The foundational truth of Christian Science, that God, good, is infinite and absolute, supports within itself the conclusive evidence that man and all things real have their origin, existence, and continuity in Him and nowhere else. At the same time this truth establishes scientifically that evil, or error, is impossible in this infinity of good. David, the king, illustrates with keenest accuracy this basic truth when, in words that are vibrant with inspiration, he proclaims (I Chron. 29:11, 12): "Thine, O Lord, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O Lord, and thou art exalted as head above all. Both riches and honour come of thee, and thou reignest over all; and in thine hand is power and might; and in thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all."
In "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" Mary Baker Eddy writes (p. 518), "All the varied expressions of God reflect health, holiness, immortality—infinite Life, Truth, and Love." Man, as God's expression, is thus endowed with God's nature and bounty and can experience no deprivation, no depletion, no poverty. According to Scripture, he is God's image and likeness; therefore he possesses here and now, by reflection, all that is necessary to his well-being, happiness, and continued harmonious existence.
The material senses appear to testify to the very opposite of this scientific truth, for they claim evil to be almost everywhere present and most powerful and man to be pitifully oppressed by its so-called laws of limitation and depletion. All the countless ills which mankind seems to suffer might readily be classified under the one term, lack—lack of money, shelter, physical comforts, or material and mental endowments; lack of bodily health and happiness; lack of peace of mind, of congenial human relationships, of suitable occupation, or of favorable opportunities for success. Mortal man believes himself to be deprived of one thing, or of many, the possession of which he deems urgently necessary to his happiness and subsistence. But, even humanly considered, this is an error of thinking, for we know by experience that these material possessions do not in themselves bring lasting bliss. In their very attainment they often lose for us their importance and gratification, and new, equally urgent needs and wants demand our primary attention and effort.
