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[Never be fooled by dusty myths, sneaky serpents or masked villains, best left to Halloween.]
Metaphysical Application Ideas for the Christian Science Bible Lesson on

“Adam and Fallen Man”
for Sunday, November 6, 2016

by Kerry Jenkins, CS, House Springs, MO
(314) 406-0041 kerry.helen.jenkins@gmail.com

"…God hath made man upright;" This is how our Golden Text introduces this week's lesson. And uprightness is featured throughout. There are many things that make us feel like we are bent over. Sometimes it can be the suggestion of disease, as in the 4th section. Other times it's one form of sin or another—the temptation to think that we are incomplete, that we need something "else" to feel satisfied, whole, happy and so on. Looking to the twisted logic of matter (represented in Section 3 as a serpent), we end up fooled—tricked, (see Warren's Halloween addition on "Trick or Treatment" http://www.cedarscamps.org/metaphysical/articles/2015/10/happy-halloween-from-moses-bonus-edition/#.WBTs4JNttjI.email ) bowed by fear and shame. Zacchaeus was ready to stand taller, despite his stature, and be a representative of a fairer sense of government, a more righteous and upright one, reflecting the divine. God's creation is good, and we are that good man of God's creation. Our steps are "ordered by the Lord", as it says in our Responsive Reading. Our steps are not ordered by serpentine suggestions, by mythological stories of a material creation opposed to the first and true creation in Genesis 1. We are not bowed by worry, fear, lack, illness or limitation. Ultimately, we have a choice to make about whether we accept the obvious physical sense presentation of man as material, or stand tall, and see beyond this presentation to the upright and true idea of God. Choosing truth lifts the weight of fear, shame, disease, sin of every kind. It tears off the mask of error that would try to present matter as reasonable, logical, scientific… Citation S3 tells us "The great truth in the Science of being, that the real man was, is, and ever shall be perfect, is incontrovertible; for if man is the image, reflection, of God, he is neither inverted nor subverted, but upright and Godlike."

Section 1: Either spiritual creation, or material–both cannot be true.

Here's a wonderful poem by Woodruff Smith about choosing which man we wish to be.

GENESIS 1 OR GENESIS 2
By Woodruff Smith

Where did it begin
This idea called you?
In Genesis 1,
Or Genesis 2?

Which one of these concepts
Will prove to be true?
If you know what is what,
Do you know who is who?

In Genesis 1 in the 26th verse
There's a man with never a taint' of a curse.
But in Genesis 2 in verse number seven
There's a dust man conceived…
He'll never see heaven.

So it really comes down
To which one you will claim,
What thou see'st thou be'st…
So what is your name?

There they both stand.
Which one is you?
Is it immortal man one,
Or mortal man two?

If you're immortal man
You know what you're worth.
For according to law
You'll inherit the earth.

But if you're just a mortal
And made out of dust…
Is there anything to you
That's worthy of trust?

No, the thing they call man
In Genesis 2
Is the dream of the dreamer.
It never was you.

So know what you are.
Take your place in the sun,
You're the immortal man
Of Genesis I.

TESTIMONY OF HEALING
I gave a testimony one night in our Golden, Colorado church based on the ideas from a poem I really liked, which said, "Which of these men do you think of as you, Genesis One or Genesis Two?"
A couple of weeks later a businessman, not knowing I was behind him, probably, testified that he had heard a rather banal, trite testimony a couple of weeks ago from someone who recited that line, "Which of these men do you think of as you, Genesis One or Genesis Two?" and he thought it was so trivial, so lightweight.
He went to a business meeting in Atlanta, Georgia after that and was in a hotel room in the middle of the night, sound asleep with his wife beside him, when he had a massive heart attack.
He said he wasn't naive, he knew what was happening, and he knew he was in a life threatening situation. He was totally helpless, so helpless he could not even cry out to his wife for help, obviously could not call a practitioner, and he said for the first time in his life he felt completely helpless. He tried to repeat the Lord's Prayer, the 23rd Psalm, the Scientific Statement of Being, but he couldn't remember them, couldn't put them together.
He felt totally mentally jumbled and then he recalled a very simplistic statement…"Which of these men do you think of as you, Genesis One or Genesis Two?" and he realized that it wasn't so banal after all, that if he were a Genesis Two man he would probably not live through the night, but if he were a Genesis One man he could claim his dominion over the "things of the flesh."
He did it. He said the pain lifted immediately and he felt whole and well. He decided the poem was OK after all.”
Lona Ingwerson, CS

