Article January 7, 1967 Issue

"A contrite heart"

LESLIE C. BELL

One of the moving stories in the Bible is about a woman of ill fame who entered the house of Simon the Pharisee where Jesus was a guest at dinner. As a token of her contrition for her sins, she washed and anointed Jesus' feet. By her genuine grief and reverent love for and desire to serve the Master she showed that she was truly repentant. He said of her, "Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much."Luke 7:47

While teaching that man, the image and likeness of God, is sinless and perfect. Christian Science does not ignore that sin claims reality and power. On the contrary, it teaches that as long as we believe in sin and practice it, we shall receive the punishment due for such indulgence. Every thought and action which is not Christlike must be forsaken and replaced by the truths of spiritual being Christ Jesus revealed. Christ, the true idea of God, admitted to consciousness, destroys the belief in sin.

To be truly humble and penitent for sin is to gain that state of mind which enables the Christ to enter and destroy sin. To adopt the position that we may claim our perfection now as the child of God without specifically uncovering and denying the false claims of sin that we have held as real is inadmissible. A lawn which is closely cut still contains the roots of weeds unless they are rooted out. A little neglect, and the weeds once more spring up. The sin that is not radically destroyed still retains, in belief, the power that we have not taken from it, and it will lie latent in our thought.

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