Our beloved Leader, Mary Baker Eddy, says of the Master, Christ Jesus (Miscellaneous Writings, p. 74), "He met and conquered the resistance of the world." Every student of Christian Science must likewise meet and conquer error's claim of resistance to Truth. To do so is essential to his spiritual progress and therefore to the working out of his own salvation. This is also important to the progress of his church and the Christian Science movement.
This may seem anomalous in view of the teaching of Christian Science that God, Truth, is infinite, All, the only creator, who creates nothing unlike Himself. One may ask, "Why take cognizance of resistance to Truth when in the whole of God's creation there is nothing opposed to Him?" Because mortal mind, or error, claims to exist, claims to be the opposite of divine Mind, and to have presence, power, intelligence, and activity with which to resist Truth. Although these claims are utterly baseless, they cannot be ignored. A false claim ignored may produce as bad an effect as if it were accepted as valid. In order to be rendered powerless and of no effect, error's claim of resistance to Truth must be detected, rejected as false, and replaced by one's realizing the allness and omnipotence of Truth, God. As this is done, the unfoldment of good will be progressively manifested in one's experience.
What is it that claims to resist our spiritual progress? Paul declares it to be the carnal mind. In Romans (8:7) we read, "The carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be." That this carnal mindedness is the exact opposite of spiritual-mindedness is made plain by the preceding verse, "To be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace."
