Editorial April 8, 1922 Issue

"As one having authority"

Ella W. Hoag

The Bible states that Jesus spoke "as one having authority," and Mrs. Eddy tells us in "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (p. 26), "Divine Truth, Life, and Love gave Jesus authority over sin, sickness, and death." On page 395 she further says, "Like the great Exemplar, the healer should speak to disease as one having authority over it." What a marvelous sequence: Jesus spoke with authority; God gave him this authority; we should speak with the same authority. This presents a great hope and the certain way of its fulfillment.

Thousands of Christian Scientists are longing with a desire unspeakable to heal the sick as Jesus healed them, and are praying, watching, working, to attain the spiritual height where sin and disease shall flee before the word of Truth declared by them, even as when the blessed Master spoke. Each is chiding himself times without number because he does not prove God's all-presence and all-power more as Jesus did, since Jesus himself promised that if his followers had faith even "as a grain of mustard seed" no evil should be able to withstand the authority of their word against it. He said definitely: "Whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith." Herein is stated the possibility of great good; but also the human difficulty,—"and shall not doubt in his heart."

Jesus unquestionably approached every error with the recognition that he had the understanding with which to vanquish it. Whatever work he had to do in the overcoming of evil was not undertaken until he had the necessary assurance that he should succeed. He took every step in his triumphal pathway that others might follow where he led. A careful study of his life-work shows plainly that he waited on God at all times until ready to do the work that was given him to do. Then approaching it, he never parleyed with the error; nor did he ever once admit that he did not possess the God-given ability to speak with authority to any and every belief which must be proved unreal. Having obeyed God in "the preparations of the heart," he went forth to the vanquishment of evil with all the authority which he had thus gained.

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