Article August 4, 2008 Issue

THE SAVING CHRIST

BY MICHAEL HAMILTON

ONE OF THE MOST important teachings of Christian Science is that the Christ is eternally present to heal and save us from sin, sickness, and death. This statement is not dogmatic; it is a scientific proposition that we are invited to demonstrate. Jesus said, "Whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do" (John 14:13).

What is the "name" referred to by Jesus? Many Christians pray to Jesus as God, but the Gospel of John and the writings of St. Paul make a distinction between the temporal Jesus and the eternal Christ. Paul writes of "Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God" (I Cor. 1:24). Science and Health elaborates: "Christ is the ideal Truth, that comes to heal sickness and sin through Christian Science, and attributes all power to God. Jesus is the name of the man who, more than all other men, has presented Christ, the true idea of God, healing the sick and the sinning and destroying the power of death" (p. 473).

Christ is the divine title of Jesus, the message of the messenger. To "ask in my name" means to understand, with a degree of Christly humility, the true idea of God that Jesus taught, and to make it our present basis for action. In fact, there is no time limit on the availability of the Christ. Think of it! Divine ideas don't expire, but continue to inspire. They were available in Jesus' time, and continue to function today.