"Now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; ... for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; and that he might reconcile both unto God." So writes Paul in the second chapter of his epistle to the Ephesians (verses 13-16). In this statement he illustrates the fact that it is through Christ, the spiritual idea of Truth and Love, that the belief of dualism is destroyed and man is found to be not two, material and spiritual, but one—spiritual. "The middle wall of partition" is broken down, dispelled, by the presence of the Christ in consciousness. The demonstration of this proves man's unity with God, showing that God and the real man are inseparable, are one, as divine Principle and idea. Thus the material is proved unreal, the conflict between the material and the spiritual ceases, and peace and harmony are realized.
How can the Christ-consciousness, which dispels the illusion of material sense, be experienced? By uniting thought to God, by understanding God through the ideas which express Him. Man, in his true selfhood, is spiritual. He is the expression of God, Soul, Spirit, the manifestation of Mind. When we understand—know God through the ideas which express Him, our true selfhood as His reflection comes to light. In this way we prove man's unity with divine Truth and Love and demonstrate the Christ-consciousness. On page 583 of the Glossary of the Christian Science textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," Mary Baker Eddy defines Christ as, "The divine manifestation of God, which comes to the flesh to destroy incarnate error."
The experience of a student of Christian Science serves to illustrate the healing effect of the Christ, which comes to the human consciousness to destroy the errors—illusions —of material sense. This young woman was struggling to overcome a painful physical condition. She had become so mesmerized with the apparent reality of the trouble that healing did not take place. She decided, therefore, to call upon a Christian Science practitioner for help. During the subsequent conversation with the practitioner the student remarked: "There seems to be a wall between me and God. I feel cut off from Him and cannot gain a consciousness of His presence."
