Editorial February 17, 1917 Issue

Faith and Understanding

Annie M. Knott

Owing to the obscuring influences of material belief the word faith has to a large extent lost its original meaning,—that which is given to it in the Scriptures, especially in our Master's teachings. Those outside of Christian Science have, sad to say, associated it in large measure with mere credulity; and those who were wont to believe that they had faith in divine power—locked away in the casket where they kept their sacred things—very often found, when they attempted to make use of it in some distressing experience, that the thing they called faith could do little or nothing for them. In other words, they had not at all what the apostle calls "the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ," but a valueless counterfeit which they themselves were ready to throw away when it was put to the test.

For the reasons here given, students of Christian Science have been rather wary in saying much about faith, and have preferred to speak of the understanding of God and His law which is given so much prominence in Christian Science. It is, however, well worth knowing that the word faith and its derivatives are used hundreds of times in the Scriptures, and that the spiritual idea which they represent is given great prominence in the teachings of Christ Jesus. In addition to this it is very interesting to know that they occur in Science and Health nearly two hundred times, and in Mrs. Eddy's other writings between three and four hundred times, as we discover through the use of the Concordances. It is therefore of the utmost importance that we should not only seek constantly the understanding of which so much is said in the Bible, and which our Master brought in its fulness to some of his disciples on that never to be forgotten walk to Emmaus, but we should realize that in the truest sense faith and understanding are inseparable. We shall begin to appreciate more deeply the teachings of Christ Jesus respecting faith, if we follow our Leader's counsel as given on page 430 of Science and Health, where she says, "Faith should enlarge its borders and strengthen its base by resting upon Spirit instead of matter."

The trouble with so many has been that what they called faith was dependent almost entirely upon material evidence, and the great Teacher sorrowfully rebuked his students for this in saying to them, "Where is your faith?" In the case of the storm on the Sea of Galilee, when Peter was encouraged to go to his Lord who was walking upon the water, he was able to take the first few steps successfully; but when he looked away from the Christ-idea as represented by his Master and took the material evidence of wind and waves, he at once began to sink. Christ Jesus was not, however, in the least influenced by this evidence, nor by the fact that an experienced swimmer was going down into the depths, for we are told that he calmly took Peter's hand and that they went into the boat together.

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