An unwavering conviction that victory for Truth is inevitable is a necessity in spiritual warfare. It gives one moral courage. Students of Christian Science are convinced that an awareness of Truth will nullify error and heal the sick. Accordingly, they diligently study their textbooks, the Bible and "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" by Mary Baker Eddy, in order to enlarge their understanding of Truth and to clarify their ability to discern spiritually between the real and the unreal.
Christian Science distinguishes clearly between that which is real and that which is unreal. Simply stated, that which is of God, good, is real; that which is not of God is not real. Man, the compound, spiritual idea of God, in whom the divine Mind expresses itself, is of course real. He is the only real man. He is immortal, as indestructible as his creator. Man has never fallen from perfection. He was never born into matter, and therefore he does not pass through the precarious process of growth, maturity, decay, and death as a prelude to immortality. Mrs. Eddy summarizes these truths succinctly on page 287 of Science and Health: "Error supposes man to be both mental and material. Divine Science contradicts this postulate and maintains man's spiritual identity."
Yes, spiritual man is real; but the mortal counterfeit of man is unreal. In fact, there is no such thing as a mortal man. This term is used to designate the universally accepted misconception of man, based upon the false testimony of material sense, even as the word "mirage" is used to designate a scenic illusion. The mortal concept of man is the very antipode of the Christ-idea, the true spiritual selfhood indicated in the profound yet simple statement of Jesus, "I and my Father are one."
