Editorial April 8, 1922 Issue

Inspiration and the Bible

Duncan Sinclair

At Christian Science testimony meetings one often hears gratitude expressed because Christian Science has enabled the speaker to understand the Bible. He will tell, perhaps, how before he heard of Christian Science the Bible was practically a closed book to him; whereas, now, he can open it with joy, read its pages understandingly, and derive from it great help for life's duties, and for the solving of life's problems.

Christian Scientists heed the admonition of Christ Jesus: "Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me." In the Scriptures is set forth the story of the search of mankind after God, and the gradual revelation of the Supreme Being to men. And in many of the chapters of the Bible there are depicted the struggles, the failures, or the victories of those who lived under the revelation as it was in their day. So that one finds, especially in the Old Testament, an historical record of human achievement or of human failure traceable to fidelity to spiritual understanding on the one hand or to faithlessness to the demands of divine law on the other. It is the same whether the case be that of an individual or of the nation. Thus, obedience to Truth enabled Moses to triumphantly bring the children of Israel out of the bondage of Egypt, and to lead them into the promised land. Innumerable difficulties beset him on the way; but they were all overcome by his faith in the presence and power of God. When, again, the Israelites became contaminated by contact with idolatrous peoples and fell into the abominations of the latter their downfall was certain: their sins carried with them the inevitable punishment.

Now the chief value of the Scriptures to the Christian Scientist lies in their spiritual meaning. It is this he needs especially to know. He desires to learn what they have to tell him about God, about God's creation, about the relationship that exists between God and His creation, man, and how this relationship is sustained. In order to get at their spiritual meaning Christian Science affords him a "key" which he can use whenever he has the desire. On page 547 of "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" Mrs. Eddy has written: "The Scriptures are very sacred. Our aim must be to have them understood spiritually, for only by this understanding can truth be gained;" adding: "The true theory of the universe, including man, is not in material history but in spiritual development. Inspired thought relinquishes a material, sensual, and mortal theory of the universe, and adopts the spiritual and immortal." In these words our Leader reveals the nature of the inspiration which it is necessary to bring to the Scriptures in order that their spiritual meaning may come to light. What is the nature of the inspiration? It is the spiritual understanding of the nature of God and of His creation.

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