Explore a Bible Lesson

Below you’ll find a recent Bible lesson in its entirety. Learn more about the main elements you’ll find in every lesson from the Christian Science Quarterly.

God the Preserver of Man

Golden Text

1Plead my cause, O Lord, with them that strive with me:

5. . . Let them be as chaff before the wind: and let the angel of the Lord chase them.

Responsive Reading

1. . . I am the Lord your God.

6And I will give peace in the land, and ye shall lie down, and none shall make you afraid:

8And five of you shall chase an hundred, and an hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight:

9For I will have respect unto you, and make you fruitful, and multiply you, and establish my covenant with you.

12And I will walk among you, and will be your God, and ye shall be my people.

13I am the Lord your God, which brought you forth out of the land of Egypt, that ye should not be their bondmen; and I have broken the bands of your yoke, and made you go upright.

9. . . my soul shall be joyful in the Lord: it shall rejoice in his salvation.

18I will give thee thanks in the great congregation: I will praise thee among much people.

19Let not them that are mine enemies wrongfully rejoice over me:

27Let them shout for joy, and be glad, that favour my righteous cause: yea, let them say continually, Let the Lord be magnified, which hath pleasure in the prosperity of his servant.

28And my tongue shall speak of thy righteousness and of thy praise all the day long.

3Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable.

18The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth.

20The Lord preserveth all them that love him:

Section 1

The Bible

1Preserve me, O God: for in thee do I put my trust.

6I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people, that have set themselves against me round about.

11let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee.

4the Lord my God hath given me rest on every side, so that there is neither adversary nor evil occurrent.

10be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.

11Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

14Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;

15And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

Science and Health with Key to the Scripturesby Mary Baker Eddy

God is infinite, therefore ever present, and there is no other power nor presence.

The relations of God and man, divine Principle and idea, are indestructible in Science; and Science knows no lapse from nor return to harmony, but holds the divine order or spiritual law, in which God and all that He creates are perfect and eternal, to have remained unchanged in its eternal history.

Christian
history

The history of Christianity furnishes sublime proofs of the supporting influence and protecting power bestowed on man by his heavenly Father, omnipotent Mind, who gives man faith and understanding whereby to defend himself, not only from temptation, but from bodily suffering.

Wait for
reward

“Work out your own salvation,” is the demand of Life and Love, for to this end God worketh with you. “Occupy till I come!” Wait for your reward, and “be not weary in well doing.” If your endeavors are beset by fearful odds, and you receive no present reward, go not back to error, nor become a sluggard in the race.

When the smoke of battle clears away, you will discern the good you have done, and receive according to your deserving.

Refuge and
strength

Step by step will those who trust Him find that “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”

To those leaning on the sustaining infinite, to-day is big with blessings.

Section 2

The Bible

6The Lord preserveth the simple: I was brought low, and he helped me.

6And Israel was greatly impoverished because of the Midianites; and the children of Israel cried unto the Lord.

2And the Lord said unto Gideon, The people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me.

3Now therefore go to, proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, Whosoever is fearful and afraid, let him return and depart early from mount Gilead. And there returned of the people twenty and two thousand; and there remained ten thousand.

4And the Lord said unto Gideon, The people are yet too many; bring them down unto the water, and I will try them for thee there: and it shall be, that of whom I say unto thee, This shall go with thee, the same shall go with thee; and of whomsoever I say unto thee, This shall not go with thee, the same shall not go.

5So he brought down the people unto the water: and the Lord said unto Gideon, Every one that lappeth of the water with his tongue, as a dog lappeth, him shalt thou set by himself; likewise every one that boweth down upon his knees to drink.

6And the number of them that lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, were three hundred men: but all the rest of the people bowed down upon their knees to drink water.

7And the Lord said unto Gideon, By the three hundred men that lapped will I save you, and deliver the Midianites into thine hand: and let all the other people go every man unto his place.

21And they stood every man in his place round about the camp: and all the host ran, and cried, and fled.

10One man of you shall chase a thousand: for the Lord your God, he it is that fighteth for you, as he hath promised you.

28For the Lord loveth judgment, and forsaketh not his saints; they are preserved for ever:

Science and Health

The God-principle is omnipresent and omnipotent. God is everywhere, and nothing apart from Him is present or has power.

The central fact of the Bible is the superiority of spiritual over physical power.

Excuses for
ignorance

It is unwise to doubt if reality is in perfect harmony with God, divine Principle, — if Science, when understood and demonstrated, will destroy all discord, — since you admit that God is omnipotent; for from this premise it follows that good and its sweet concords have all-power.

Christian Science, properly understood, would disabuse the human mind of material beliefs which war against spiritual facts; and these material beliefs must be denied and cast out to make place for truth.

Truth’s
ordeal

You may know when first Truth leads by the fewness and faithfulness of its followers. Thus it is that the march of time bears onward freedom's banner.

The question, What is Truth, is answered by demonstration, — by healing both disease and sin; and this demonstration shows that Christian healing confers the most health and makes the best men. On this basis Christian Science will have a fair fight.

Arena of
contest

This material world is even now becoming the arena for conflicting forces. On one side there will be discord and dismay; on the other side there will be Science and peace.

216:9

Spirituality lays open siege to materialism. On which side are we fighting?

