When St. Paul spoke of "the peace of God, which passeth all understanding," he was painting no mere word picture; he was, instead, pointing to a divinely metaphysical fact. And because this fact is divinely metaphysical it transcends human understanding, and is, fundamentally, separate and distinct from it. God, Spirit, is the Maker and Giver of all that is real; and they who would acquire and profit by this true, scientific knowledge must first apprehend God correctly, and then be governed accordingly. This is the key to "the peace of God," or spiritual peace, as stressed by the apostle.
In the daily life of each individual, nothing is more desired than pure peace. Whatever one may legitimately aspire to and do, always involves, either directly or indirectly, the thought of peace and its cherished rewards. Without peace' one cannot gain much that is wholly good. Without peace one cannot be truly happy, contented, or satisfied.
Peter reminded the early Christians of the source of peace: "Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord." Through knowledge! Through knowing the truth about God, and about His Son, Christ Jesus. In other words, peace and the quality of grace attending it must be won through a metaphysical concept of Deity, and of man as His spiritual idea or reflection. Peace is of God, and only from God can it be obtained. Because God is Spirit, peace is spiritual; it is never material. It is a quality of divine Mind, and so is entirely mental. It is not a thing, and is never dependent upon things. In daily experience, therefore, peace must first be established in one's thinking before it can characterize one's pursuits or activities and reveal its blessings. In brief, peace must be spiritually apprehended before it can be humanly demonstrated. On page 329 of the Christian Science textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," Mary Baker Eddy writes, "If men understood their real spiritual source to be all blessedness, they would struggle for recourse to the spiritual and be at peace."
