the teachings of this Science, since he has a knowledge of God as infinite good, which enables him to regard evil entirely differently from the way he formerly regarded it. This understanding empowers him to know that evil cannot have a real existence. The result is that he does not look upon "the flesh with the affections and lusts" as once he did. These are not of God, he is assured; they have no divine support, and are therefore powerless to keep him under servitude to them. What a relief this understanding is to those who have tried in vain to rise above sensuousness and other forms of sin! What hope it gives them to realize that they need no longer be slaves to gross materiality; that they can be free if they will accustom their thoughts to dwell on spiritual truth, admitting no reality, no power, to whatever claims to be the opposite of God!

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