SECTION THREE: Christ Jesus showed that man is free to live undeceived as a child of God... Page 4

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1 Christian Science Quarterly Nov Golden Text Psalms 37:37 Responsive Reading I Corinthians 15:45 it, 48; Ephesians 1:2 5; 4:13... it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. 48 As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. 2 Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. 3 Blessed be the God Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace. and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: 4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: 5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: SECTION ONE: You, made in the image and likeness of God, are not made of dust. Page 2 SECTION TWO: The Science of the first record of creation proves the falsity of the second. Page 3 SECTION THREE: Christ Jesus showed that man is free to live undeceived as a child of God... Page 4 SECTION FOUR:... and demonstrated man s unfallen nature through healing. Page 5 SECTION FIVE: Follow Jesus s example, and worldly thoughts won t fool you. Page 6 SECTION SIX: God can only be reflected by goodness, and you reflect God. Page 7

2 I 1 1 Genesis 1:1, 26 (to :), 27, 28 (to :), 31 (to 1 st.) n the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. 26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. 28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: 31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. 2 Genesis 2:1, 6, 7 (to ;) Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 6 But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground. 7 And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; 3 Psalms 30:8, 9 Shall I cried to thee, O Lord; and unto the Lord I made supplication. 9 Shall the dust praise thee? shall it declare thy truth? 4 Psalms 18:30 (to 1 st :), 32 As for God, his way is perfect: 32 It is God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect. 5 Psalms 17:15 I will I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness. How do you see yourself reflecting God? What power comes with being God s image and likeness? Thanks for coming! My house: my thinking replenish: restore; refresh; refill host: large number of beings or things supplication: humble, earnest request girdeth: clothes; fastens something with a belt or band ephemeral: fleeting; temporary; temporal animated: given life; put into motion Adamic: relating to or resembling Adam capacity: ability discern: perceive; recognize origin: source The Scriptures inform us that man is made in 9 the image and likeness of God. Matter is 1 475:7 13 Fleshly factors unreal not that likeness. The likeness of Spirit cannot be so unlike Spirit. Man is spiritual and perfect; and be- 12 cause he is spiritual and perfect, he must be so understood in Christian Science :9 13 To 9 To the five corporeal senses, man appears to be matter and mind united; but Christian Science reveals man as the idea of 12 God, and declares the corporeal senses to be mortal and erring illusions. Material body never God s idea 3 267:3 5 (to 1 st.) 3 The offspring of God start not from matter or ephemeral dust. They are in and of Spirit, divine Mind, and so forever continue. The infinitude of God 4 524:17 20, 31 3 With 18 a single command, Mind had made man, both male and female. How then could a material organization become the basis of man? Creation reversed Does Spirit enter dust, and lose therein the divine nature 1 and omnipotence? Does Mind, God, enter matter to become there a mortal sinner, animated by the breath of 3 God? 5 525:4 Man reflects God; mankind represents the Adamic race, and is 6 a human, not a divine, creation :11 14 Hu- Infinity 12 man capacity is slow to discern and to grasp measureless God s creation and the divine power and presence which go with it, demonstrating its spiritual origin. Stick with the truth man is unfallen. Cleaning Co. Who you gonna text? Cleaning Co. Belief of man as made of dust 2

