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Bible Lens
Open thou mine eyes, that
I may behold wondrous
things out of thy law.
—Psalms 119:18
Exploring Bible Verses
God the Only Cause and Creator—June 1–7, 2015
from the Responsive Reading
from Section 3
Genesis 1:1
In the beginning God created the heaven and
the earth.
10 | James 1:13
“In the beginning,” the meaning of the word
Genesis, points not to a specific period of
time or a starting point but to the relationship of God and His creation, now and
forever. These words begin a book that is
both a history and a statement of faith.
Through its stories and characters it teaches
that one infinite, supreme God created all
and maintains a parental relationship with
His creation.
from Section 1
Let no man say when he is tempted, I am
tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted
with evil, neither tempteth he any man.
The Greek words translated as “tempted of ”
do not mean “tempted by” but have more
the sense of “tempted from.” Temptation
does not come from God. This small
distinction shows that God could not be
the originator of temptation. Good is all that
comes from God.
from Section 4
Did you know?
1 | John 1:1
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word
was with God, and the Word was God.
John immediately brings his Jewish readers to
their roots and links the Word to their eternal
relationship with God. Beginning his gospel of
Christ with these most familiar words from
Genesis, “In the beginning,” he shows that
his story of Jesus is the fulfillment of history,
prophecy, and faith.
4 | Romans 1:20
The invisible things of him from the creation
of the world are clearly seen, being understood
by the things that are made, even his eternal
power and Godhead.
•••
Ever since God created the world, his invisible
qualities, both his eternal power and his
divine nature, have been clearly seen; they
are perceived in the things that God has made.
—Good News Translation
Each of the four Gospels was written at
a different time. Most scholars agree that
Mark was the first to be written, sometime around 70 ad. Matthew and Luke
came next, written independently of each
other somewhere between 80 and 100 ad.
Matthew, Mark, and Luke are referred
to as the “Synoptic Gospels,” as they all
tend to tell the same stories in much the
same order and voice. The Gospel of
John, however, comes from a different
literature tradition that relies heavily
on both oral and written sources that are
not Synoptic (i.e., they differ in content,
order, and style). Its date is the most
contested of the four, but most scholars
put it somewhere between 90 and 100 ad.
15 | Acts 17:24, 25
God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth,
dwelleth not in temples made with hands;
neither is worshipped with men’s hands, as
though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth
to all life, and breath, and all things.
From the Christian Science Quarterly® Bible Lessons
“… a lesson on which the prosperity of Christian Science largely depends.”
—Mary Baker Eddy
Here, the word translated as “worshipped”
(θεραπέυεται, therapeuetai, in Greek) indicates the need to serve, to wait upon, and
then to render religious service or homage.
Many pagans and Israelites of the Exodus
believed they needed to feed and care for
their deities. Sacrifices were made as food
offerings, which were believed to be consumed by the gods.
Also, the Israelites believed that while they
wandered the desert, God inhabited the
“holy place,” the innermost part of the tent
where the ark of the covenant was kept. The
ark itself had a seat built into the lid where
God could sit. And though the Jews had
evolved well beyond the idea that God was
literally fed and housed by them, remnants
of these beliefs, and of the influences of polytheistic and pagan beliefs, still found their
way into their religious practice and faith.
In this passage, Paul states clearly that God
needs nothing from humanity, neither food
nor shelter, to sustain Him. Christians must
acknowledge that it is God who gives all
these things to His people.
from Section 6
20 | Acts 2:43
Many wonders and signs were done by the
apostles.
Wonders and signs were a signal for believers in Jerusalem that the apostles were continuing the works of Christ Jesus. These
works proved that the apostles had divine
authority to teach in Jesus’ name.
Word Study
Word (citation 1; John 1:1) In the first
Christian century, the Greek term logos
(Word) acquired a variety of meanings
used by differing religions, philosophies,
and cultures. In John 1, it was essential
that Word be understood according to
its Old Testament meaning: God’s spoken
Word. John gives it fresh meaning by
showing that the Word, the Christ, has
always existed.
espoused (citation 13; Matthew 1:18)
Being espoused, betrothed, or engaged
to be married was a social contract
stating the parties’ intent to be married.
