I John helps at exam time.

As a Christian Scientist, one is necessarily a student - always learning, and loving it!

But what if the learning stagnates; you reach an impasse, or feel you are on a plateau? Help is right there in the Bible.

One student found I John 2:20 a great help. Writing in the May 10, 1999 issue of the Christian Science Sentinel, Charles Edward Langton shares how it helped him, in his article called "Clear Thinking At Exam Time". https://sentinel.christianscience.com/issues/1999/5/101-19/clear-thinking-at-exam-time

The passage is this: "... ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things" (I John 2:20).

He writes that once he remembered this passage, "the ideas I needed flowed into thought in an orderly manner. I successfully completed the exam and the degree program."

Isn't the Bible wonderful?

Julie Swannell

Nancy Astor from the Smithsonian

NEWS FLASH!

Book club friends,

We have just received a lovely message from our colleague Colleen Moore in New Orleans.  The clip is just 4 minutes long and it's worth sharing! 

Colleen writes: 

It is always a treat to me when the public makes a connection between Christian Science and an historical figure. The following video from the Smithsonian Channel popped up on my Facebook stream this morning. It was about the British Parliament’s first female member, but what was so special was how the trailer began. Take a look here:

http://www.smithsonianchannel.com/videos/the-amazing-rise-of-parliaments-first-female-member/50080

Sincerely,

Colleen C. Moore

Webmaster

www.christianscienceneworleans.org

www.christiansciencelouisiana.com

Letters from John the beloved disciple

Some thoughts about the authorship of the Gospel of John and these three letters. 

Science and Health, our inspired textbook, speaks of “the beloved disciple...in one of his epistles {saying] 'God is love'”. (See S&H 319:32-1.) Now I have been taught that inspiration is higher than scholarship, so I am assured that indeed John the apostle did write these books of the Bible.*

II and III John are so small one wonders how they came to be included in the New Testament. John's theme “let us love one another” is repeated. And we are warned to guard our thinking - to make sure we are abiding in the teaching of Christ, and take care who we associate with.

In both of these little letters, John speaks of having lots to say, but not wanting to say it with pen and paper – he hopes to come to speak with the congregation face to face (II John 12).

III John takes up truth as his main topic. He loves to hear that his children are “walking in the truth" (verse 4). 

We trust that indeed John was able to come and visit. There were various things to be sorted out – Diotrephes for instance “who does not acknowledge our authority” (III John 9, NRSV).

Joyce Voysey

* Ed. Readers will be interested to learn what modern scholarship is saying, e.g. https://bible.org has a fascinating article by W. Hall Harris III (Professor of New Testament Studies at Dallas Theological Seminary) which examines historical evidence which might offer clues as to both writer and recipient of these famous letters. Harris suggests that there is nothing to contradict the long-held belief that it was John the beloved disciple who authored these letters. See 

https://bible.org/seriespage/2-background-and-setting-1-john.

Love casts out fear

In the NRSV, I John 4 is sub-titled “God is Love”. John's sublime definition and explanation of love comes to us in the verses 7 to 21. The “Love” in the sub-title has a capital, no doubt because it is a title; the remainder of the “loves” do not have capitals. Christian Science capitalises the word as a synonym of God. In the chapter Prayer in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures (by Mary Baker Eddy), we find “God is Love” in parenthesis. I conclude that this is because it is a quote from I John. (See SH 6:17).

It is John who assures, and reassures us, that “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casteth out fear.” Who is the student of Christian Science who has not turned to that truth with expectancy of healing and freedom from fear  -- fear, which divine Science says, is “the fountain of sickness” (S&H 391:32)? 

There is much in Science and Health on handling fear, and a strong definition in the Glossary (p. 586: 11): 

FEAR. Heat; inflammation; anxiety; ignorance; error; desire; caution.

The topic of fear also appears in the chapter Christian Science Practice. Here we are given guidance in our healing practice, and told to: 

“Always begin your treatment by allaying the fear of patients.”

I John chapter 5: 6 speaks of Jesus having come by water and by blood. 

   This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. 

By water? I looked up Dummelow's Bible Commentary: 

    According to the most generally accepted interpretations of this difficult passage, the reference is primarily to our Lord's baptism in Jordan and His death upon the Cross – the baptism of water and the baptism of blood, which together sum up His redemptive work and represents its cleansing and atoning power.*

As I read chapter 5, I particularly noticed that two other synonyms or names for God were used: Spirit, and life (no capital). I wonder if I John could be a sort of recapitulation on the life and work of Jesus and the beginnings of Christianity.

Finally, chapter 5 presents me with another point to ponder – “mortal sin”. Mortal sin is a term we might associate with the Catholic church, so I looked up Wikipedia and found this:

   A mortal sin (Latin: peccata mortalia), in Catholic theology, is a gravely sinful act, which can lead to damnation if a person does not repent of the sin before death. A sin is considered to be "mortal" when its quality is such that it leads to a separation of that person from God's saving grace...