3 2 7 A 6 Genesis 2:15, 21, 22 nd the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. 21 And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; 22 And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. 7 Genesis 3:1 6, 13, 16 (to 1 st ;), 17 (to 1 st ;), 19 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? 2 And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: 3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. 4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: 5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. 6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. 13 And the Lord God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat. 16 Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; 17 And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; 19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return. 8 I Corinthians 15:22 as as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. There were many similar creation myths among the Babylonians, Sumerians, and other peoples of the ancient Near East. In some versions, there s more than one god. In others, the adversary is the devil, rather than a snake. dress: (archaic) cultivate; fertilize keep: take care of; look after subtil: (today spelled subtile and subtle) operating unseen; cunning; difficult to understand midst: middle; center beguiled: tricked; deceived begotten: born; produced deflection: deviation; perverse or abnormal sense actuality: real state; different state from what was expected or believed whence: from where Why do you think the compilers of the Bible included two opposite accounts of creation in Genesis? 306:32 2 The parent of all human discord was the Adam-dream, 1 the deep sleep, in which originated the delusion that life and intelligence proceeded from and passed into matter :28 31 Whatever indicates the fall of man or the opposite of God or God s absence, is the Adam-dream, which is neither 30 Mind nor man, for it is not begotten of the Father. Truth is not inverted 9 502: Spiritually followed, the book of Genesis is the history of the untrue image of God, named a sinful mortal. This deflection of being, rightly viewed, serves to 12 suggest the proper reflection of God and the spiritual actuality of man, as given in the first chapter of Genesis. Deflection of being :3 5 3 The Science of the first record proves the falsity of the second. If one is true, the other is false, for they are antagonistic : Whence comes a talking, lying serpent to tempt the children of divine Love? The serpent enters into the metaphor only as evil. We have nothing in the Mythical serpent 24 animal kingdom which represents the species described, a talking serpent, and should rejoice that evil, by whatever figure presented, contradicts itself and 27 has neither origin nor support in Truth and good : The standard of perfection was originally God and man. Has God taken down His own standard, and has man fallen? 21 God is the creator of man, and, the divine Principle of man remaining perfect, the divine idea or reflection, man, remains perfect. Man is the expression 24 of God s being. If there ever was a moment when man did not express the divine perfec- tion, then there was a moment when man did not express 27 God, and consequently a time when Deity was unexpressed that is, without entity. If man has lost perfection, then he has lost his perfect Principle, the divine 30 Mind. If man ever existed without this perfect Principle or Mind, then man s existence was a myth :31 1 As in Adam [error] all die, even so in Christ [Truth] shall all be made alive. The mortality of man is a 1 myth, for man is immortal. Indestructible relationship Mary Baker Eddy describes how waking from the Adam-dream continues even after what appears to be death. See The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany, p. 296:9. 3

4 3 9 II Corinthians 11:3 I fear I 14 92:11 fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve In old Scriptural pictures we see a serpent coiled around through his subtilty, so your minds should be 12 the tree of knowledge and speaking to Adam and Eve. corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. This represents the serpent in the act of 10 Isaiah 2:22 Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils: for wherein is he to be accounted of? 11 I Corinthians 15:53, 54, 57, 58 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. 57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. 12 Galatians 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. corrupted: contaminated; polluted accounted of: considered; judged; counted stedfast: firm; unwavering abounding: having an abundance entangled: tangled up; ensnared; mixed up yoke: a frame used to control a working animal s movements burlesque: exaggerated imitation; mockery; caricature; farce; parody mere: simple offshoot: side branch or shoot of a plant; something which comes directly from something else Illustration from a vintage book called Bible In Picture and Story Knowledge of good and evil commending to our first parents the knowl- 15 edge of good and evil, a knowledge gained from matter, or evil, instead of from Spirit. The portrayal is still graphically accurate, for the common conception of mor- 18 tal man a burlesque of God s man is an outgrowth of human knowledge or sensuality, a mere offshoot of material sense :3 5 3 Mortal mind must part with error, must put off itself with its deeds, Life all-inclusive and immortal manhood, the Christ ideal, will appear :1 1 Christ is the offspring of Spirit, and spiritual existence shows that Spirit creates 3 neither a wicked nor a mortal man, lapsing into sin, sickness, and death :12 12 The true sense of being and its eternal perfection should appear now, even as it will hereafter : Christian Science raises the standard of liberty and cries: Follow me! Escape from the bondage of sickness, sin, and death! Jesus marked out the Standard 24 way. Citizens of the world, accept the glori- of liberty ous liberty of the children of God, and be free! This is your divine right. I m not material; I m spiritual. You re not true; you re a lie. HAD ADAM AND EVE BEEN WISER Way to tie error up in nots. 4

