Editorial July 17, 1976 Issue

A Direct Order: Heal the Sick

Naomi Price

Christ Jesus' outstanding accomplishments in healing the sick in mind and body through spiritual means alone are examples for all of us today. He insisted that his followers should also heal—and he implied that they have the ability to do so. He said, "He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also."^{John 14:12;} We might assume, then, that the test of our understanding of Jesus' teachings and our fidelity as Christians lies as much in our ability to measure up to the standard of spiritual healing set by the Master as in our following other aspects of his life and leadership.

Christian Scientists study deeply all Jesus' teachings and admonitions, and they strive to follow him in every detail. Not least of their aims is to prove the power of the Christ-thought to heal—the power that comes to all from God, divine Mind. Jesus referred to this power when he said to his disciples, "Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give."^{Matt. 10:8;}

Mrs. Eddy points out in Science and Health: "Jesus established in the Christian era the precedent for all Christianity, theology, and healing. Christians are under as direct orders now, as they were then, to be Christlike, to possess the Christ-spirit, to follow the Christ-example, and to heal the sick as well as the sinning."^{Science and Health, p. 138;} And all through this book she shows how today's Christians can carry out these orders.