To hold yourself superior to sin, because God made you superior to it and governs man, is true wisdom.
~ Mary Baker Eddy, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 231
It often seems to many that sin has the overriding influence in one’s decision-making. “I can’t help feeling angry!” one may protest. “I can’t help overeating,” another may argue. In fact, sin does not have power over us. Truth gives us power over sin.
Hatred, resentment, gluttony, selfishness, insensitivity, apathy, and their kin, do not possess power to manipulate our thinking and coerce our actions.
Sin is wrong thinking. Wrong thinking does not possess innate power.
The antidote for wrong thinking, is right thinking.
To “hold yourself superior to sin” is to seek out right thinking, to seek out how one is to be living under the government of Truth and Love.
We all can do that! We are always free to think rightly.
To master sin, seek out love, forgiveness, discipline, unselfishness, truth, and spiritual mindedness. They are the antidote for sin and come freely and abundantly from God. We have divine ability to express them freely and abundantly.
Don’t serve sin. Master it!
Thank you dearly Evan for this freeing SpiritView! It is possible to free us from all sorts of sin.
There may be hidden sin, but we can pray deeply for God`s help to uncover sin in order to be healed. We need not fear sin, as we can know that our all good God is in full control of our life, as God is our life.
Am very grateful for Christian Science that teaches me we all are actually the perfect and pure and innocent child of God! 🙂
I couldn’t be more grateful for SpiritView and for this idea coming to me today. Seemingly such a mighty struggle to overcome anger and frustration lately. And then such regret and disappointment in myself. I know that nothing exists to cause this, and love the reminder that my true being has always been pure and innocent as a child of God. I appreciate the encouragement in being able to demonstrate it.
When I was having this same human experience, I was led to treat anger as an unwelcome visitor who suddenly appears while I’m kneeled down, joyfully busy in my garden with my back to the gate. I am not the unwelcome visitor nor is the unwelcome visitor a part of me. I don’t scream at the visitor and tell it to to get out, nor do I allow it to walk rampant in my garden, or just help himself to my garden tools. Without reacting I simply acknowledge the ignorance of the “intruder”, and as I continue tending to my beloved garden, I patiently, lovingly wait for him to leave. Oftentimes I would hear him approaching the gate, but before I could get to the gate to lock it, he was already in my garden. I acknowledge “Oh he has gotten in again”, this time he will turn right around and leave. I am busy tending my garden. I keep my hands in the soil and my thought on the beauty I am nurturing. Never do I allow the neighbor to feel as bad as he makes me feel. I know that would be only reflecing his ignorance. Soon, this neighbor has moved away and before long I don’t remember him at all or the trouble he liked to cause me. I still have all my garden tools and my garden is flourishing.
This is wonderful Love! Thanks for sharing it.
Beautifully written, thank you,
“I still have all my garden tools and my garden is is flourishing”
Perfect ♡
What a joy it is to read SV Evan with all your guidance and everyone’s comments. Much , much needed for clarity of thought. Mortal mind tries to cause chaos but we must stand firm in our understanding of what God wants us to express in every thing we do and say.
Arise ye people, take your stand
Cast out your idols from the land.
Above all doctrine, form or creed
Is found the Truth that meets your need.
Christ’s promise stands; they that believe
His works shall do his power receive.
Go forward then, and as ye preach
So let your works confirm your speech.
And prove to all with following sign
The Word of God is power divine.
In Love and healing ministry
Show forth the Truth that makes man free.
O Father-Mother God whose plan
Hath given dominion unto man
In Thine own image we may see
Man pure and upright, whole and free
And ever through Our work shall shine
That light, whose glory Lord is Thine. Hymn 12. Violet Hay
Happy day all❣️
Years ago in our Christian Science Reading Room, we had healing progress about personality conflicts when one of the fellow volunteers mentioned what she had learned from an older pamphlet about handling animal magnetism. It is a sin, not just to intimidate and bully, but also, to be intimidated by a bully. Both are believing a lie and not living love. Both believe in a power, person, practice separate from God. That is an impossibility, insanity, inanity. The antidote, the prevention, protection, and the correction is to love the Truth, and love the truth about the individuals and our purpose, including oneself. Then live that in the details God gives.