5 4 13 II Corinthians 10:3 5 though 19 Broke and unwell though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: 4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) 5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; A 14 Matthew 9:35 nd Jesus went about all the cities and villages, If I could... teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. 15 Luke 8:43 48 And a woman having an issue of blood twelve years, which had spent all her living upon physicians, neither could be healed of any, 44 Came behind him, and touched the border of his garment: and immediately her issue of blood stanched. 45 And Jesus said, Who touched me? When all denied, Peter and they that were with him said, Master, the multitude throng thee and press thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me? 46 And Jesus said, Somebody hath touched me: for I perceive that virtue is gone out of me. 47 And when the woman saw that she was not hid, she came trembling, and falling down before him, she declared unto him before all the people for what cause she had touched him, and how she was healed immediately. 48 And he said unto her, Daughter, be of good comfort: thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace. 16 Galatians 3:26 ye ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. Who touched me? Jesus, the crowd is all around you. 86:1 8 1 Jesus once asked, Who touched me? Supposing this inquiry to be occasioned by physical contact alone, 3 his disciples answered, The multitude throng Mental contact thee. Jesus knew, as others did not, that it was not matter, but mortal mind, whose touch called 6 for aid. Repeating his inquiry, he was answered by the faith of a sick woman. His quick apprehension of this mental call illustrated his spirituality :12 The 12 The Son of the Virginmother unfolded the remedy for Adam, or error; and the Apostle Paul explains this warfare between the Spirit and flesh 15 idea of divine power, which Jesus presented, and mythological material intelligence called energy and opposed to Spirit :28 32 When speaking of God s children, not the children of men, Jesus said, The kingdom of God is within you; 30 that is, Truth and Love reign in the real man, showing that man in God s image is unfallen and eternal. The kingdom within :16 The great truth in the Science of being, that the real man was, is, and ever shall be perfect, is incontrovertible; 18 for if man is the image, reflection, of God, he is neither inverted nor subverted, but upright and Godlike :14 When we 15 come to have more faith in the truth of being than we have in error, more faith in Spirit than in matter, more faith in living than in dying, more faith in God than in man, 18 then no material suppositions can prevent us from healing the sick and destroying error. But Jesus said, Someone touched me, for I knew it when power went out of me. 47 The woman saw that she had been found out, so she came trembling and threw herself at Jesus feet. There in front of everybody, she told him why she had touched him and how she had been healed at once. 48 Jesus said to her, My daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace. Luke 8:46 48 Good News Translation Why does an understanding of your unfallen nature lead to healing? Your faith has healed you. Go in peace. One touch, and I am well after so many years. carnal: fleshly; sensual; mortal holds: fortresses stanched: stopped flowing inquiry: question occasioned: caused; triggered aid: help mythological: fictitious; imaginary; nonexistent incontrovertible: undeniable; irreversible; certain inverted: reversed; changed to its opposite subverted: corrupted; overturned 5

6 A 17 Galatians 3: :11 14 re ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh? 18 Romans 8:6, 7 (to :) For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: 19 I Corinthians 15:45, 48 And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. 48 As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. 20 Romans 12:2 be be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. The first man was named Adam, and the Scriptures tell us that he was a living person. But Jesus, who may be called the last Adam, is a life-giving spirit. I Corinthians 15:45 Contemporary English Version 5 Carnal beliefs defraud us. They make man an involun- 12 tary hypocrite, producing evil when he would create good, forming deformity when he would outline grace and beauty, injuring those whom he would bless : This carnal material mentality, misnamed mind, is mortal. Therefore man would be annihilated, were it not for the spiritual real man s indissoluble 30 connection with his God, which Jesus brought to light. Immortal man :18 18 Paul says in his epistle to the Romans: The carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that 21 are in the flesh cannot please God. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the spirit of God dwell in you :19 The Science of being reveals man as perfect, even as the Father is perfect, because the Soul, or Mind, 21 of the spiritual man is God, the divine Principle of all being, and because this real man is governed by Soul instead of sense, by the law of Spirit, not by the so-called 24 laws of matter :21 21 Anybody, who is able to perceive the incongruity between God s idea and poor humanity, ought to be able to discern the distinction (made by Christian Science) 24 between God s man, made in His image, and the sinning race of Adam. Where are you putting your faith today? How would you answer the question, Has man fallen from a state of perfection? Eddy gives her response on pp of her book Miscellaneous Writings. enmity: active opposition to someone or something; hatred; hostility; ill will annihilated: completely destroyed; made nothing indissoluble: incapable of being dissolved; unbreakable; permanent; everlasting epistle: letter perceive: be conscious of; understand; realize incongruity: contradiction; paradox discern: understand; recognize; perceive; detect distinction: difference between superficially similar things 6

7 6 29 A 21 II Timothy 3:16, :28 God, Spirit, dwelling in infinite light and harmony 1 from which emanates the true idea, is never reflected by aught but the good. ll scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works. 22 I Corinthians 13:9, 10 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. 10 But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. 23 Jude 1:24, 25 Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, 25 To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen. GLORY TO GOD, WHO IS ABLE TO KEEP YOU FROM FALLING. New Living Translation : Adam, represented in the Scriptures as formed from dust, is an object-lesson for the human mind :4 Through discernment of the spiritual opposite of materiality, even the way through Christ, Truth, man will 6 reopen with the key of divine Science the gates of Paradise which human beliefs have closed, Paradise regained and will find himself unfallen, upright, pure, and free, 9 not needing to consult almanacs for the probabilities either of his life or of the weather, not needing to study brainology to learn how much of a man he is :23 The calm, strong currents of true spirituality, the 24 manifestations of which are health, purity, and selfimmolation, must deepen human experience, until the beliefs of material existence are seen to be a bald imposi- 27 tion, and sin, disease, and death give everlasting place to the scientific demonstration of divine Spirit and to God s spiritual, perfect man. Bust the material view discover that you, the reflection of Spirit, are unfallen and free! For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. I Corinthians 13:9, 10 New International Version reproof: disapproval; condemnation; rebuke throughly: completely; thoroughly furnished: supplied; given emanates: comes; flows forth; radiates object-lesson: example; story that teaches almanacs: annual publications that include weather predictions and miscellaneous information brainology: (a made-up word) study of the structure and functioning of the brain currents: flow in a particular direction Cleaning Co. 7

