"The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ" (Rom. 8:16, 17). When Paul wrote these words he voiced his understanding of Spirit's infinite, ever-active presence expressed through man, God's image. And in a further chapter of his letter to the Romans he besought them (12:2), "Be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."
This divinely inspired way of transformation leads to holiness and health and is open to all mankind. When the Christian Scientist first glimpses reality through an awakened spiritual sense of Spirit's omnipotence, he dedicates himself to bear witness to the truth of his spiritual identity. This involves learning of the real and eternal and giving up belief in the unreal and transitory; it is putting on immortality through mental transformation or spiritual enlightenment.
Since God is infinite, all-knowing Mind, as we learn in Christian Science, creation must be the expression or fulfillment of the divine knowing. Surely our basic reason for existing is to manifest and glorify Mind as Mind's true witness. Our greatest need then is to know ourselves spiritually, and this is possible. It would not be possible, however, were we in reality mortals, for mortal sense can perceive only its own evidence. Mortal selfhood is only a transitory illusion of this sense, never for an instant the true and living reality.
