The Science of Forgiveness

Mary Baker Eddy says on page 20 of “Unity of Good” that mistakes must be rectified or reversed. Evil must be dethroned.
She reminds us that First: God never made evil. Second: He know it not. Third: We therefore need not fear it. We must “so reach that perfect Love which “casteth out fear,” and then see if this Love does not destroy in you all hate and the sense of evil.

KJV Psalms 86:5
5 For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.
KJV Psalms 25:18
18 Look upon mine affliction and my pain; and forgive all my sins.
KJV Psalms 103:1-6
1 Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. 2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: 3 Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; 4 Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; 5 Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s. 6 The LORD executeth righteousness and judgment for all that are oppressed.
KJV Luke 6:37
37 Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:
KJV John 8:1-11
1 Jesus went unto the mount of Olives. 2 And early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came unto him; and he sat down, and taught them. 3 And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst, 4 They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. 5 Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou? 6 This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not. 7 So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. 8 And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground. 9 And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. 10 When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? 11 She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.
KJV Luke 17:3-4
3 Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him. 4 And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.
KJV Matthew 18:23-35
23 Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants. 24 And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents. 25 But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. 26 The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. 27 Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt. 28 But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest. 29 And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. 30 And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt. 31 So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done. 32 Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me: 33 Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee? 34 And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. 35 So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.
KJV Jeremiah 31:34
34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.
KJV Matthew 5:38-48
38 Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: 39 But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40 And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also. 41 And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. 42 Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away. 43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. 44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; 45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? 47 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? 48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.
KJV Ephesians 4:21-32
21 If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: 22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; 23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; 24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. 25 Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another. 26 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: 27 Neither give place to the devil. 28 Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. 29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. 30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: 32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.
KJV Matthew 6:12, 14
12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:


KJV 497:9-12
3. We acknowledge God’s forgiveness of sin in the
destruction of sin and the spiritual understanding that
casts out evil as unreal. But the belief in sin is pun-
ished so long as the belief lasts.
KJV 201:17-5
The way to extract error from mortal mind is to pour
in truth through flood-tides of Love. Christian perfec-
tion is won on no other basis.
Grafting holiness upon unholiness, supposing that sin
can be forgiven when it is not forsaken, is as foolish as
straining out gnats and swallowing camels.
The scientific unity which exists between God and man
must be wrought out in life-practice, and God’s will must
be universally done.
KJV 5:22-32
Prayer is not to be used as a confessional to cancel sin.
Such an error would impede true religion. Sin is forgiven
only as it is destroyed by Christ, – Truth and
Life. If prayer nourishes the belief that sin is
cancelled, and that man is made better merely by praying,
prayer is an evil. He grows worse who continues in sin
because he fancies himself forgiven.
An apostle says that the Son of God [Christ] came to
“destroy the works of the devil.” We should
follow our divine Exemplar, and seek the de-
struction of all evil works, error and disease included.
KJV 5:22-32
Prayer is not to be used as a confessional to cancel sin.
Such an error would impede true religion. Sin is forgiven
only as it is destroyed by Christ, – Truth and
Life. If prayer nourishes the belief that sin is
cancelled, and that man is made better merely by praying,
prayer is an evil. He grows worse who continues in sin
because he fancies himself forgiven.
An apostle says that the Son of God [Christ] came to
“destroy the works of the devil.” We should
follow our divine Exemplar, and seek the de-
struction of all evil works, error and disease included.
S&H 201:17-18 (pour in truth through flood-tides of Love.)
The way to extract error from mortal mind is to pour
in truth through flood-tides of Love.
KJV 10:26-32
The Scrip-
tures say: “Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask
amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.” That
which we desire and for which we ask, it is not always
best for us to receive. In this case infinite Love will
not grant the request. Do you ask wisdom to be mer-
ciful and not to punish sin?
KJV 11:1-32
Without punishment, sin would multiply. Jesus’ prayer,
“Forgive us our debts,” specified also the terms of
forgiveness. When forgiving the adulterous woman he
said, “Go, and sin no more.”
A magistrate sometimes remits the penalty, but this
may be no moral benefit to the criminal, and at best, it
only saves the criminal from one form of
punishment. The moral law, which has the
right to acquit or condemn, always demands restitu-
tion before mortals can “go up higher.” Broken law
brings penalty in order to compel this progress.
Mere legal pardon (and there is no other, for divine
Principle never pardons our sins or mistakes till they
are corrected) leaves the offender free to re-
peat the offence, if indeed, he has not already
suffered sufficiently from vice to make him turn from it
with loathing. Truth bestows no pardon upon error, but
wipes it out in the most effectual manner. Jesus suffered
for our sins, not to annul the divine sentence for an in-
dividual’s sin, but because sin brings inevitable suffering.
Petitions bring to mortals only the results of mor-
tals’ own faith. We know that a desire for holiness is
requisite in order to gain holiness; but if we
desire holiness above all else, we shall sac-
rifice everything for it. We must be willing to do this,
that we may walk securely in the only practical road
to holiness. Prayer cannot change the unalterable
Truth, nor can prayer alone give us an understanding
of Truth; but prayer, coupled with a fervent habitual
desire to know and do the will of God, will bring us
into all Truth. Such a desire has little need of audible
expression.
S&H 201:17-18 (pour in truth through flood-tides of Love.)
The way to extract error from mortal mind is to pour
in truth through flood-tides of Love.
KJV 17:6-7
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
_And Love is reflected in love;
S&H 201:17-18 (pour in truth through flood-tides of Love.)
The way to extract error from mortal mind is to pour
in truth through flood-tides of Love.

The Bible
Psalms 86: 5
Psalms 25: 18
Psalms 103: 1-6
Luke 6: 37
John 8: 1-11
Luke 17: 3-4
Matthew 18: 23-35
Jeremiah 31: 34
Matthew 5: 38-48
Ephesians 4: 21-32
Matthew 6: 12, 14

Science and Health
497: 9-12
201: 17-5
5: 22-32
6-1-22
201: 17-18 (pour in truth through flood-tides of Love.)
10: 26-32
11: 1-32
201: 17-18 (pour in truth through flood-tides of Love.)
17: 6-7
201: 17-18 (pour in truth through flood-tides of Love.)

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