Is it presumptuous for us to say that man is immortal and to claim that to be true of our own identity? Anything that is actually true of man in Christian Science is true of individuals and therefore practical in our experience. Unless we state the truth accurately we're not applying the Science of being as we should.
So much depends upon what we consider to be our true identity. The material body is not the real man and, of course, is not eternal. But man in God's likeness, the true identity of each one of us, is eternal. A recognition of this fact is helpful in the healing of disease. To become aware of the eternal nature of man, the continuity of being, is to lose our fear of death, and this is a basic aid in overcoming disease. Almost all fear is connected with the belief in mortality, the possible loss of identity. Mrs. Eddy states in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures: "The material body and mind are temporal, but the real man is spiritual and eternal. The identity of the real man is not lost, but found through this explanation; for the conscious infinitude of existence and of all identity is thereby discerned and remains unchanged." Science and Health, p. 302;
It's true that man has always existed in the Science of being, and this is true of each individual identity. Then, one might ask the question, "Why don't we remember previous existence—that is, existence prior to birth?" The answer must be that we're still thinking of ourselves as material and as having had a beginning. This belief of material beginning or birth is a barrier to any knowledge of preexistence. Once we overcome the belief of material beginning, we'll know our whole, perfect existence. The barrier will be destroyed. Because Christ Jesus was aware of his spiritual identity and of the continuity of being, he could confer with Moses and Elias on the mount of transfiguration.
