[Original article in German]
Many individuals believe that there is no comfort for them today. But this belief is groundless, for from the lips of Christ Jesus we have the comforting words (John 16:33), "Be of good cheer." Do thev not sound like a command? All can obey them; all may take fresh courage if they will only have confidence in the reason underlying his command, namely, "I have overcome the world." What a victory—the greatest ever won!
What gave Christ Jesus the strength to achieve such a victory, of the fruits of which all men may at all times partake by following his example? He knew the great scientific facts of being, that God is the only creator and that man expresses the nature of his creator. Man's being is therefore spiritual, perfect, good, harmonious, and eternal. Jesus acknowledged and demonsrated this perfection and wholeness of man and the universe. He demonstrated Christ, and it was the Christ, Truth, which endowed him with the power to "overcome the world."
What was the world he overcame? It could only be a world presenting the opposite of Truth, of reality and spirituality, the opposite of perfection and good. Such a world was never created by God, and there is no creator beside Him. This world, which seems to be and yet in reality is not, because God did not create it, is the world of error based upon the belief that matter is substance, possessing life and intelligence. Christ Jesus proved it to be unreal and nonexistent, and on this basis he overcame it. The absolute sovereignty of his divine nature, the power and glory identifying him with his Father, could not remain hidden. He made it apparent by healing all manner of sin and sickness.
Even when he was confronted with death, the Master's sublime God-derived power did not fail. The world of error was shown by him to be unreal. He unmasked it as mindless, without true being or substance, as sensationless, lifeless, powerless, nothing. Conversely, he revealed the reality of the world of Truth, man and the universe, spiritual and perfect, and proved it so by his healing works.
All who are willing to follow the victor and accept the terms of discipleship can overcome the world. Wonderful are the fruits of this overcoming. John saw them in the light of revelation, and he has described some of them in his message to the churches in Asia Minor. He declares (Rev. 2:7), "To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God." In the following chapter he says: "He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life....Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God."
Christian Science explains the teachings of our Master, enabling every student to apply them with success to every problem. Mary Baker Eddy, who discovered the divine laws of being taught by Christ Jesus, states in "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (p. 462), "Some individuals assimilate truth more readily than others, but any student, who adheres to the divine rules of Christian Science and imbibes the spirit of Christ, can demonstrate Christian Science, cast out error, heal the sick, and add continually to his store of spiritual understanding, potency, enlightenment, and success."
We need not fear a time of lack. Christian Science teaches us that lack is a belief, hence an illusion, which an understanding of the allness of God, good, destroys. According to the assurance of our Saviour, Christ, Truth, is "with [us] alway, even unto the end of the world" (Matt. 28:20). It helps us and endows us with strength to overcome every belief of lack. If the student of Christian Science obeys the By-Law in the Manual of The Mother Church by Mrs. Eddy entitled "Alertness to Duty" (Art. VIII, Sect. 6), times of need will become times of grace, giving him an opportunity to demonstrate the perfection of God and man.
In obedience to this By-Law he rejects as unreal whatever the physical senses present as alarming. He acknowledges only the fact that man, as the image of infinite Mind, continually possesses all good. Can this image of God then be poverty-stricken, sick, miserable, imprisoned, or homeless? No. In Science man is the reflection of God's power, glory, wisdom, and love; indeed, of all the inexhaustible and undiminishing divine qualities. These spiritual, God-bestowed riches are not subject to fluctuation, but are maintained in their perfection by divine law.
Mortal sense would reverse the truth and testify to its opposite by claiming that the age in which we are living is a time of lack for many. The Scientist, however, relies on the word of the Saviour, "I have overcome the ' world." He has confidence in his Leader, Mrs. Eddy, who says of the divine rules of Christian Science (Science and Health, p. 147), "They were submitted to the broadest practical test, and everywhere, when honestly applied under circumstances where demonstration was humanly possible, this Science showed that Truth had lost none of its divine and healing efficacy, even though centuries had passed away since Jesus practised these rules on the hills of Judaea and in the valleys of Galilee." Hence the student need not feel disturbed, even though confronted with problems brought about through the chaos of war and its aftereffects.
There is no problem that cannot be solved through divine Truth, which, when understood, destroys all that is untrue. For every false belief the healing idea may be found in divine Mind; it is not withheld from the human mind striving for redemption, for God is Love. This knowledge gives one strength and perseverance and enables him to rely fearlessly and confidently on the one God. Patience and persistence always gain the victory.
Has one lost the homeland so dear to him? In Christian Science he can feel the guiding hand of God enabling him to see that he has only one Father, Life, and only one Mother, Love, and that his true being is indissolubly united with his Father-Mother God. The understanding of God and of man's true selfhood as the image and likeness of God leads to the recognition of one's true homeland. It is the consciousness of his unity with God that constitutes his home and homeland. Because they are independent of time and space, they are untouched by and independent of the world which seems to be. They are manifestations of Soul.
If we are faced with changed situations frequently involving the carrying out of unaccustomed tasks, or if we are displaced and forced to live with others in very close quarters, we can see such circumstances as opportunities to think more earnestly about the real man, created by God, and to realize that all are in reality His blessed children, governed and maintained by Him.
Man, made in God's image, can express only love, goodness, and wisdom. There is actually only this one perfect man, and in our associations with our fellow men we must adhere to this perfect model, even though physical perception would force upon us as real the existence of a corporeal mortal with characteristics, tendencies, and passions which distort and reverse the truth. We must strive to express only love, kindness, goodness, unselfishness, gratitude, and helpfulness. In this way we overcome the beliefs of unkindness, unfriendliness, discourtesy, impatience, selfishness, envy, and malice. Thus Christian Science helps one to overcome all error. He who relies unreservedly on Principle finds he has each day that which he needs. His real need is always for right ideas, and divine Love supplies him with them. When accepted and utilized, they bring the joy of victory.
Fidelity to the divine laws of being enables us to give constantly new proofs of the ever-availability of divine Love to meet every human need. The student of Christian Science steadfastly maintains the right viewpoint—perfect God and perfect man— from which he can overcome the world. Unswervingly he erects in consciousness the true idea of man and the universe.
The divine ideas, from the never-failing source of Love and Truth, are the stones with which the Scientist builds. As he is regenerated spiritually, he rises above the world of error. He does not allow himself to be disturbed by the false pictures around him. No human opinion, no political ideology can confuse him. He is comforted because he knows that Christ Jesus overcame the world, and that through the understanding and daily practice of Christian Science he too can and does overcome the world in the measure that he follows the Master.