These contracts, written or verbal, lasted
between 10 and 12 months, culminating
in the actual marriage. During this time,
the man and woman were expected
to remain celibate and faithful to one
another. Unfaithfulness was considered
adultery and was subject to the law.
verily (citation 19; John 14:12) The Greek
words translated as verily in the New
Testament usually connote a sense of
faithfulness and constancy. More than
meaning simply truth or truly, as may
be implied in Hebrew words translated
similarly, in the Greek, these words are
also used for emphasis and assurance.
This can be seen in other Bible versions,
where choices like surely, doubtless, and
certainly are used in some of the 152 occurrences of these Greek words throughout
the New Testament. In this specific verse,
the Greek word is ἀμήν and means firm,
faithful, surely, truly, when used at the
beginning of a sentence, and amen when
used at the end.
© 2015 The Christian Science Publishing Society. The Cross and Crown seal is a trademark of the Christian Science Board of Directors, registered in the US, the EU,
and other countries, and is used by permission. Bible Lens is a trademark of The Christian Science Publishing Society.
Choose love instead of hate
By Claire Van Fossen
From the February 25, 2013, issue of the Christian Science Sentinel
T
he night of December 20, 2012, I was
reading a book for a school assignment. It addressed human trafficking
and slavery issues in America today.
If God is good, I thought, then why is evil
so rampant in our society? I knew there had
to be a solution to my question, but I wasn’t
sure what it would take for me and for
society to forgive the kind of people who
commit horrific acts.
I exchanged the book on slavery I was
reading for the Christian Science Hymnal
and randomly opened to Hymn 148. The
verse that stood out to me was:
In heavenly Love abiding,
No change my heart shall fear;
And safe is such confiding,
For nothing changes here.
The storm may roar without me,
My heart may low be laid;
But God is round about me,
And can I be dismayed?
(Anna L. Waring)
I felt surrounded by God’s loving embrace. But I was still seeking a solution for
this question: How could I live happily while
vicious people looked to hurt others?
I picked up Science and Health with Key
to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy and
came across this passage: “God is Love. Can
we ask Him to be more? God is intelligence.
Can we inform the infinite Mind of anything
He does not already comprehend? Do we
expect to change perfection?” (p. 2).
Right then, an answer came to me. I realized I had wanted to change criminals into
more loving and considerate human beings.
But how is that possible when God’s love is
already infinite and His work is already complete? The solution was not to change man,
the image and likeness of God (see Genesis
1:26), but to see that evil tries to manipulate
people into doing things that are unnatural
to their true spiritual nature. I needed to
guard against hate and anger in my own
thoughts, and to forgive.
Expressing infinite intelligence and love
by forgiving sin, just as Jesus did, I realized,
is the answer to a more wholesome and
peaceful society. This can’t be accomplished
by merely tossing around the words “I forgive you.” No, we must truly desire to see everyone as God’s child and reflection. Then,
awareness of spiritual identity will replace
the mask of evil. As this realization dawned
on me, all the fear and hatred I’d been feeling
melted away.
Although it is often challenging to forgive
friends or family, let alone criminals, it’s OK
for us to take up the challenge and consider
it a “work in progress.” I have learned that
fear and hatred only close our thoughts to
God when we most need to hear Him. We
can start consciously choosing to love rather
than to hate.
To read the complete article, go to
jsh.christianscience.com/choose-love.
In the News
Read in this article from The Christian Science
Monitor how a focus on the power of good,
God, helped this author pray in the days
following the April 25, 2015, earthquake
in Nepal.
jsh.christianscience.com/prayer-for-nepal
For Further Study: Resources Used in This Issue
RR: The JPS Torah Commentary, Jewish Publication Society
Cit. 1: The Anchor Bible, Doubleday
Cit. 4: Good News Translation in Today’s English Version—Second Edition
Copyright © 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by permission.
Cit. 10: Bible Commentary on the Old and New Testaments, Hendrickson
Did you know? Blue Letter Bible, blueletterbible.org; C21 Online Mini Course,
Boston College School of Theology and Ministry
Cit. 15, espoused: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Whole Bible,
biblehub.com/commentaries
Cit. 21, Word: The New Interpreter’s Bible: A Commentary in Twelve Volumes,
Abingdon
verily: Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament
Words, Thomas Nelson; Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C.
Merriam; The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Howard-Severance
For more information, go to jsh.christianscience.com/bible-lens.