The Fourth Commandment – Q&A #1

The Fourth Commandment
“Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy”

Question: What is the “sabbath day”?

Answer: It is a day set aside for rest and worship. Among Christians, Sunday is the traditional sabbath. For the early Hebrews, who were given this commandment, and Jews today, the
Sabbath is from sundown Friday until sundown on Saturday.

Christian Science does not demand that we set aside certain days on the calendar for rest and worship. It actually requires more! Our Sabbath can be daily, hourly, or whenever we “become conscious for a single moment that Life and intelligence are purely spiritual.” (S&H 14)

However, we also have to do our work, in order to earn our Sabbath moments. Mary Baker Eddy tells us:

“There remaineth, it is true, a Sabbath rest for the people of God; but we must first have done our
work, and entered into our rest, as the Scriptures give example.” (Mis. 216)

We should not judge others with regard to whether or not they seem to observe the Sabbath by attending a church. We cannot fully know what is in a person’s heart, and how they worship God within. In fact, Paul brought this up in his letter to the Colossians:

“Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: Which are a shadow of things to come.”

Paul indicates here that the Sabbath is but a “shadow” of the true sense of divine service and worship.

Practice: No matter how busy we may be, we need to include time in our lives devoted to prayer and service to God and man. Think about how you can do this.

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(Excerpted from “First Lessons in Christian Science, Volume One: The Ten Commandments”  Copyright 2001)

 

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List of all pages and lessons in Volume One: The Ten Commandments

The Fourth Commandment – For Young Children

THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT IS:
“Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.”

THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT
“Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy” MEANS:

we should set aside some special quiet time to rest and think about God during our week. Many families do this by going to church, or setting aside time to pray. Other families might take time off from work to be together, and share their love for one another. In Christian Science, we learn that any day can be a “sabbath day,” when we turn to God in prayer, and find peace in His love for us. We also learn that we have to WORK before we can earn our sabbath rest. Our Christian Science work is to keep saying “no” to the lies of evil and error, until we see them
as unreal and untrue, and saying “yes” to the truths about God.

THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT
“Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy” HELPS US:

find true happiness, by asking us to take time out in our daily routines to be still, to pray, and to listen to our Father-Mother, God. From God, we learn who we really are, and what we should be doing. We find peace, harmony, completeness, and rest. We can return to our busy lives,
refreshed and uplifted, and share our sense of peace with others.

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(Excerpted from “First Lessons in Christian Science, Volume One: The Ten Commandments” Copyright 2001)

To print out the image below, which is from the original book, click on the image and save to your computer.

Next:  The Fourth Commandment – Q&A #1

Teaching Children the Fourth Commandment – essay
Teaching the Ten Commandments
Questions and Answers on Christian Science
The Fourth Commandment – a Christian Science Perspective – essay

List of all pages and lessons in Volume One: The Ten Commandments

The complete book of First Lessons in Christian Science, Volume One: The Ten Commandments in its original format is now available for purchase as a downloadable file at The Bookmark online.  Visit my author’s page at https://thebookmark.com/vicki-jones-cole-2.

 

“Thy kingdom come” – Q&A #12

Thy kingdom come.
Thy kingdom is come; Thou art ever-present.

Question: How does Christian Science help us to understand and experience the kingdom of heaven?

Answer: The main thing to know is that Christian Science strips away the ancient belief that heaven is a place that is somehow separate from those of us on earth, such as up in the sky somewhere. It brings heaven into the consciousness of Soul, where man and the universe
forever dwell. The sphere of thinking we call earth is embraced in the harmony of heaven. But we all need to pray to have our eyes opened to this heaven, and to live our lives knowing we are residents of the kingdom of heaven. This is what Christian Science teaches:

“Truth has furnished the key to the kingdom, and with this key Christian Science has opened the door of the human understanding.” (S&H 99:9-11)

“If the Bible and my work Science and Health had their rightful place in schools of learning, they would revolutionize the world by advancing the kingdom of Christ.” (No 33:5-7)

“One thing is eternally here; it reigns supreme to-day, to-morrow, forever. We need it in our homes, at our firesides, on our altars, for with it win we the race of the centuries. We have it only as we live it. This is that needful one thing — divine Science, whereby thought is spiritualized, reaching outward and upward. (My. 126:28)

Your daily prayer, “thy kingdom come,” and your life as a Christian Scientist, will help lift
humanity to understand God.

