It is related in the Gospel of John that Jesus once said to Nicodemus, "Very, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." This remarkable utterance revealed the great fundamental requirement necessary to the success of every seeker after righteousness. But, as Nicodemus asked, so today it may be asked how this can be accomplished. The Master's reply to this query was direct and unmistakable. He said, "That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." This statement presents an essentially important fact. It shows the impossibility of any coalition between the flesh and Spirit. It indicates that one is reborn as one turns from matter to Spirit. This change, being a spiritually mental process, must take place in one's own consciousness. It is accomplished as spiritual understanding gains the ascendancy over material beliefs and false education. The Apostle Paul, in his letter to the Romans, said, "Be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."
When one turns unreservedly to God, honestly seeking the true spiritual status of man, he takes the first step in being born again. The next step is the grateful, childlike acceptance and conscientious use of the corrective spiritual thinking necessary to one's progress. This is beautifully and convincingly set forth by Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, in the textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (pp. 323, 324): "Willingness to become as a little child and to leave the old for the new, renders thought receptive of the advanced idea. Gladness to leave the false landmarks and joy to see them disappear,—this disposition helps to precipitate the ultimate harmony. The purification of sense and self is a proof of progress." Today an ever-enlarging multitude of grateful, happy students of Christian Science are standing as living witnesses to the truth of the foregoing statement. They are proving that each day brings an increased spiritual unfoldment and a clearer perception of the absolute truth of man's sonship with the Father. The knowledge of this divine fact dispels fear and opens the way for scientific demonstration.
The experience of a young man who had a very distorted concept of Christian Science will serve to illustrate the healing and regenerating power of the Christ, Truth. This young man was seriously ill. The verdict of the attending physicians was that the malady would prove fatal in a very short time. In this extremity he turned to Christian Science for help. Relief came immediately, and within two weeks the healing was complete. With the healing he experienced an entire change of thought. He realized that what he had been attempting to judge and criticize was not Christian Science but simply his own erroneous concept of it. In place of a tendency to careless disregard for appearance, came neatness and order. Later the occasional use of tobacco, liquor, and profanity disappeared.