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mortal_sin

The troublesome (to me) passage in the Bible is: “There is a sin that is mortal; I do not say that you should pray about that, All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that is not mortal.” (See I John 5:16, 17.)

Dummelow quotes Plummer: '”Sin unto death” is not any act of sin, however heinous, but a state or habit of sin wilfully chosen and persisted in: it is constant and consummate opposition to God.”

So what does Christian Science say about it? I know there is something in Mrs. Eddy's writings which contains the words “sin against the Holy Ghost.” It's on page 55 of her Miscellaneous Writings: 

    Opposite to good, is the universal claim of evil that seeks the proportions of good. There may be those who, having learned the poser of the unspoken thought, use it to harm rather than to heal, and who are using that power against Christian Scientists. This giant sin is the sin against the Holy Ghost spoken of in Matt. xii. 31,32.

Here is that reference in Matthew: 

   Therefore I tell you, people will be forgiven for every sin and blasphemy, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. Who ever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.

Well, I can now go on to II and III John. I didn't expect this deep stuff of I John!

Joyce Voysey

* Ed. In relation to this passage from I John 5:6, readers might enjoy Charlotte Kennard's August 15, 1914 article "Passing of Evil" in the Christian Science Sentinel. She writes of "constant prayer for increased spiritual understanding" that includes "a purified consciousness" and "being ready to sacrifice all material hindrances". 

See https://sentinel.christianscience.com/issues/1914/8/16-50/passing-of-evil

I John 2 - 4 Christian teachings

Ed. You might like to grab your Bible as you read the following.

I John, chapter 2, verse 18 brings in "antichrist" and "antichrists". I'd never noticed a plural before! John defines antichrist as “the one who denies the Father and the Son” (I Jn 2:22 NRSV). He then elucidates this with, “No one who denies the Son has the Father; every one who confesses the Son has the Father also” ( I Jn 2:23 NRSV).

Now he returns to his “beginning" theme. Repetition is a good tool in argument, isn't it?

Chapter 3:1-3 is a well-known passage, perhaps especially for those familiar with Christian Science. It is read at the end of the Sunday service, and is announced as the correlative to the scientific statement of being*. It is interesting to compare the opening demand, “See” in the NRSV with the so well-loved KJV's “Behold.” What an attention-getter that “Behold” is! So much stronger than, “See.” Though the sense of the verses in general is exactly the same. We understand that the masculine pronouns refer to the Christ, i.e. the “he['s]” and the “him['s].”

“...the Son of God was revealed...to destroy the works of the devil” (I Jn 3:8) has, for me, echoes of the Tenets of Christian Science (Science and Health page 497).

With chapter 3, verse 11, we come to John's great theme: “love one another.”

Chapter 4:1, with its “false prophets”, had me thinking of the story in Acts about the lass (KJV has “a certain damsel”; NRSV has “slave-girl”) who had a spirit of divination. Actually, it took me a while to find it in Acts 16 beginning at verse 16. In the meantime, I also found the story about the exorcists who imitated Paul's healings (Acts 19:11-20), and that of Simon wishing to do as Peter and John did in conferring the Holy Spirit by the laying on of hands (Acts 14:-24). Simon was wanting to make a business of it.

It seems to me that these stories, and, indeed, the whole of Acts, illustrate what John is on about in this communication; all the problems that had to be met, and were met through the Christ teaching.

*Science & Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy p. 468:9

Joyce Voysey

Love leads the way

John expected Jesus' followers to “walk just as he walked” (I John 2: 6 NRSV). What an example we have in Jesus, the great exemplar! 

In our era, one who followed Jesus closely was Mary Baker Eddy. She writes: “Follow your Leader only so far as she follows Christ” (Message for 1901, page 34:25-26, and Message for 1902, page 4:3-4.)

How do we follow Christ? What are Jesus commandments? John explains that they are no different, in effect, from the commandments given to Moses, i.e. love God and love your neighbour as yourself. This equates to loving God and His creation, man (ed. including you) - man, the image and likeness of God, of Truth, Life and Love. Indeed, we cannot love God without loving his expression man. We cannot glorify God without glorifying His likeness, man. One is nothing without the other.

So we need to get the right idea of man, God's creation. There is a full definition of man in Eddy's work, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures (SH). See chapter Recapitulation, beginning on page 475. This is the man we recognise and love.

But John recognises that, for humans, this is not an easy task. There seem to be forces that would pull us away from that loving stance. Does John give us clues as to how to maintain that love? I like the way the NRSV sets out I John 2:12-14 –

  

I am writing to you, little children,
    because your sins are forgiven on account of his name.
13 I am writing to you, fathers,
    because you know him who is from the beginning.
I am writing to you, young people,
    because you have conquered the evil one.
14 I write to you, children,
    because you know the Father.
I write to you, fathers,
    because you know him who is from the beginning.
I write to you, young people,
    because you are strong
    and the word of God abides in you,
        and you have overcome the evil one.

