Article July 19, 1924 Issue

Evangelizing Human Selfhood

ELIZABETH MARIA CORDSEN

The generally accepted theory that man possesses a dual nature, a human and a divine one, is to all appearances very real to mankind, despite the warning in the allegory of the garden of Eden that men should beware of partaking of the fruit of the tree of good and evil. Since mortals seem to have accepted such a belief,—that evil along with good obtains in man,—they have reaped the fruits of their belief in evil experiences. Believing man's nature to consist of good and evil, they have—tacitly or rebelliously, as the case might be—viewed the resulting evil as unavoidable, and gradually become so reconciled to wrong that they have often accepted it as the inevitable thing, and good as the exception. This condition of servitude to both good and evil, coupled with a belief of helplessness against evil's domination, has been generally accepted throughout the centuries.

Christian Science, however, in accordance with the teaching and demonstration of Christ Jesus, reveals that good is the only reality and power, and that evil is illusion. Christian Science also explains Jesus' spiritual process of healing, which establishes man as wholly good, and able to reap the fruits of good alone. So steeped, however, has mankind become in the wrong assumption, that it can but slowly grasp this possibility. It queries, "How can Spirit affect the material? and how can men be helped thereby?" The answer is given by our Leader, Mary Baker Eddy, when she explains on page 254 of the Christian Science textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," that "the human self must be evangelized." As she realized the difficulty which mankind would meet in making this remedy practical, she continues, "This task God demands us to accept lovingly to-day, and to abandon so fast as practical the material, and to work out the spiritual which determines the outward and actual."

We are never justified, therefore, in merely heaving a sigh over our faults and failings, and expressing the pious hope that some day we shall be better men and women. Every alert Christian Scientist knows how much there is in his character that needs to be evangelized. And in working honestly to accomplish this, he has also found that no sooner has one erroneous belief been dealt with and destroyed with the help of God, than another may appear for immediate attention. But the warfare is grand; and the sense of victory and resulting purification bring their own reward. There is no room, however, for self-congratulation or for idle glorying. With a fervent "Father, I thank Thee for this victory," the worker proceeds to his next battle. Thus the purifying process should go on continually.

Send a comment to the editors

We'd love to hear from you!

Easily submit your testimonies, articles, and poems online.

Submit

Evangelizing Human Selfhood

We'd love to hear from you!

Sign up for unlimited access