"AS many as are led by the Spirit of God, A they are the sons of God," writes Paul in his letter to the Romans. That consciousness of being which knows its completeness in the Father, recognizing itself as the image and likeness of God, is the Christ-consciousness, or son of God. It gives us inspiration and a sense of dignity and grandeur to realize, through the revelation of Christian Science, that the spiritual creation recorded in the first chapter of Genesis is the true statement of our origin and real being. In this chapter are recorded the spiritual facts that God created His universe, the firmament, the sea, the earth, the sun, the moon, and all living creatures; that he created man in His image and likeness, spiritual and perfect. God is Father-Mother; therefore man is His son. To this beloved son God gave His greatest gift—dominion over all creation. This spiritual creation includes all that is harmonious, satisfying, complete.
In the Glossary to "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (p. 594) Mary Baker Eddy gives the spiritual definition of "Son" as "the Son of God, the Messiah or Christ." Christ reveals to us the fact that man, including the universe, must then include, by reflection, the ideas of health, happiness, success, harmony, inspiration, satisfaction, completeness. This knowledge enables us to exclude the so-called forces of aggression that through false belief argue for fear, sin, disease, death, lack, limitation.
As we deny the testimony of the five material senses and spiritualize our thinking we understand God as divine Principle which must be lived, rather than a God whom we petition for life. This Christ-consciousness is not confined to Jesus, but is the birthright of everyone, and is experienced as one identifies oneself as the son of God. Mrs. Eddy says (ibid., p. 264), "When we realize that Life is Spirit, never in nor of matter, this understanding will expand into self-completeness, finding all in God, good, and needing no other consciousness."