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(Excerpted from “First Lessons in Christian Science, Volume Three: The Lord’s Prayer”
Copyright 2005)

 

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List of all pages and lessons in Volume Three: The Lord’s Prayer

“Thy kingdom come” – Q&A #11

Thy kingdom come.
Thy kingdom is come; Thou art ever-present.

Question: What is consciousness?

Answer: Consciousness is the awareness we all have that we exist. It is the place where we think and feel, and are aware of our environment and identity. We have read in other lessons that the kingdom of heaven is within consciousness. One of the best ways to describe consciousness is
Soul, as Mary Baker Eddy does in this citation:

“Soul is the only real consciousness which cognizes being. The body does not see, hear, smell, or taste.” (Rud. 5:18)

Soul, or consciousness, therefore, is that aspect of God which is aware of Itself. Soul is closely linked to Spirit and Mind. Soul is the source of our spiritual senses and resources. Soul, which is infinite Spirit, is the atmosphere we live in. Part of the definition of kingdom of heaven in the Glossary of our textbook is, “. . . the atmosphere of Spirit, where Soul is supreme.” (S&H 590:3) 
Part of the definition of heaven is “. . . the atmosphere of Soul.” (S&H 587:26)

This atmosphere, or consciousness, is filled with understanding, beauty, goodness, balance, and joy. Mrs. Eddy tells us that “the Lord’s Prayer is the prayer of Soul, not of material sense.”
(S&H 14:22)  She also writes: “The divine understanding reigns, is all, and there is no other
consciousness.”  (S&H 535:6)

You may be able to see now that, as Jesus taught, the kingdom of heaven is within us, but we
experience this kingdom through the understanding of Soul.

* * *
(Excerpted from “First Lessons in Christian Science, Volume Three: The Lord’s Prayer”
Copyright 2005)

 

Next:  Thy kingdom come – Q&A #12

List of all pages and lessons in Volume Three: The Lord’s Prayer

“Thy kingdom come” – Q&A #10

Thy kingdom come.
Thy kingdom is come; Thou art ever-present.

Question: What did Jesus teach about God’s kingdom?

Answer: The coming of God’s kingdom appears to have been a major theme of Jesus’ ministry. Early in the story of Jesus, the Bible tells us:

“And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.” (Matt. 9:35)

Notice that Jesus healed people in addition to preaching the message of God’s kingdom. That certainly got their attention! Jesus told them that this healing was proof that the kingdom they had been awaiting for many years had finally arrived:

“If I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you.”
(Luke 11:20)

The Jews had actually been expecting a different kind of kingdom to come on earth, however. They wanted to see God destroy their enemies, and free them from the Romans who had taken their country and their freedom. They did not expect to hear this surprising message:

“The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.” (Luke 17:20, 21)

Do you recall from the Beatitudes, that Jesus taught the “poor in spirit” would possess the kingdom of heaven? We learned that qualities of humility and childlike receptiveness are important. The life of Jesus — his examples of humility, trust in God, and unselfed love — proved that God’s kingdom is come!

* * *
(Excerpted from “First Lessons in Christian Science, Volume Three: The Lord’s Prayer”
Copyright 2005)

 

Next:  Thy kingdom come – Q&A #11

List of all pages and lessons in Volume Three: The Lord’s Prayer

“Thy kingdom come” – Q&A #9

Thy kingdom come.
Thy kingdom is come; Thou art ever-present.

