In this age the depths of the sea have been penetrated, the stratosphere explored, and the atom split; but there remains a divided, quarrelsome world facing its most basic challenge: the harmonious relationship of men, or peaceful coexistence. The spiritual understanding of God, and of man pre-existent, coexistent, and coeternal with Him, can meet this challenge.
Christ Jesus, through the understanding of his pre-existence with his Father, which he said predated Abraham, proved his coexistence with God, ever-present divine Love, and his coeternality with God, everlasting Life. He explained this fact to his disciples in these words found in the Gospel of John (16:28): "I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world: again, I leave the world, and go to the Father." The immortality of the Master's true identity was thus demonstrated. It was the consciousness of the Christ, his spiritual nature, inseparable from God, which enabled the man Jesus to heal. With meekness and humility he steadfastly acknowledged that this mighty healing power was not of himself, but was of his Father, Spirit.
Christian Science acknowledges that through the Way-shower's shining example man's at-one-ment with God, divine Love, is unfolded. Mary Baker Eddy states in "Miscellaneous Writings" (p.181), "Mortals will lose their sense of mortality— disease, sickness, sin, and death—in the proportion that they gain the sense of man's spiritual preexistence as God's child; as the offspring of good, and not of God's opposite, —evil, or a fallen man." Since man is the offspring of God, good, he is forever at one and coexists with good.
Man is subject to the law of divine Principle, God. An understanding of this fact endows one with spiritual power to fulfill the holy purpose destined for him. Jesus was obedient, faithful, and loving in fulfilling his divine mission. His works were done for his Father's glory and according to His will. In the Christian Science textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," Mrs. Eddy instructs us to do likewise. She writes (p. 202,) "The scientific unity which exists between God and man must be wrought out in life-practice, and God's will must be universally done." Thus we look beyond the veil of mortal sense and discern man as immortal, demonstrating by spiritual reflection the capabilities of God, Spirit, Soul, Mind, Life, Truth, and Love.
It is the demonstration of man's unbreakable unity with God that makes one an ambassador for Christ, a term which Paul used when he wrote (II Cor. 5:20), "We are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God." As one is reconciled to God, or is in harmony with good, he knows his true selfhood. And when one is expressing his true selfhood, he proves his place in true brotherhood. He does not become reconciled to the counterfeit or mortal man with his discords and pains. He cannot for an instant give power or reality to error of any kind. It is the love and compassion of the Christ in consciousness which truly reconciles all men to God and holds them together in God's encompassing embrace as, in reality, His spiritual ideas.
Here the question may arise as to how one can find reconciliation with his fellow men when he is confronted with those in the world who are annoying and oppressing, and who are constantly attempting to dominate and steal. How can one live peacefully with his fellow men in an atomic age with all its threatening ramifications?
The true fact from the spiritual standpoint is that discordant phases of human existence are not of God and consequently are no part of God's reflection, man. The mortal sense of man is an illusive counterfeit without substance, law, or authority to act. We can prove this fact by separating mankind from the error which appears overwhelmingly aggressive in some of its manifestations today and seeing only the perfect man, created in God's likeness. It is the dynamic power of spiritual understanding and the utilization of spiritual ideas that meet the threat of today's tyrannical challenge and illustrate the Psalmist's glorious words (Ps.133:1), "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!"
The evangelist Philip undoubtedly understood man's eternal unity with God, for he was able to convert the people of Samaria. According to the account in the eighth chapter of Acts, the people had been completely mesmerized by the sorcerer Simon. Philip, through his preaching of the truth of God and Christ and through his healing works, broke the hypnotic spell for the whole bewitched people. They believed the truths which Philip preached and were baptized. Then something which might be considered more miraculous took place: even Simon was freed from witchcraft and believed.
There followed another significant episode which was the result of Philip's close walk with God and his obedience to God's commands. The Ethiopian eunuch besought Philip for an explanation of the Scripture. Here were inspiring examples of the quick dissolution of two phases of aggression—totalitarian hypnotism and ecclesiastic mesmerism—by one man who proved his coexistence with God and his love for his fellow men, regardless of race and color.
The truth that man is coexistent and coeternal with God overcomes the false belief of death, for if one knows that man has always existed with God, does now, and will continue to do so, he will fear no change called death. The understanding and realization of man's continuity as a part of God's perfect plan reveal the everlasting bond of Love, which embraces all of God's children in one united perfect design of good. Knowledge of the eternality of Life lifts one's thought above the mortal delusion of a material universe and the Adam man into the vast forever of infinite Mind.
In Christ Jesus' prayer before his betrayal, he asked God to glorify him with the glory that he had with Him before the world was (see John 17:5). Jesus prayed not only for himself but for his disciples and for all who should believe on him that all might feel the oneness with the Father which he had felt and the love that he had known.
When humanity knows and proves man's basic spiritual unity with his loving Father-Mother God, ever-present and all-powerful good, and prays understandingly for this ideal of Christianity to be universally practiced, then today's basic challenge—peaceful coexistence of men and nations—will be met.
