The phrase, "a man of substance," is frequently used to indicate a person who has amassed wealth, shown by an accumulation of stocks and bonds, possession of real estate or other material objects of value, and a large bank account. The phrase indicates, in other words, a mortal plus much materiality, a person subservient to the whim of chance or change and one with no assurance of happiness or comfort from his acquisitions. This description does not fit the man of God's creating, made in His image and likeness, who is the bonafide man of substance.
In analyzing security and substance through the understanding gained in the study of Christian Science, we see man to be the individualized manifestation of infinite God, including such qualities as health, happiness, security, and permanence. This man appears here and now as the human concept is relinquished for the true idea, man made in God's likeness. This changeover takes place in thought, and the result is a more satisfactory state of affairs in human experience.
The true meaning of substance may be gained from the definition of Spirit, which is given in the Glossary of "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" by Mary Baker Eddy (p. 594): "Spirit. Divine substance; Mind; divine Principle; all that is good; God; that only which is perfect, everlasting, omnipresent, omnipotent, infinite." The real man reflects Spirit, Principle, and expresses goodness and perfection. One who understands and demonstrates these truths is recognized by his associates and neighbors as an intelligent, honest, upright, and untiring worker; a citizen of integrity, respected in the community, and known by his unselfish benevolence and his effective support of every good cause. This individual has found within his true selfhood the elements of real substance, and this understanding externalizes itself in freedom from restriction or limitation.
