Article November 18, 2019 Issue

Self-justification can be conquered

Name Withheld

The New Testament has many strong, lucid statements that make plain how we are to love as Christians. For example, Jesus said, “Love one another, as I have loved you” (John 15:12) and “Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors” (Matthew 6:12). Simple, right?

The message of these passages is clear. We should forsake hating one another and embrace loving one another. The Christian Science textbook, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy, includes many clear statements that echo this biblical idea of loving others, such as, “You will learn that in Christian Science the first duty is to obey God, to have one Mind, and to love another as yourself” (p. 496).

The clarity and absoluteness of these statements begs the question, “Why do so many people who attempt to live in accord with the Bible’s teachings sometimes react with hatred, anger, revenge, and other destructive thoughts?” My personal experience illuminated the answer for me.

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