We can boldly disagree with the lie claiming that a material body is our life and substance. God's righteous law is based on the science of true being—its spirituality, eternity, and complete harmony. Since man is idea, the reflection of God, divine Mind, Spirit, he does not in truth have a material body that can feel pain, nor is there matter anywhere in infinite Spirit. How can there be pain, then, in nonexistent matter? God, who is Life and Soul, is everywhere and All.
Impenetrable Spirit is good, God, All-in-all. There is nothing outside Spirit to penetrate it. Neither is there any place where Spirit is not, or where there is room for something besides Spirit to enter. Since Spirit is everywhere, matter, its opposite, cannot be anywhere in God's universe—the only universe there is. Consequently, matter does not exist as a reality, and there can be no pain in matter, nothingness. Both matter and its sensations are illusions.
If one thinks he feels pain, this can be overcome by understanding and utilizing the healing method of Christian Science explained by Mrs. Eddy in her writings. In her book Rudimental Divine Science she writes, "Mortal ills are but errors of thought,—diseases of mortal mind, and not of matter; for matter cannot feel, see, or report pain or disease."Rud., p.10;
Since material beliefs of mortal mind are totally unreal because they do not come from divine Mind, God, one can refuse to agree with them or to give them power. I once had occasion to understand this and to prove the healing power of Christian Science. I was suffering from a difficulty in one of my legs so that when either walking or resting I could hardly bear the pain. Through my study of Christian Science I knew that the pain could not really be in matter, and I asked a Christian Science practitioner to help me overcome what I knew was nothing but a false belief of pain, coming not from divine Mind but from mortal mind.
Knowing that in reality Mind is God, I rebuked mortal mind and clung persistently to the truths flowing from divine Mind. I constantly affirmed that God creates man in His likeness, and that in truth I was God's spiritual child. A divine idea does not have a material body, filled or not filled with pain. After a period of spiritual growth, for which I am most grateful, the pain disappeared and never returned.
Any suggestion of pain in matter can be destroyed through the study and application of Christian Science and the recognition of the healing power of divine Love. Realization of the ever-presence of spiritually scientific facts makes evident the nothingness of matter's claims—pain, limitation, and other false beliefs. There is no evil power, whether it is called devil, animal magnetism, hypnotism, or aggressive mental suggestion. One can safely fill his consciousness with the allness of the supreme and only God, the almightiness of Spirit, the forever omnipresence of Life, and the omnipotence of Mind, eternal good.
Neither material medicine nor drugs nor any sort of material application really destroys pain, for in truth matter is not substance. In any form it is a mortal illusion, absolutely powerless to perform any task. Therefore it is not to our benefit to submit to mortal mind's suggestions, temptations, or claims regarding the usefulness of material remedies. God is omnipotent Mind, the only power there is, the only remedy for pain. Mrs. Eddy says: "The schools have rendered faith in drugs the fashion, rather than faith in Deity. By trusting matter to destroy its own discord, health and harmony have been sacrificed. Such systems are barren of the vitality of spiritual power, by which material sense is made the servant of Science and religion becomes Christlike."Science and Health, p.146;
Jesus' words and works assure us that we can overcome pain through spiritual understanding and need not fear harm to ourselves or others. He assured all who faithfully follow his teachings, "Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you."Luke 10:19;
God's spiritually perfect and demonstrable laws—the only governing laws—are just and good because God is a loving Father. His supreme will is the only will, He—as cause—the only cause there is for all creation. Matter is not included in ever-present divine consciousness. Harmony and spiritual bliss are everywhere. Good is supreme. Divine Love knows man to be whole and healthy and peaceful. So man is just that. When we realize there is nothing besides one perfect, infinite God and His reflection, perfect man, any false sense of pain we may have thought we felt vanishes. Then painlessness is demonstrated as the true condition of man.
During the crucifixion, Jesus may have been challenged by a belief of severe pain. Mrs. Eddy says of his work in the tomb, after the crucifixion: "He met and mastered on the basis of Christian Science, the power of Mind over matter, all the claims of medicine, surgery, and hygiene.
"He took no drugs to allay inflammation. He did not depend upon food or pure air to resuscitate wasted energies. He did not require the skill of a surgeon to heal the torn palms and bind up the wounded side and lacerated feet, that he might use those hands to remove the napkin and winding-sheet, and that he might employ his feet as before."Science and Health, p. 44; Jesus' doubting disciple, Thomas, still believing matter to be substance, was not convinced that his Master had risen from the tomb, until he saw the nail marks and put his finger into them and thrust his hand into Jesus side.
In quite a different state of consciousness, John the Revelator, recognizing the completeness of Christ Jesus' demonstration over matter, was able to see much more than material eyes can see. Instead of a false concept of the universe as material, John saw the real, perfect, spiritual heaven and earth free from pain, God-created for the delight of all His sons and daughters, each one dear to Him. Summing up the real, painless universe, John wrote, "God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain."Rev. 21:4.
