Golden Text
I John 4:14 we
14. . . we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.
Responsive Reading
John 9:39 Jesus (to ;); John 10:7 Verily, 9, 11, 14, 16–18, 27–30
9:39. . . Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see;
10:7. . . Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep.
9I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.
11I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.
14I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.
16And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.
17Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again.
18No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.
27My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
28And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
29My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.
30I and my Father are one.
Section 1
The Bible
I John 1:1–3
1That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life;
2(For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;)
3That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.
I John 4:9
9In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.
II Corinthians 5:17–20 if
17if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
18And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;
19To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.
20Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.
Romans 5:1 we, 11 we
1we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
11we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.
Science and Health with Key to the Scripturesby Mary Baker Eddy
18:1–9, 13
Divine
oneness
Atonement is the exemplification of man’s unity with God, whereby man reflects divine Truth, Life, and Love. Jesus of Nazareth taught and demonstrated man’s oneness with the Father, and for this we owe him endless homage. His mission was both individual and collective. He did life’s work aright not only in justice to himself, but in mercy to mortals, — to show them how to do theirs, but not to do it for them nor to relieve them of a single responsibility.
Human
reconciliation
The atonement of Christ reconciles man to God, not God to man; for the divine Principle of Christ is God, and how can God propitiate Himself? Christ is Truth, which reaches no higher than itself. The fountain can rise no higher than its source. Christ, Truth, could conciliate no nature above his own, derived from the eternal Love. It was therefore Christ’s purpose to reconcile man to God, not God to man. Love and Truth are not at war with God’s image and likeness. Man cannot exceed divine Love, and so atone for himself. Even Christ cannot reconcile Truth to error, for Truth and error are irreconcilable. Jesus aided in reconciling man to God by giving man a truer sense of Love, the divine Principle of Jesus’ teachings, and this truer sense of Love redeems man from the law of matter, sin, and death by the law of Spirit, — the law of divine Love.
476:4, 9–10
In divine Science, God and the real man are inseparable as divine Principle and idea.
God is the Principle of man, and man is the idea of God.
23:7 The
The atonement is a hard problem in theology, but its scientific explanation is, that suffering is an error of sinful sense which Truth destroys, and that eventually both sin and suffering will fall at the feet of everlasting Love.
Section 2
The Bible
Galatians 4:6 God
6God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.
John 13:31 Now
31Now is the Son of man glorified, and God is glorified in him.
John 6:63
63It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
John 17:1, 6, 20, 21
1These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee:
6I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word.
20Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;
21That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.
Philippians 2:5
5Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
Science and Health
94:1–3
Jesus taught but one God, one Spirit, who makes man in the image and likeness of Himself, — of Spirit, not of matter.
26:10–14, 28–32
Christ’s
demonstration
The Christ was the Spirit which Jesus implied in his own statements: “I am the way, the truth, and the life;” “I and my Father are one.” This Christ, or divinity of the man Jesus, was his divine nature, the godliness which animated him.
Our Master taught no mere theory, doctrine, or belief. It was the divine Principle of all real being which he taught and practised. His proof of Christianity was no form or system of religion and worship, but Christian Science, working out the harmony of Life and Love.
264:15
Self-
completeness
When we realize that Life is Spirit, never in nor of matter, this understanding will expand into self-completeness, finding all in God, good, and needing no other consciousness.
202:3
The scientific unity which exists between God and man must be wrought out in life-practice, and God’s will must be universally done.
151:26
All that really exists is the divine Mind and its idea, and in this Mind the entire being is found harmonious and eternal. The straight and narrow way is to see and acknowledge this fact, yield to this power, and follow the leadings of truth.
Section 3
The Bible
Acts 10:38 God
38God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.
Mark 3:1–5
1And he entered again into the synagogue; and there was a man there which had a withered hand.
2And they watched him, whether he would heal him on the sabbath day; that they might accuse him.
3And he saith unto the man which had the withered hand, Stand forth.
4And he saith unto them, Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days, or to do evil? to save life, or to kill? But they held their peace.
5And when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, he saith unto the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored whole as the other.
I John 4:15
15Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.
Philippians 2:9–11, 13
9Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
10That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
11And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
13For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.
Science and Health
333:13
The proper name of our Master in the Greek was Jesus the Christ; but Christ Jesus better signifies the Godlike.
4:5–9
Efficacious
petitions
To keep the commandments of our Master and follow his example, is our proper debt to him and the only worthy evidence of our gratitude for all that he has done.
134:14
Absence of
Christ-power
Man-made doctrines are waning. They have not waxed strong in times of trouble. Devoid of the Christ-power, how can they illustrate the doctrines of Christ or the miracles of grace? Denial of the possibility of Christian healing robs Christianity of the very element, which gave it divine force and its astonishing and unequalled success in the first century.
