Article August 2, 1924 Issue

Destroying Sin

SAMUEL FREDERICK SWANTEES

In the ninth chapter of the gospel according to John we have a most remarkable story. It is the record of the healing of one born blind. At the beginning of this chapter is a short conversation between Christ Jesus and his disciples. We are told that his disciples asked him saying, "Who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?" To which Jesus answered, "Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents." This conversation may not seem important to the casual reader, neither may it seem to have any direct connection with the healing that followed; nevertheless, it is of supreme importance to every Christian; and its relationship to the healing that followed was clearly established in the understanding of the Saviour.

What this conversation sets forth, though highly important because of the unequivocal way in which Christ Jesus answered a question very much in the thought of humanity, is not, however, the only instance on record that shows us how the Master handled the claim of sin. When, for instance, the man suffering from palsy was brought to Jesus, the Master said, "Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee;" and in another instance, Jesus refused to condemn, saying rather, "Go, and sin no more." It cannot be denied, therefore, that if we desire to follow Christ Jesus, the scientific destruction of sin becomes one of our most important duties. Is it not a part of the work of every Christian Science student? Without this scientific destruction of sin the world cannot be saved; for the result of this work will be the final destruction of all sin.

There is hardly anything with which so-called mortal mind is busier than with the imputation of sin unto the various members of the human family, especially against those who desire to be counted as followers of the Christ. Thus, carnal or mortal mind proves its inherent enmity to God, good, and fulfills the Bible's description of the devil or one evil, which is that it is an "accuser." For instance, not long after the healing of the one born blind, the accusation that the Master was a sinner was made against Christ Jesus himself. Now if mortal or carnal mind is the "accuser of our brethren,"—and who can say that it is not,—then we should pause and not be so easily misled into thinking and voicing the claim of sin against any one, especially against those who are struggling to overcome it. Let us turn back for a moment to the lines already quoted. Was not the question the disciples asked an accusation of sin to which the people, as well as the disciples, had ignorantly consented? Christ Jesus was quick to recognize it as such. He did not, however, allow it to stand—no, not for a moment. Instead, he made an emphatic denial of the implied accusation; then proved this person's obedience to and faith in God, good, by sending him to wash in the pool of Siloam; and thus healed him. In the case of the one with the palsy, the Master also first destroyed a sense of sin, and then healed the so-called physical disorder.

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