Article March 25, 1922 Issue

Development

CHARLES V. WINN

The Scriptures declare the complete and finished nature of God's creation. In strict accord with the Bible, Christian Science declares the perfect and immutable nature of all that God has brought into being. God, being perfect and immutable, could not bring into being anything imperfect and mutable. One could not conceive of God improving on His own perfect nature; neither can His creation be anything less than that "very good" creation spoken of in the first chapter of Genesis. Yet we are told on page 233 of our textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" by Mary Baker Eddy, that "progress is the law of God," and the Bible and our textbook constantly teach us the possibility of spiritual development. This seeming contradiction is readily disposed of, however, by the faultless logic of divine Science, and by proof in actual practice of its sound basis.

The dictionary defines "develop" as "to disclose, reveal;" so Christian Science is disclosing and revealing that which always has been and always will be; viz., God's spiritual, harmonious, and perfect creation. Christian Science never tries to spiritualize matter, transmute evil into good, or transform the imperfect into the perfect. The Scriptures declare, "Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one;" and Christian Science does not attempt the impossible. But it does teach us that we can so purify our thought that more and more of the beauty and loveliness of Spirit's creation will be unfolded and revealed. What a faith-begetting thought is this! How it encourages those struggling with adverse conditions! The sick man no longer tries to find health in a mortal, imperfect, material body, but through spiritual understanding and demonstration discovers the true man of God's creating, who is always well, strong, and free. The sinner ceases his vain efforts to make a mortal sinner into a good man, but lets the wholly good man of God's creating be uncovered or revealed to his awakened vision. The unsuccessful no longer strive to make the erring, finite sense of man a success, but allow it to be replaced by the spiritual understanding which seeks first "the kingdom of God, and his righteousness;" and, as a result, all things are added. The sorrowing are no longer thinking of the mortal who has come and gone, but of that man who is forever with the Father and is forever unchanged in his perfection and glory.

All this time nothing is being created or added to God's finished work; but we are learning that man is in reality like Him, because he sees "him as he is." What a source of assurance is this to a race that has been educated to consider itself fallen, and has striven in vain to transform this erring, sick, sinning, and dying mortal into the "Son of God"! With what confidence do we approach any discordant situation when we know that, in place of all the seeming, there exists the fact of perfect spiritual being awaiting our perception, acceptance, and demonstration.

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