7. James 1
27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.
It is interesting how succinctly this verse shows me that true purity isn’t locking myself away from the world, but to do my God-directed work for mankind without being tainted by the material world. Certainly Christ Jesus and Mary Baker Eddy were amazing examples of working for the world without becoming worldly. They never fought fire with fire — they fought evil and error with Truth and Love.
Taken from the 1828 Webster’s Dictionary:
Religion
2. religion as distinct from theology, is godliness or real piety in practice, consisting in the performance of all known duties to God and our fellow men, in obedience to divine command, or from love to God and his law.
“Pure religion” is “godliness or real piety in practice.” Only the Christ’s Christianity of authentic Christian Science has ever felt to me like godliness in practice. Everything else just felt like ritual and busy work. I am so grateful for Christian Science!
Also from the 1828 Webster’s:
Unspotted
1. Not stained; free from spot.
2. Free from moral stain; untainted with guilt; unblemished; immaculate; as unspotted reputation.
I am grateful to learn that it is God who saves. It was a hard lesson that I couldn’t save everyone I knew, and a great example of God’s mercy that allowed me to find that part of unspotted is to be “untainted with guilt” about that fact.
All I can do is whatever God is asking me to do, to the best of my ability. For this, I am so grateful to Christian Science, this church, and my practitioner, because on my own I had no idea how to do this, or even that I needed to learn to do it. What a blessing Plainfield is! Thank you!