Editorial June 21, 1913 ISSUE

SONSHIP

Annie M. Knott

CHRISTIAN SCIENCE has for nearly half a century been revealing to humanity in a new and most vital way the privilege of sonship to God, and it has had to do this in the face of a false sense of man's relation to his heavenly Father. This is very evident from the numerous protests which have come from professed Christians against the possibility of doing the will of God in the way that Christ Jesus did, some declaring that even to attempt the healing of the sick by spiritual means alone is actually sacrilegious; yet nothing can be found in the Scriptures to support such a contention. In his first epistle John declares without any reservation that "the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world;" and he adds, "Herein is our love made perfect, . . . because as he is, so are we in this world." Strong words are these, but no more so than those of the Master himself, respecting his true followers, namely, "They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world."

The difficulty with the average religionist has been that he has attempted to identify the mortal, material concept of man with the spiritual man who is never less than godlike and Christlike, the one who because of his obedience to divine law is entitled to all the privileges of sonship, including dominion. A false sense of humility has led men to disclaim these privileges and man's responsibilities as sons of God, and to allot to themselves burdens as heavy as those imposed by Pharaoh. This, it will be remembered, was the career outlined for himself by the prodigal son. He was about to say, "Make me as one of thy hired servants," when the father began to lavish upon him the tokens of tenderest affection. The stern elder son had never risen above the thought of servitude, but how different was the father's thought: "Son, thou art ever with me."

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