This section, which includes the beginning of the mythological creation of man, tells us in citation B5 to choose that perfect, upright man! The mist of material sense would try to obscure this true view of man. But we are given dominion over this obscurity. We are able to lift our head above those clouds of sense and see "the form divinely fair" (Hymn 51 and 52 in the Christian Science Hymnal). This second account of creation seeks to invert the first, spiritual account. God is seen "breathing" life into matter. While it tells us in Isaiah (B4) "Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils: for wherein is he to be accounted of?" The only breath that comes from God is spiritual, from Spirit. This breath is inspiration; it does not animate matter, but gives wings to immortal, spiritual ideas.

Section 2: First account of creation leaves us complete. The second leaves us wanting/tempted.
In Genesis 1 we have a whole creation. There are no gaps. If you think of a building that has integrity, there are no weak spots, no places where a structural piece is missing that would cause the building to crumble. In Alaska we contended with permafrost when building. This is ground that is permanently frozen if it is left alone. Unfortunately, when you build on top of it, the pressure and residual heat of the building causes the frost to become not-so-permanent. The results are sinking and crooked buildings. To avoid your building sinking you must drill pilings down to bedrock and set your foundation on these pilings. If you try to take a short cut, your building will lean in all kinds of directions depending on which side is currently thawing. Building our understanding of man on anything less than the bedrock of Scientific/spiritual truth will lead to a much less-than-upright man. The whole account of creation in citation B7 is convoluted. There is sleep, (where man is certainly not at all upright), there is first the man made of dust, then the woman made of a rib, and finally, though not in this week's lesson, man is made of the union of man and woman. Mrs. Eddy points out the lack of logic in this succession in citation S8. On top of this progression we have a God who has put a tree with desirable fruit in front of His creation and made it off limits. This is built-in temptation. Sin is the belief that there is something beyond spiritual good that we are being deprived of—something that might bring us more happiness and goodness than God. Why would God build this into His creation?

Section 3: In which material, mythological man, already tottering, falls.
In a way this makes a lot of sense. This material man, not being a reflection of Mind, really is inadequate. He really doesn't know how to discern the truth. Matter is always claiming that there is something more out there. The problem is, that "more" is Spirit, not matter. But the serpent, material sense, will whisper that it's not Spirit that satisfies, but more enticing matter. And when we listen to that serpent voice, we find ourselves turning over and over, the cursed ground of material sense. We try to grow from this material "ground", things that will satisfy, enrich, uplift—and we come up short. But the good news is that the man of God's creating was never toppled, never fallen, never condemned. (S10)

Section 4: Jesus, the upright "anti-Adam"
This section has a story about a woman who was healed of a disease that literally had her bent over! What a great story to illustrate our upright man. Jesus shows us what religion should do. It should uplift, elevate, and deepen our understanding of God and man. It should heal by revealing our true stature. The ruler of the synagogue was indignant that Jesus would heal on a Sabbath day. His view of religion would confine good to certain times—would keep this woman bent over, would keep man's view of church and God crippled and ineffective. While Jesus shows us that reality, or true creation, reveals man upright and free. Citations S17 and S18 use the words "rise" to describe how we should strive to overcome the imposition of a material sense of creation.

Section 5: Never victim of a crooked government.
By seeing man as having integrity, created by Spirit, we can find ourselves free from being subject to what looks like evil or injustice. I love how the story of Zacchaeus is employed to illustrate this in this week's lesson. In this election season it can be especially helpful and inspiring to remind ourselves that we are subject to God's government alone. His care, His wisdom, His Love are ever in operation and never lacking. We can align ourselves with this true creation and find that, like Zacchaeus, we either leave behind the temptation to try to grab more than our share, or we find that we cannot be victimized by a false sense of creation that would present man as mortal, sinful, fearful. We will find ourselves seeing that spiritual opposite that Mrs. Eddy talks about in citation S22.