8 No need to compete by Jyoti This year I took some classes in German, and one of my fellow students was a young language prodigy, a teenager who was incredibly sharp and had great aptitude for learning. I was filled with jealousy and competitiveness unusual for me. And I was struggling in the classes also unusual for me. Since I didn t like these feelings, I prayed about them. Thinking about the two stories of creation in the Bible, I reasoned that competitiveness and jealousy ultimately derive from a false, material view of creation. If we accept as true the story of creation in Genesis, chapter 2, we believe man to have a mortal origin and a mortal identity. As this material view of creation unfolds, mortal man learns to relate himself to others instead of to God, and to measure himself in comparison to others instead of understanding man s ultimate worth in his sonship with God. In Genesis, chapter 4, for example, Cain is jealous of his brother Abel s devoutness and favor with God. Filled with envy and rage, he kills Abel. But this is only a false view of creation. In Genesis, chapter 1, the true record of creation, each of us is whole and complete and exists in relation to God. In reality, we all have infinite, absolute worth, and we can only appreciate and love another s God-derived individuality. We are secure in our identity and don t have to prove anything to anyone, including ourselves, since each of us has a niche created by God. We don t exist to be the prettiest, the smartest, the richest, or the most successful, but to glorify God. As I prayed to see this more clearly, I also affirmed that God is the source of my intelligence, so it is perfect and eternal and doesn t fluctuate; it is not a personal, human possession but something I always reflect as a child of God. Whenever I felt myself overcome by jealousy or competitiveness, I would pray with this idea from Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy: If man is not victorious over the passions, they crush out happiness, health, and manhood. Here Christian Science is the sovereign panacea, giving strength to the weakness of mortal mind, strength from the immortal and omnipotent Mind, and lifting humanity above itself into purer desires, even into spiritual power and good-will to man (p. 407). Turning to God as Love, as Spirit, and as my only Mind, I could gain dominion over and silence these venomous thoughts. The time came for the international proficiency exam, which assesses students skills in a language. I prayed for myself and everyone taking the exam. My interest became serving God; I realized that my goals in life need to be spiritual and infinite and selfless. Feeling and expressing love for my classmates became more important for me than anything else. While I studied for the exam, I stopped worrying about it, stopped caring about not being the smartest. I could graciously accept and appreciate the teenage prodigy s intelligence. While preparing, I realized I was making stupid mistakes that could be avoided. I felt more confident as we neared the test date, and the exam was a harmonious experience. Then we got the results. I didn t check my test score right away so as not to fixate on it, but classmates started congratulating me. My teacher said I had exceeded her expectations. So I looked, and I was surprised at my high score. I avoided looking at others scores so I wouldn t be tempted to compare, being content with my own outcome. However, a classmate told me I had received the highest score. The teacher also made a point of meeting my father and telling him I was the best student. In addition to overcoming jealousy, competitiveness, and insecurity about intelligence, I learned a couple of other things from this experience. I almost feel as if I cheated, because I didn t feel that I had really studied hard but instead prayed and trusted God. Before, I had always been driven by anxiety and stress to overstudy, but I ve learned to study thoroughly and then just pray and be calm. That has made learning, and even exams, fun again. Another thing I learned is that by putting God first and serving Him, we don t really miss out on anything. I was fully ready to be a gracious loser and be humbled, but I managed to come out on top even without wanting or intending to. Putting God first does indeed yield good results! PHOTO ATTRIBUTIONS: Page 4: Bible in Picture and Story: Adam and Eve, mod. Page 7: Goodshoot/Goodshoot/Thinkstock: climbing Annecy, France, mod. Page 8: Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Thinkstock: Chennai, India, mod. All nonattributed graphics, photos, and digitally modified images by mbl staff. Pearl Hint: Shake the dust off you re perfect! This article was originally published in the Dec. 23, 2013 issue of the Christian Science Sentinel. You can find this piece (and thousands more!) at jsh.christianscience.com. 8

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