Article February 3, 1986 Issue

Mastering the inclination to sin

JAYNE ANN MOODY

When Jesus taught his disciples and followers the moral and spiritual demands of repentance, he showed them that it was often necessary to turn their lives completely around. The woman taken in adultery, whom the scribes and Pharisees would have stoned, was blessed by Jesus' refusal to condemn her. Yet he clearly expected that she earn the right to be forgiven by sinning no more.^{See John 8:1–11 .}

True repentance indicates a willingness to turn with the whole heart, with all our understanding of God's truth, toward the Christly light of divine reality. And it is surely needed by all of us, not just by those whom the world calls sinners. Repentance has the effect of illuminating our spiritual sense by clarifying for us what is real and true. Then our lives gain in quality and integrity through a purer demonstration of spiritual reality.

Where might one begin in the effort to demonstrate true repentance? In Science and Health Mrs. Eddy writes: "Christian Science commands man to master the propensities,—to hold hatred in abeyance with kindness, to conquer lust with chastity, revenge with charity, and to overcome deceit with honesty. Choke these errors in their early stages, if you would not cherish an army of conspirators against health, happiness, and success."^{Science and Health, p. 405.}