Section 6: Spiritual creation is permanent.
I love that citation S25 tells us that Christian Science "breathes" through the Bible the spiritual sense of things. This breath is a far cry from the breath that brings Adam to life. It is a spiritual inspiration that clears the mist and reveals a sharp, crystal-clear view of man as spiritual idea. We do not wobble between a limited material life and a spiritually eternal existence. Our being never dabbled in a tempting garden from which we were ousted by our Maker. Nor did we spring from some other mythological standpoint that reflects a more current material understanding. We have ever and always belonged to that Genesis 1 creation. God keeps His perfect creation from falling (B17). He is good, merciful, loving, spiritual. And His creation would never reflect anything less.

[Warren’s (W’s) PS additions for the Bible Lesson “Adam and Fallen Man” for 11-6-16 (Kerry)

[W’s PS#1—CC on Acts 10:38 (B12)

“Of course that word “anointed” immediately identifies Jesus as the Messiah. This is a point that Peter is obviously going to get across to this Gentile audience that would need some instruction in this. (Paraphrased from Acts 10:38 “How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.”

“After the Master, What? The Book of Acts”, by B. Cobbey Crisler To buy your own copy, see W’s PS#4]

[W’s PS#2—Luke 13.11-16 (B13): Jesus heals bent-over woman:
“Verses 10 through 17 are a healing found only in Luke.
(Verse 11) A woman with a spinal difficulty is in a synagogue. Notice that Luke doesn’t say she has an infirmity. Luke, who is reputed to be a physician, doesn’t even diagnose it as an infirmity, but as a “spirit of an infirmity,” a concept, a spirit, a thought. “She was bowed together. She couldn’t lift up herself.”

Verse 12. Jesus comes and announces to womanhood something that could be applicable in many ways, not just this one time. “Woman, you are free from your infirmity. Verse 13. “She’s made straight and glorifies God.”

Verse 14. Incredible, “the ruler of the synagogue” in which this grand healing and correction of a human problem occurred “answered with indignation”.

Jesus’ explanation about the cause of disease is in Verse 16. No longer should there be any room in Christian thought that disease stems from thought or is God’s will when Jesus attributes it to anything that would oppose God. Only what would oppose God would impose something on man that God Himself never created in His whole man. Is that a new theology? Satan and disease linked, and not God as the cause of loss, or pain, or sickness?

Because if it is, he defines Satan as a liar as Jesus does in John (8:44). Satan has bound this woman with an infirmity that has her bent over, and has accomplished this for eighteen years. (Luke 13:16) And “Satan is a liar and the father of it.” Satan’s work must be lies as well. If they are they can be corrected mentally, by a full recognition of what is true. Notice that Satan does the binding. Jesus said (John 8:32) “Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

It’s a contest between the truth and the lie about God and His theology, about man, about woman, about children and about disease. If Satan is a liar, he will never change his character. Our idea of God may have gone haywire, but God has not moved.”

Book of Luke: Luke the Researcher”, B. Cobbey Crisler. To buy your own copy, see W’s PS#4]

[W’s PS#3—Psalms 4:6 (B13):

[“The treatment in Psalms 4, verse 6 is the “light of God’s countenance.” Despite the fact that in verse 6 the question is raised, the prognosis, we might say, which is very ill-boding, says, “Who will show us [any] good?” What’s the use? (Intimated.) Why is God’s countenance a medicine? “The light of God’s countenance.” We find this all the time that we are to seek God’s face, face-to-face. You know what Paul says face-to-face is? To know as you are known. It’s a mental face-to face then, isn’t it? Face to face with God is to know as God knows. To be God-like.”]

Leaves of the Tree: Descriptions from Psalms”, B. Cobbey Crisler. To buy your own copy, see W’s PS#4]

[W’s PS#4: You can buy your own transcripts of most of Cobbey’s 28 talks at a new website: www.crislerlibrary.co.uk Email your order or inquiry to office@crislerlibrary.co.uk, or directly to Janet Crisler, at janetcrisler7@gmail.com]


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