Question: Are there other “kingdoms” besides God’s kingdom?

Answer: There certainly seems to be other powers that would control man and the universe. This is one reason we need to pray daily that God’s kingdom is come: to help us prove there is no other presence or power than God, good. We must be firm in knowing there is one kingdom.
Here are some ideas to reason with:

“God, good, being ever present, it follows in divine logic that evil, the suppositional opposite of good, is never present.” (S&H 72:21-23)

“If He is All, He can have no consciousness of anything unlike Himself; because, if He is omnipresent, there can be nothing outside of Himself.” (Un. 3:24)

“Human hate has no legitimate mandate and no kingdom. Love is enthroned.” (S&H 454:9-10)

“. . . there is no sin, for God’s kingdom is everywhere and supreme, and it follows that the human kingdom is nowhere, and must be unreal. Jesus taught and demonstrated the infinite as one, and not
as two.” (No 35:26-1)

“Matter, or evil, is the absence of Spirit or good. Their nothingness is thus proven; for God is good, ever-present, and All.” (No 17:4)

Do you see that by understanding the idea that there is only one kingdom, or power — God’s kingdom — we can reduce evil beliefs to nothingness, causing them to disappear from our thinking and sight!

* * *
(Excerpted from “First Lessons in Christian Science, Volume Three: The Lord’s Prayer”
Copyright 2005)

 

Next:  Thy kingdom come – Q&A #10

List of all pages and lessons in Volume Three:  The Lord’s Prayer

“Thy kingdom come” – Q&A #8

Thy kingdom come.
Thy kingdom is come; Thou art ever-present.

Question: What qualities should we express to help us see God’s kingdom?

Answer: We have already read that Jesus told us the kingdom was at hand, and is within us — within consciousness. But most of us are not more fully experiencing the presence of the
kingdom in our thoughts and daily lives. The following citations contain ideas that show what
we might do to gain a sense of the kingdom of heaven within:

“Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.” (Matt. 7:21)

“Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.” (Matt. 18:3-4)

Jesus is telling us that we must become obedient to God’s will and to be as humble and
teachable as little children, in order to experience God’s kingdom.

Mary Baker Eddy adds some other qualities:

“We recognize this kingdom, the reign of harmony within us, by an unselfish affection or love.”
(Ret. 79:30-1)

“He who gains self-knowledge, self-control, and the kingdom of heaven within himself, within his own
consciousness, is saved through Christ, Truth.” (My. 161:14-16)

We see from the above that the kingdom of heaven is within our reach as we work to know who we are, and demonstrate those Godlike qualities in our daily lives.

* * *
(Excerpted from “First Lessons in Christian Science, Volume Three: The Lord’s Prayer”
Copyright 2005)

 

Next:  Thy kingdom come – Q&A #9

List of all pages and lessons in Volume Three: The Lord’s Prayer

“Thy kingdom come” – Q&A #7

Thy kingdom come.
Thy kingdom is come; Thou art ever-present.

Question: If God’s kingdom is already come, why do we need to pray about it?

Answer: Mortal mind does not see nor understand God’s kingdom as it really is. The lens of mortal mind projects an inversion of Truth, but calls it reality. We must use our developing
spiritual sense to see as God sees, and establish the reality of God’s kingdom in our thinking.
We do not want to trust mortal mind!

But mortal mind will tempt us to resist this idea of God’s kingdom. Mary Baker Eddy took note of this when she compared Jesus to the rest of humanity:

“He lived the spirit of his prayer, — ‘Thy kingdom come.’ Shall we repeat our Lord’s Prayer when the heart denies it, refuses to bear the cross and to fulfill the conditions of our petition?” (Mis. 211:30-1)

We need to pray and live the spirit of the Lord’s Prayer, with the knowledge that we actually live in God’s kingdom now.

