The great need of mankind today is to understand scientific healing. Mrs. Eddy says: "Beyond the frail premises of human beliefs, above the loosening grasp of creeds, the demonstration of Christian Mind-healing stands a revealed and practical Science. It is imperious throughout all ages as Christ's revelation of Truth, of Life, and of Love, which remains inviolate for every man to understand and to practise." Science and Health, p. 98;
Healing in Christian Science follows the example of Jesus' words and works. His ministry was devoted to proving the power of God in every case, regardless of what the human need seemed to be.
Jesus was always conscious of his spiritual selfhood, the Christ, against which mortal power or material belief was powerless. Because of the Christ, which he expressed, he could prove the power of God by presenting tangible evidence of healing wherever there was a receptive thought. Pilate once said to Jesus, "Knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee, and have power to release thee?" John 19:10; Jesus recognized this vain boast for what it was—the human sense of power and self-importance speaking—and he replied, "Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above."
A beautiful and practical example of Jesus' healing work was that of the woman taken in adultery, as recorded in the Gospel of John. Jesus refused to condemn this woman, though she was condemned by Mosaic law for her sin. He lifted his thought above the situation and pointed out a basic rule in healing when he said that he did not condemn her and added, "Go, and sin no more." John 8:11; How great must have been the feeling of release which this woman experienced! Mrs. Eddy writes, "Christ, Truth, was demonstrated through Jesus to prove the power of Spirit over the flesh,—to show that Truth is made manifest by its effects upon the human mind and body, healing sickness and destroying sin." Science and Health, p. 316;
The Christlike consciousness always expresses compassion and is characterized by divine insight, which enables one to diagnose a case mentally. Mental diagnosis brings to light underlying errors which a physical diagnosis may never see. When a patient comes to a Christian Science practitioner for treatment, the spiritual insight of the practitioner enables him to see the real need of the one who is coming for help. It is always fear or some false mental quality which needs to be eradicated.
The divine Mind reveals what we need to know in healing any case. There is always some element of material thinking which has to be cast out. The leading error has to be replaced always—as does the governing fear—with the truth of man's perfect selfhood. It is the recognition and realization of some idea of Truth, plus the radical stand for this idea, that set the patient free. One's motive should always be to demonstrate the Christ. God is constantly using man to manifest His ever-unfolding presence, power, and glory.
The Christ can appear or be known only through the Christlike qualities that man expresses. To the pure consciousness, which is the Christ, sickness, sin, and death are unknown. Healing appears as one recognizes the Christlike qualities and cultivates them as one's own. The greatest humility is called for, so that spiritual understanding, wisdom, purity, and holiness can appear. In divine reality there is no power called the anti-Christ. The anti-Christ is only a false belief or a false claimant to power in its opposition to all that the Christ is.
The activity of the Christ is universal in its nature and is always present to bless the receptive thought, thus eliminating the various arguments of error which claim to take away the harmony and health of mankind. The presence of the Christ is a law of annihilation to everything unlike good. The Christ manifests Truth in its healing and saving aspect. Christian healing is the activity of the Christ in individual consciousness. As the Christ is individually expressed, one performs quick and outstanding healings. In "No and Yes," Mrs. Eddy writes, "The real Christ was unconscious of matter, of sin, disease, and death, and was conscious only of God, of good, of eternal Life, and harmony." No., p. 36;
Health can be maintained only through the regeneration of individual consciousness. It has no basis in material thinking or in matter. In my own experience the healing power of the Christ has been evidenced in many ways. Health has been maintained, and erroneous thinking has been corrected. One instance in particular stands out. Mortal mind had argued aggressively that I had been bitterly hurt by the actions of a friend. My work in Christian Science did not seem to alleviate the mental suffering. One evening as I hurried to answer the telephone, I slipped and fell. My head and back were injured. The hurt feeling which had been making me miserable mentally was now claiming to make me suffer physically. Now the argument was that the body was hurt.
At this point my understanding of the real nature of man came to my rescue. The error was revealed to me for what it was— a false belief about man. I knew, from the spiritual standpoint, that I reflected the divine consciousness. The spiritual qualities that were unfolding as my real selfhood could behold and know only Christly qualities and ideas in my friend. As I recognized and accepted this truth, the feeling of hurt was eliminated from my thinking, and the suffering soon disappeared from the body.
Man's sinless selfhood has to be recognized in every case as the spiritual fact of being, and this is the basis on which Christian Science treatment heals. As Paul said: "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death." Rom. 8:1, 2.