Edith I love what you said here. Especially that it is as much a sin to believe one can be harmed by someone’s “bad” behavior as it is to “be” the perpetrator of the behavior. Both are a lie (misperception) about God’s loved children.
And Evan thank you for an antidote to believing we can’t help acting or thinking in certain negative ways that we seem to identify as part of us. The remedy is in seeing that those negative thoughts, qualities or behaviors are actually no part of ourselves and so have no power over us. I can identify myself as the child of God, full of His qualities (not the child of error full of error’s qualities). As Evan said so simply, “the antidote for wrong thinking is right thinking.”
Filling thought with the desire to bless others.
So true! A very helpful way to master sin! Thank you!
Outstanding clarity of the Truth! Thank you!
“Mary Baker Eddy didn’t accept sin – the separation of God and man – as an innate condition of our existence, but instead saw sin as an unnatural belief that we can and must shake off through prayer. As she put it, “The emphatic purpose of Christian Science is the healing of sin…” (Rudimental Divine Science, p.2) She rejected “everlasting punishment,” and saw that healing sin (a belief of separation) results in everlasting joy and salvation as a “present possibility.” (Science and Health 574: 1)
…. the example of three people from the Bible show ways in which we can experience the grace—unconditional love—of God that removes sin. “Divine Love corrects and governs man” is a law. And we see the activity of this law operate in the lives of three individuals—Jonah, the man at the pool of Bethesda, and the unknown woman who washes Christ Jesus’s feet. We may each seem to face sinful suggestions such as these three people did—self-righteousness, ignorance, or unworthiness—but accepting God’s redeeming love frees us from the “everlasting punishment” of falsely believing we are unworthy of or separate from Love’s healing power.” (Christie Hanzlik, 4/25/21 CedarS Camp Metaphysical on Everlasting Punishment)
Wow! Hits me where I live!!
If you were in Stockholm in Foreign Service in mid-70s, we knew each other then. – Carolee
Dear Love,- What a beautiful analogy of tending to your garden and staying focused on maintaining it’s rich soil, and vibrant blooms. Thank you for the lesson and the blessing in this lovely illustration.
In Pulpit and Press, Mary Baker Eddy writes “The kingdom of God is within you.” Know then that you possess sovereign power to think and act rightly, and that nothing can dispossess you of this heritage and trespass on Love. If you maintain this position, who or what can cause you to sin or suffer?”
I have a new love for this quote. Holding yourself superior to sin …. is the definition of humility. It means to be completely holding to the omnipotence of God. Trusting God. Confident in omnipotent God and not your own power or a drugs power or political party’s power. Daniel was safe in the Lions den because he was completely , unswervingly comited to the power of God to keep him safe. It was not that He was safe because he was so good that would be arrogance. All about him. He was safe because God is omnipotent. He had confidence that God is the power. Thus sin has no power. He reflected that power as a heir of God. Thus your confidence that you are superior to sin because God is superior to sin. God is power.
Thanks Evan sir for sharing wonderful Truth and inspiring to master sin and not to serve . Great spiritual idea.
Thank you Evan this is so clear just what was needed! Hugs everyone!
Thank you Evan. Hymn 382 2nd stanza goes thus:
Thou art Truth’s honest child, of pure and sinless hear: Thou treadest undefiled. In Christly paths apart..
J thanks so much for your comment including Christie Hanzlik, 4/25/21 CedarS Camp Metaphysical on Everlasting Punishment. There have been times when this has seemed to be my experience. It’s something needing special attention.
‘Awake to righteousness -& sin not’:
https://journal.christianscience.com/shared/view/kwxn2xh8m?s=e
Thanks very much dear Angie for the article “Awake to righteousness – and sin not”.
The articles you give us the link to, are always helpful and inspiring!
Thanks to Barbara for Violet Hay`s hymn 12 – wonderful words and melody – I love it!