Article February 3, 1992 Issue

The healing impetus of baptism

Purification of thought isn't, in the final analysis, optional. It underlies genuine happiness, progress, and healing.

Marian English

When I was about twelve, I participated in a ceremony of baptism along with several of my friends in the Sunday School we attended. This special occasion gave me a feeling of commitment to Christian values and a sense of belonging to a church family. But the one thing I missed was a feeling of the ongoing activity of baptism. I viewed it as a one-time event.

When I became interested in Christian Science, I began to learn that baptism, an indispensable Christian requirement, does more than declare Christian intent; it is, in fact, the very essence of spiritual progress. It is the cleansing, purifying influence of Christ, Truth, in our lives, the moment-by-moment purification of thought and action. This Christly purification changes our way of looking at things. It helps us to understand the spiritual nature of man, created by God, Spirit, in His own pure likeness. This greatly improves our view of ourselves and others. Characteristics that seem a part of us but that oppose the nature of God, divine Love, are seen to be impositions that sooner or later must give way to the spiritual qualities native to God's likeness. This true perception and expression replaces the erroneous concept of man as mortal, sick, and sinful, and it is made evident in daily life as healing.

Christian Science reveals a definite connection between baptism and the demonstration of spiritual healing. In the Christian Science textbook, Science and Health, Mrs. Eddy writes, "The baptism of Spirit, washing the body of all the impurities of flesh, signifies that the pure in heart see God and are approaching spiritual Life and its demonstration." Approaching something implies ongoing activity. The pilot of an aircraft, for instance, begins to approach his destination the moment he turns in the right direction, but there is still much to be done to accomplish a safe landing. Through our obedience to God and the teachings of Christ Jesus we certainly turn in the right direction. Having made this commitment, we find that persistence, prayer, and continuing purification of character open the way toward learning how to demonstrate spiritual healing with increasing certainty.

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