Thus, we read that the recipients of this letter have both "conquered" and "overcome the evil one". (Ed. Perhaps John is encouraging them to continue loving God and His creation.)

John (2:15) elaborates on how this is accomplished:

•         Do not love the world or the things of the world.
•         The desires of the flesh are to be denied.
•         The desire of the eyes is to be put on a spiritual basis, (See SH definition of eyes p. 586:3.)
•         Replace the pride in riches with joy in heavenly riches in Christ.

 Joyce Voysey

"Things to get straight in life" - love and God

Books for August – I, II, II John

THE MESSAGE (by Eugene Peterson)

The Message's introduction to these three little books of love, points out how love and God are one. He says that, “In Jesus, God and love are linked accurately, intricately, and indissolubly.” Christian Science would amend that a little, saying that Christ is the link, not the human Jesus, and giving Love a capital to declare it to be an actual name for God, the name including the nature of God.

Here's a little more from The Message's Introduction: 

The two most difficult things to get straight in life are love and God. More often than not, the mess people make of their lives can be traced to failure or stupidity or meanness in one or both of these areas...

John's three letters provide wonderfully explicit direction in how this works. Jesus, the Messiah, is the focus...But there are always people around who don't want to be pinned down to the God Jesus reveals, to the love Jesus reveals...John was pastor to a church (or churches) disrupted by some of these people...

REVISED STANDARD VERSION

Now I shall be quoting from the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) of the Bible.

LETTERS OR TREATISE? (CIRCA 90 A.D.)

Although all three books are classified as letters, I John does not contain the usual opening and closing "formulas" for letters. For instance, letters would normally begin with a salutation such as “Dear John” and end with “Yours faithfully,” or perhaps, “Yours in Christ.” (Haven't we all been confounded by computers using formulas for things we do not want?) II John begins, “The elder to the elect lady and her children....” And ends, “The children of your elect sister send you their greetings.” I John goes straight to The Word of Life (as the sub-heading declares), and we might be reminded of the opening of the Gospel of John. (This makes us think that I John is by the same author as John.) 

Scholars say I John may be considered to be a treatise rather than a letter.

These three short books of the Bible, and John's Gospel, are considered to have been written about the year 90 A.D. John must indeed been an elderly worker at that stage.

Now I need to know exactly what a treatise is. My New Webster College Edition has: A written formal composition on some subject, in which the principles of it are discussed or systematically explained.

In considering the “treatise” angle, I note that the "way of Christ" has never been without students who turn against or away from it, doubting that Jesus represented Christ and was the promised Messiah. John is handling that situation for his time. It is still being handled in Christianity and in Christian Science.

In chapter 1, John begins in the plural “we”; the writer/s of I and II John speak as “I.” How interesting is that! Is John perhaps speaking for his fellow apostles who had direct experience of Jesus life and works. But he turns to “I” and “My” in chapter 2, where he speaks as if he is writing a letter. (At this stage, I think I will vote for the book being classified as a letter!)

I JOHN 1:1 - 2:1

And so to I John 1:1. We are reminded of Genesis 1:1 and John's Gospel with its talk of beginning i.e.

Gen. 1:1: In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth....

John 1:1: In the beginning was the Word....

I John 1:1: We declare to you what was from the beginning....

This in turn reminds us of Science and Health's Chapter on Genesis, where Mary Baker Eddy writes after quoting Genesis 1:1: 

The infinite has no beginning. This word beginning is employed to signify the only, that is, the eternal verity and unity of God and man, including the universe (SH 502:24). We find that St. John had strong gleams of the Science of the Christ in his teaching.

What is this sin which John writes about so strongly in chapter 1? Christian Science teaches that the one great sin is belief that man is material, hence Mrs. Eddy's great antidote to that belief expressed in the scientific statement of being in her textbook, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures. (See SH 468:8-15.) It seems to me that this statement is the essence of Christian Science teaching.

“Man is not material, he is spiritual,” that statement of being concludes. This is the ultimate, but mortals need help in attaining this attitude of thought. The Christ as understood in Christian Science supplies that need. Christ Jesus is our advocate with the Father, as St. John tells us in

I John 2:1.

Joyce Voysey

Agape

Many readers know that our books for this month (I, II, and III John) focus on the idea of love. Readers may also know that there are several different Greek terms for the English word love. In order for us to get to the original meaning of the texts, we would need to refer to the letters in the original Greek.

Fortunately, there is help at hand. There are several web sites which offer excellent translations and give helpful explanations.

But let's begin with the basics. We may know that two Greek words for love are "agape" and "philia". How do they differ?

A general overview is available from Wikipedia:

Agape (Ancient Greek ἀγάπη, agápē) is a Greco-Christian term referring to "love; the highest form of love, charity", and "the love of God for man and of man for God". Not be confused with philia, brotherly love, it embraces a universal, unconditional love that transcends, that persists regardless of circumstance. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agape

We can bask in that for a while, can't we!

Julie Swannell