326:3–4
If we wish to follow Christ, Truth, it must be in the way of God’s appointing.
43:27
The divine must overcome the human at every point. The Science Jesus taught and lived must triumph over all material beliefs about life, substance, and intelligence, and the multitudinous errors growing from such beliefs.
91:5
Let us rid ourselves of the belief that man is separated from God, and obey only the divine Principle, Life and Love. Here is the great point of departure for all true spiritual growth.
Section 4
The Bible
Isaiah 52:10, 13
10The Lord hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.
13Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high.
Isaiah 53:1, 3–5
1Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?
3He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
4Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
5But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
I Corinthians 15:3 I delivered, 4
3I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
4And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
Matthew 28:1–3, 5, 7 go (to 1st ;)
1In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre.
2And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it.
3His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow:
5And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified.
7go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead;
Colossians 2:6, 10, 12 ye
6As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him:
10And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:
12ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.
Science and Health
555:30–32
Knowing that God was the Life of man, Jesus was able to present himself unchanged after the crucifixion.
136:5–6
He claimed no intelligence, action, nor life separate from God.
20:14
Perfect
example
Jesus bore our infirmities; he knew the error of mortal belief, and “with his stripes [the rejection of error] we are healed.” “Despised and rejected of men,” returning blessing for cursing, he taught mortals the opposite of themselves, even the nature of God; and when error felt the power of Truth, the scourge and the cross awaited the great Teacher. Yet he swerved not, well knowing that to obey the divine order and trust God, saves retracing and traversing anew the path from sin to holiness.
316:12 (only), 17
Jesus represented Christ, the true idea of God.
The Christ-idea, or the Christ-man, rose higher to human view because of the crucifixion, and thus proved that Truth was the master of death. Christ presents the indestructible man, whom Spirit creates, constitutes, and governs. Christ illustrates that blending with God, his divine Principle, which gives man dominion over all the earth.
45:6–13, 16
Victory over
the grave
Our Master fully and finally demonstrated divine Science in his victory over death and the grave. Jesus’ deed was for the enlightenment of men and for the salvation of the whole world from sin, sickness, and death. Paul writes: “For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the [seeming] death of His Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.”
The stone
rolled away
Glory be to God, and peace to the struggling hearts! Christ hath rolled away the stone from the door of human hope and faith, and through the revelation and demonstration of life in God, hath elevated them to possible at-one-ment with the spiritual idea of man and his divine Principle, Love.
491:12
It is only by acknowledging the supremacy of Spirit, which annuls the claims of matter, that mortals can lay off mortality and find the indissoluble spiritual link which establishes man forever in the divine likeness, inseparable from his creator.
Section 5
The Bible
Ephesians 2:13 now, 19–21
13now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
19Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow-citizens with the saints, and of the household of God;
20And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;
21In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:
Science and Health
138:14–22
The supremacy of Spirit was the foundation on which Jesus built. His sublime summary points to the religion of Love.
New era
in Jesus
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.
361:16–18
As a drop of water is one with the ocean, a ray of light one with the sun, even so God and man, Father and son, are one in being.
24:11–15
Radical
changes
He to whom “the arm of the Lord” is revealed will believe our report, and rise into newness of life with regeneration. This is having part in the atonement; this is the understanding, in which Jesus suffered and triumphed.
Section 6
The Bible
Psalms 56:4 (to ;), 12
4In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust;
12Thy vows are upon me, O God: I will render praises unto thee.
Psalms 119:10
10With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments.
Isaiah 30:15 (to :), 21
15For thus saith the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength:
21And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.
Proverbs 3:5, 6
5Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
6In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
Science and Health
254:10–12
When we wait patiently on God and seek Truth righteously, He directs our path.
261:32–3
Good demands of man every hour, in which to work out the problem of being. Consecration to good does not lessen man’s dependence on God, but heightens it.
454:5–9
Impotence
of hate
The understanding, even in a degree, of the divine All-power destroys fear, and plants the feet in the true path, — the path which leads to the house built without hands “eternal in the heavens.”
426:5–8
Our footsteps
heavenward
The discoverer of Christian Science finds the path less difficult when she has the high goal always before her thoughts, than when she counts her footsteps in endeavoring to reach it.
21:1–5
Moral
victory
If Truth is overcoming error in your daily walk and conversation, you can finally say, “I have fought a good fight . . . I have kept the faith,” because you are a better man. This is having our part in the at-one-ment with Truth and Love.
323:9
A bright
outlook
Beholding the infinite tasks of truth, we pause, — wait on God. Then we push onward, until boundless thought walks enraptured, and conception unconfined is winged to reach the divine glory.