Christian Science reveals the true nature of God and man. God, it declares, is perfect Mind, and man is Mind's perfect image, reflection, or idea. The teaching of Christian Science is in accord with that of the Bible; for in the first chapter of Genesis (verses 26, 27) it is written, "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: ... So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him." In this record of the creation of man, the real man, no mention is made of his being material. Man created in the image of God, Spirit, must be like God—altogether spiritual.
Since man is God's image or likeness, Mind's idea, he is at one with God. Never can man be separated from his creator. This was clearly understood and taught by Christ Jesus, who said of himself, that is, of his real selfhood, "I and my Father are one" (John 10:30). After his resurrection he declared: "I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God" (John 20:17). In his teaching and practice Jesus was true to his spiritual selfhood; and because of this fidelity he was able to annul all manner of false beliefs about man, healing many of disease and sin. Had not the Master had an understanding of real being, he would have been as the spiritually unenlightened; like them he would have believed in the reality of evil, including disease and sin, and in consequence would have been unable to destroy these erroneous beliefs.
Since man, God's image or reflection, is altogether spiritual, what is to be said of a mortal? Does a mortal really exist? Because God is infinite, eternal, His image must, like Him, be eternal or immortal. Thus, in reality there is no mortal man. Similarly, all that pertains to so-called mortal man has no real existence. Sickness, sin, suffering, sorrow, death, have no real existence; they belong to the dream or illusion that man exists apart from God and does not reflect God. Writing on page 79 of "Miscellaneous Writings," Mary Baker Eddy says: "A mortal who is sinning, sick, and dying, is not immortal man; and never was, and never can be, God's image and likeness, the true ideal of immortal man's divine Principle. The spiritual man is that perfect and unfallen likeness, coexistent and coeternal with God."
