Uplifting our resurrection hope

Can the Christian's hope of resurrection from the dead be more than a matter of faith? Can it be surety?

Faith is indeed needed, but certainly not blind faith, not faith in a supernatural future salvation shrouded in mystery. Christ Jesus said, ''When . . . the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth . . . and he will shew you things to come.''n1 The Christian Scientist believes this ''Spirit of truth'' has come, not as a corporeal person but as a demonstrable divine Science, explaining that now is the time to begin rising from the deadness of materialism.

n1 John 16:13.

This Science of Christ declares that salvation is warmly scientific, not capricious or dependent upon the inscrutable choices of an anthropomorphic god who predestines some to heaven and some to hell. The God of salvation is Principle itself, Principle that is impartial Love, who favors all His sons and daughters. This saving Principle, God, is always available to empower one's resurrection from sin, sickness, and even death.

In the Christian Science textbook, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy n2 gives this metaphysical interpretation of ''resurrection'': ''Spiritualization of thought; a new and higher idea of immortality, or spiritual existence; material belief yielding to spiritual understanding.''n3

n2 Mrs. Eddy is the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science.

n3 Science and Health, p. 593.

The spiritual understanding that resurrects comes from God; it is an impartation of Him, coming to the human heart and mind and bringing to light His likeness, man. How do we apprehend this unceasing impartation? Spiritual consciousness comes to every heart that sincerely seeks Him, every mind that understandingly obeys Christ Jesus' commandments. (See John 14:23.) In this spiritual consciousness, life is seen as it really is -- spiritual, sinless, joyous in expression of all that God is.

This new and higher idea of spiritual existence is a divine power that heals and saves. Not the future reappearing of the personal Jesus but the daily appearing of the divine idea he embodied as the Son of God is our hope of salvation. By so saying, we do not lose our Lord and Master, Jesus, but find the Comforter that he promised ''shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.''n4

n4 John 14:26.

The Bible foretells that glorious moment when ''this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality.'' 5 But before human consciousness totally yields to the divine, we grow tremendously in the understanding and demonstration of God's likeness. We follow Christ Jesus, drink of his cup, and carry our cross, before we are glorified with him.

n5 I Corinthians 15:54.

Science and Health explains, ''We know that all will be changed 'in the twinkling of an eye,' when the last trump shall sound; but this last call of wisdom cannot come till mortals have already yielded to each lesser call in the growth of Christian character.'' And further, ''No final judgment awaits mortals , for the judgment-day of wisdom comes hourly and continually, even the judgment by which mortal man is divested of all material error.'' n6

n6 Science and Health,m p. 291.

What a burden of fear and doubt lifts from our hearts when we realize that salvation is not a one-chance affair. Salvation is a divine promise. We will awake in God's likeness. It's His law. There is no avoiding Godlikeness, for even if we make our bed in hell, we find His loving presence there with us, chastening, comforting, redeeming -- imparting the sense of Life that is spiritual and like Him.

The power of the Holy Ghost inevitably lifts faith into sight, and hope into fruition. Our resurrection from the dead is as certain as our daily spiritualization of thought and life. Each day of our lives can be graced by the growing understanding that life in Christ cannot die. Not even death can take it away. In the full realization of this truth ''death is swallowed up in victory." n7

n7 I Corinthians 15:54.

DAILY BIBLE VERSE Jesus said. . .I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live. John 11:25