“It is only by praying, watching, and working for the kingdom of heaven within us and upon earth, that we enter the straight and narrow way, whereof our Master said, ‘and few there be that find it.’” (’01 28:4)

Mrs. Eddy also writes that “the grand necessity of existence is to gain the true idea of what
constitutes the kingdom of heaven in man.” (S&H 560:11-15)

Mrs. Eddy felt this was so important, she included in the Church Manual a duty for members to pray each day, ‘Thy kingdom come.’ We will be studying the whole Daily Prayer in another lesson.

* * *
(Excerpted from “First Lessons in Christian Science, Volume Three: The Lord’s Prayer”
Copyright 2005)

 

Next:  Thy kingdom come – Q&A #8

List of all pages and lessons in Volume Three:  The Lord’s Prayer

“Thy kingdom come” – Q&A #6

Thy kingdom come.
Thy kingdom is come; Thou art ever-present.

Question: How do we begin to experience God’s kingdom here and now?

Answer: As we will see in the next line of the Lord’s Prayer, God’s will is done in earth as it is in heaven. In order to experience God’s kingdom, we need to use our spiritual sense to feel our
connection with Him. We can either identify ourselves as earth-bound mortals, or we can identify ourselves as spiritual ideas experiencing heaven here on earth right now.

There are benefits for mankind as we work and watch for the evidence that God’s kingdom has come. For instance:

“The days of our pilgrimage will multiply instead of diminish, when God’s kingdom comes on earth; for the true way leads to Life instead of to death, and earthly experience discloses the finity of error and the infinite capacities of Truth, in which God gives man dominion over all the earth.”
(S&H 202:17)

In other words: 1) we live longer; 2) we discover that error is limited and Truth unlimited; and
3) we learn that God gives man dominion over the earth. Along this line, Mrs. Eddy has written:

“Entirely separate from the belief and dream of material living, is the Life divine, revealing spiritual understanding and the consciousness of man’s dominion over the whole earth.” (S&H 14:25-28)

This consciousness is where we experience the kingdom of heaven. This kingdom within gives us dominion, or mastery, over all the beliefs of earth. We reflect God’s power now!

* * *
(Excerpted from “First Lessons in Christian Science, Volume Three: The Lord’s Prayer”
Copyright 2005)

 

Next:  Thy kingdom come – Q&A #7

List of all pages and lessons in Volume Three:  The Lord’s Prayer

“Thy kingdom come” – Q&A #5

Thy kingdom come.
Thy kingdom is come; Thou art ever-present.

Question: How does God let us know He is ever-present?

Answer: We know God is present by the expression of spiritual qualities in all that is beautiful and good, and in the spiritual ideas that are revealed to us. These ideas, or messages from Love, are angels. Mary Baker Eddy describes them:

“Spirit is symbolized by strength, presence, and power, and also by holy thoughts, winged with Love. These angels of His presence, which have the holiest charge, abound in the spiritual atmosphere of Mind, and consequently reproduce their own characteristics. Their individual forms we know not, but
we do know that their natures are allied to God’s nature.” (S&H 512:8)

We see from the above that God’s presence is filled with angels! Angels are God’s messengers, telling us God is near.

Mrs. Eddy also defines angels as “God’s thoughts passing to man; spiritual intuitions, pure and
perfect; the inspiration of goodness, purity, and immortality, counteracting all evil, sensuality, and mortality.” (S&H 581:4)

You can read what Mrs. Eddy says about two special angels mentioned in the Bible — Michael and Gabriel — on pages 566-567 of the textbook. She refers to Gabriel as bringing a sense of God’s presence.

Angels come in response to prayer, and we realize that “the angels of His presence — the spiritual intuitions that tell us when ‘the night is far spent, the day is at hand’ — are our guardians in the gloom.” (S&H 174:11-14)

* * *
(Excerpted from “First Lessons in Christian Science, Volume Three: The Lord’s Prayer”
Copyright 2005)

 

Next:  Thy kingdom come – Q&A #6

List of all pages and lessons in Volume Three:  The Lord’s Prayer