One who for many years has been a student of Christian Science and has experienced many healings and much good as a result, when first attracted to this subject was told that Christian Science teaches and proves that God is Love; that He is infinite, ever-present divine Love, caring for, protecting, supplying, and healing all who turn to Him for help; and that man is created in God's image and likeness, existing eternally as His idea, reflecting and expressing God's qualities and attributes. Incredulous and doubting, but interested, he slowly took up the study of the Christian Science textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" by Mary Baker Eddy. He began to learn something about God, as taught in this book, and by degrees to apply this knowledge in his daily life.
A few months later, through turning to God, divine Love, for help in overcoming a physical difficulty, the student was healed quickly and completely. This was a most joyous experience; he then saw clearly that existence is spiritual, as Christian Science teaches, and that God is infallible divine Love. Through many trying experiences he has never doubted this, and has always been grateful for this first clear proof of divine Love that came to him as a beginner in the study of Christian Science. Accepting without question the infallibility of God, divine Love, he acknowledged also that man is the immortal expression of Love.
In an enlightening passage on page 460 of Science and Health, Mrs. Eddy writes, "Our system of Mind-healing rests on the apprehension of the nature and essence of all being,—on the divine Mind and Love's essential qualities." And on page 465 she defines God as "incorporeal, divine, supreme, infinite Mind, Spirit, Soul, Principle, Life, Truth, Love." Then, in answer to the question, "Are these terms synonymous?" she says: "They are. They refer to one absolute God."
We learn that the real, spiritual man in God's image and likeness expresses God; that he exists for this purpose, to express the character and nature, the qualities and attributes, of God, divine Love. As this fact is seen more clearly, it becomes of the greatest importance to understand what are "Love's essential qualities." It is possible through Christian Science for us to arrive at the understanding of these "essential qualities" of our heavenly Father and to learn to express them in our lives.
We can understand that in order to be omnipresent and always available, God must be infinite Spirit or Mind, and hence that Spirit is Love. Allness is a fundamental and necessary quality of God, divine Love. This is beautifully expressed in Psalms: "Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me." What a wonderful protection from the beliefs of matter, evil, error, sin, sickness, this understanding of the allness, ever-presence, of God, divine Love, becomes as one sees more clearly the utter unreality of all unlike Him! And here let us remember that Spirit, Love, is omnipotence, omniscience, and omnipresence.
One of the seven synonyms for God is Principle. Divine Love is revealed in Christian Science as the Principle of all real being. Most of us have some understanding of the principle of mathematics, and we see that two times two is always four, not five. Anywhere, and at any time, this is true. Nothing can change it. Divine Principle is revealed in Christian Science to be God, the changeless cause, source, origin, or foundation of all that really is; as that from which all reality proceeds and by which it eternally exists; as that which creates, constitutes, and governs all reality. Man reflects God in all the essential qualities of His nature.
It is often said that love is hard to define. It is sometimes defined as the activity of good. On page 494 of our textbook Mrs. Eddy has written these words, which are most precious to students of Christian Science: "Divine Love always has met and always will meet every human need. It is not well to imagine that Jesus demonstrated the divine power to heal only for a select number or for a limited period of time, since to all mankind and in every hour, divine Love supplies all good." God, divine Love, is infinite, omnipotent, unlimited good, everywhere active, and is in fact the only activity. Good or goodness and activity—is thus seen to be a fundamental quality of the divine character.
That which reflects divine Love must be loving. John, the beloved disciple, wrote: "Beloved, let us love one another; for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. ... Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us." Divine Love is expressed in the qualities of tenderness, compassion, gentleness, mercy, forgiveness, and patience. These are essential qualities. And through the understanding of the allness of divine Love we learn that Love is substantial, immortal, eternal. Shall we not also see integrity, justice, loveliness as reflecting divine Love?
Paul says, "In him we live, and move, and have our being," and the fact that God is Mind explains how man, God's image or idea, can and does live perpetually in the one infinite Mind, which is also infinite Love. What comfort there is for us in this spiritual truth! We actually live and move and have our entire being in the one infinite divine consciousness, which we express and reflect. Are not consciousness and intelligence included in infinite Love, God? Power, strength, and dominion come from and are characteristic of divine being.
Jesus said, "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." And Mrs. Eddy writes (Science and Health, pp. 476, 477): "Jesus beheld in Science the perfect man, who appeared to him where sinning mortal man appears to mortals. In this perfect man the Saviour saw God's own likeness, and this correct view of man healed the sick." That Jesus recognized the perfection and completeness of man in his healing work is evidenced in his remark to Bartimaeus, whom he instantly healed of blindness, "Thy faith hath made thee whole." Abundance, opportunity, success come from and reflect Love.
Law and order are established in God's perfect plan, and are sustained by Love. Purity, impartiality, wisdom, intuition, joy, gladness, gratitude, and grace are derived from Love. Freedom and liberty are based on Love. Free peoples, the world over, are today struggling to preserve these qualities in their lives and governments. Guidance, protection, and safety are provided by the divine Mind.
What precious treasures of Truth and Love are unfolded to us as we learn more of these and many other essential qualities of God! When we realize that we have unlimited capacity and ability to express these divine attributes, which destroy error, fear, sickness, and all evil, our joy is boundless. Thus we prove our inseparable oneness with our Father-Mother God, infinite divine Love.