Section 3

The Bible

1Hear my voice, O God, in my prayer: preserve my life from fear of the enemy.

7Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance.

8the king of Syria warred against Israel, and took counsel with his servants, saying, In such and such a place shall be my camp.

9And the man of God sent unto the king of Israel, saying, Beware that thou pass not such a place; for thither the Syrians are come down.

10And the king of Israel sent to the place which the man of God told him and warned him of, and saved himself there, not once nor twice.

11Therefore the heart of the king of Syria was sore troubled for this thing; and he called his servants, and said unto them, Will ye not shew me which of us is for the king of Israel?

12And one of his servants said, None, my lord, O king: but Elisha, the prophet that is in Israel, telleth the king of Israel the words that thou speakest in thy bedchamber.

13And he said, Go and spy where he is, that I may send and fetch him. And it was told him, saying, Behold, he is in Dothan.

14Therefore sent he thither horses, and chariots, and a great host: and they came by night, and compassed the city about.

15And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do?

16And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.

17And Elisha prayed, and said, Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.

2The Lord will preserve him, and keep him alive; and he shall be blessed upon the earth: and thou wilt not deliver him unto the will of his enemies.

Science and Health

The facts of divine Science should be admitted, — although the evidence as to these facts is not supported by evil, by matter, or by material sense, — because the evidence that God and man coexist is fully sustained by spiritual sense.

The sole
governor

We lose the high signification of omnipotence, when after admitting that God, or good, is omnipresent and has all-power, we still believe there is another power, named evil.

Nothing but the power of Truth can prevent the fear of error, and prove man's dominion over error.

Nothing is more disheartening than to believe that there is a power opposite to God, or good, and that God endows this opposing power with strength to be used against Himself, against Life, health, harmony.

Casting out evil and fear enables truth to outweigh error.

Conforming
to explicit
rules

No hypothesis as to the existence of another power should interpose a doubt or fear to hinder the demonstration of Christian Science.

Let neither fear nor doubt overshadow your clear sense and calm trust, that the recognition of life harmonious — as Life eternally is — can destroy any painful sense of, or belief in, that which Life is not.

Section 4

The Bible

9And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan.

10And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him:

11And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

12And immediately the Spirit driveth him into the wilderness.

13And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan; and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto him.

14Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,

15And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.

39And he preached in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and cast out devils.

40And there came a leper to him, beseeching him, and kneeling down to him, and saying unto him, If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.

41And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean.

42And as soon as he had spoken, immediately the leprosy departed from him, and he was cleansed.

17The chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels:

6O Lord, thou preservest man and beast.

2I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.

11For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.

Science and Health

Rise of
thought

The footsteps of thought, rising above material standpoints, are slow, and portend a long night to the traveller; but 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.

Since Jesus must have been tempted in all points, he, the immaculate, met and conquered sin in every form.

332:19

Holy Ghost
or Comforter

Jesus demonstrated Christ; he proved that Christ is the divine idea of God — the Holy Ghost, or Comforter, revealing the divine Principle, Love, and leading into all truth.

In divine Science, man is sustained by God, the divine Principle of being.

We all must learn that Life is God.

Hold perpetually this thought, — that it is the spiritual idea, the Holy Ghost and Christ, which enables you to demonstrate, with scientific certainty, the rule of healing, based upon its divine Principle, Love, underlying, overlying, and encompassing all true being.

The very circumstance, which your suffering sense deems wrathful and afflictive, Love can make an angel entertained unawares.

Section 5

The Bible

1And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars:

3And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.

9And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world:

15And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood.

16And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.

2Preserve my soul; for I am holy: O thou my God, save thy servant that trusteth in thee.

Science and Health

567:10

Truth and Love prevail against the dragon because the dragon cannot war with them. Thus endeth the conflict between the flesh and Spirit.

Supported
by facts

Sneers at the application of the word Science to Christianity cannot prevent that from being scientific which is based on divine Principle, demonstrated according to a divine given rule, and subjected to proof. The facts are so absolute and numerous in support of Christian Science, that misrepresentation and denunciation cannot overthrow it.

When we wait patiently on God and seek Truth righteously, He directs our path.

570:14

Receptive
hearts

Millions of unprejudiced minds — simple seekers for Truth, weary wanderers, athirst in the desert — are waiting and watching for rest and drink. Give them a cup of cold water in Christ's name, and never fear the consequences. What if the old dragon should send forth a new flood to drown the Christ-idea? He can neither drown your voice with its roar, nor again sink the world into the deep waters of chaos and old night. In this age the earth will help the woman; the spiritual idea will be understood. Those ready for the blessing you impart will give thanks. The waters will be pacified, and Christ will command the wave.

Section 6

The Bible

13all thy children shall be taught of the Lord; and great shall be the peace of thy children.

17No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord.

7The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul.

8The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.

Science and Health

The divine Mind that made man maintains His own image and likeness.

All that really exists is the divine Mind and its idea, and in this Mind the entire being is found harmonious and eternal.

It should be thoroughly understood that all men have one Mind, one God and Father, one Life, Truth, and Love. Mankind will become perfect in proportion as this fact becomes apparent, war will cease and the true brotherhood of man will be established.

Questions?