Article November 22, 1982 Issue

The deeper riches of the Bible

DIANE STAUNTON STAPLES

Have we really begun to fathom the spiritual depths of the Scriptures? Many of us may know the letter of the Bible very well, but to explore its spirit is the work of a lifetime. Just one inspired passage may contain meanings upon meanings, to be discovered as we approach it again and again, searching for its infinite possibilities and new applications in our lives.

The first tenet of Christian Science is, "As adherents of Truth, we take the inspired Word of the Bible as our sufficient guide to eternal Life." ^{Science and Health, p. 497.} One day as I turned my thought to this tenet given us by the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, Mary Baker Eddy in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, I stumbled over the word "sufficient." Checking a dictionary, I found that it implies complete adequacy to meet the needs and demands of a situation. As I pondered this, I realized that apparently I did not often think of the Bible as adequate to meet my needs, because when I had a problem I rarely reached first for my Bible!

Then a further thought occurred to me: "The inspired Word of the Bible" was Mrs. Eddy's "sufficient guide to eternal Life." It was her guide to the discovery of Christian Science. She couldn't turn to Science and Health or to a Christian Science practitioner. She had only the Bible. The realization that the Bible was her "sufficient guide" showed me that it could be mine as well. Then, what is the purpose of Science and Health and Mrs. Eddy's other writings? I asked myself. The answer came quickly: They turn us to our guide. They open the Bible to us—lead us to it and through it. They help us to discern "the inspired Word" and show us how to use it. They give us the spiritual sense of the Scriptures, far beyond the letter, and this illumines the understanding.

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