Editorial June 1, 1918 Issue

God Made Manifest

Annie M. Knott

All Christian Scientists are acquainted with the inspired statement which is read at the close of every Sunday service in the Christian Science churches throughout the world, and which is part of the "scientific statement of being" found on page 468 of "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures." It reads, "All is infinite Mind and its infinite manifestation, for God is All-in-all." This naturally relates itself to Paul's words in his first epistle to Timothy, "God was manifest in the flesh;" also to the words in the first epistle of John: "For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil." The apostle goes on to say, "Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; ... and he cannot sin, because he is born of God."

Christian people are all agreed that God was made manifest to humanity through Jesus of Nazareth, but unfortunately it is also believed to a large extent that this manifestation ceased when Jesus departed from the earth. Christian Science, however, has come declaring that the manifestation of God through man as His idea is an eternal fact, that man as God's reflection can no more be blotted out than can God, his original. The question therefore presents itself, How was God made manifest by Christ Jesus, and how can the followers of the Master make God manifest to those around them? This question would almost answer itself for those who are students of Mrs. Eddy's teachings, for to them the life of the Master is so illuminated by divine Science that they discover on every page of the gospels how Jesus revealed God to men,—not alone through his words, which were few, though precious, but through his mighty deeds in the overcoming of sickness, sin, and death. For students of Christian Science the barrier has been taken away which shut out from them this divine ministry with the belief that it belonged to a bygone age; and that something else, something quite material, and something which is nearly always disappointing, had taken its place, namely, material medicine.

There is little wonder that owing to the prevalence of this mistaken belief so many should have come to doubt the very existence of God, and to doubt that Jesus ever did the wonderful things recorded in the gospels; and many indeed exercise much ingenuity in explaining away the Master's so-called miracles. Not so, however, those who have come to understand through Mrs. Eddy's teachings that the demand rests upon them to make God manifest to all mankind through Christlike living, which of course includes the overcoming of the works of the devil mentioned by the apostle. Happily for humanity the belief is fast disappearing that God is in any wise responsible for sickness and death, any more than He is for sin, although this was too long believed; but now we are, through Christian Science, brought face to face with the fact that our Master's work was to destroy the works of the devil,—sin and sickness,—and that we cannot rightfully claim to be his followers unless we engage in the same ministry, because we have his full assurance that the works he did are possible to all his faithful followers, those who abide in his teachings.

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