Editorial September 17, 1932 Issue

Regeneration Continuous

Duncan Sinclair

Who among Christian Scientists does not remember when the light of Truth began to dawn upon his consciousness? Who among them has not the keenest recollection of the time when first he perceived the perfection of God and of the real spiritual man, and began to break away from materiality and sin? The coming of Christian Science with its great spiritual revelation is stamped indelibly on his memory; for it probably meant to him the beginning of an entire change of consciousness, the beginning of a mental and spiritual reformation.

Perhaps one's first experience as a student of Christian Science was a healing of disease. He had heard that Christian Science heals, had secured a copy of its textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" by Mary Baker Eddy, and through reading its inspired pages had obtained some understanding of its teaching. Then, putting that teaching into practice, he had been healed. Thus he had proved in some degree the truth of Christian Science. The new birth had commenced for him: he had begun to enter the kingdom of heaven. Jesus' words to Nicodemus were beginning to be exemplified in his experience: "I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."

A healing, then, in Christian Science, even a healing of a so-called incurable disease, may be but the beginning of the working out of one's salvation. As Mrs. Eddy says on page 15 of "Miscellaneous Writings," "Time may commence, but it cannot complete, the new birth: eternity does this; for progress is the law of infinity." Let not anyone think, however, that Christian Science practice is confined to the healing of disease. It is true that this healing is an important part of the work of Christian Science, but the practice embraces the complete regeneration, the complete salvation, of the individual. The aim of the Christian Scientist is to bring out true manhood, true spiritual selfhood, that selfhood which is the image or reflection of God. Our revered Leader further says in this wonderful piece of writing which is entitled "The New Birth," on page 18, "The purification or baptismals that come from Spirit, develop, step by step, the original likeness of perfect man, and efface the mark of the beast."

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