Article August 24, 1912 Issue

John's understanding of Jesus and his teachings did not...

W. C. Williams

Hagerstown (Md.) Globe

John's understanding of Jesus and his teachings did not come through the physical senses any more than did that of Peter when Jesus said to him: "Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona : for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven." Unless the Bible is taken spiritually (and it was inspired by God, who is Spirit), we know with our critic that many things, if mentioned from the material standpoint, will not agree with the spiritual and eternal standpoint. Christian Science does not contradict itself nor does it try to pervert other Christians from faith in the Bible, but shows them how to prove their faith in it. Jesus promised everlasting life to all those who believed on him, and told them that "whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die." To contend that Jesus died is to make him less than those to whom he gave the promise. He also said : "I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again." The climax of his glorious mission was to prove to the world that there is no death.

This is what Jesus said of his flesh and blood: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you." "He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him." But surely no one believes that Jesus meant this literally, though some of his disciples did until he explained: "The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life." If we live forever we cannot die, though we shall continue to shuffle "off this mortal coil" until we have grown to the spiritual condition where mortality can be consigned to its native nothingness.

Christian Science does heal all diseases, and instead of endangering the health of the community, many of the cases have been healed after having been declared incurable by physicians. Christian Science does not deny that God is personal, except in the restricted sense; and it says with Jesus: "The kingdom of God is within you."

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