When one conceives of an idea, that idea does not leave his consciousness and develop outside himself. The ideas remain within the consciousness that conceives of them and develop there.
Divine Mind, God, conceives man and the universe, and His ideas never leave His consciousness. They never orbit outside the supreme intelligence that knows them, and they never develop anything contrary to the divine Principle that is all-knowing Mind.
Man is Mind's idea. How impossible, then, for a single individual to be outside God's plan and purpose. How illogical to suppose that erroneous conditions not belonging in the intelligent realm of Mind could attach themselves to or be part of God's idea.
Sin and disease, the suppositious conditions of the carnal mind, have no place in divine Mind's realm. The Bible says of God, "Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity."Hab. 1:13. If Mind's purity rules out sin, and Mind's substance rules out disease, an understanding of these facts will heal any form of sickness or sin.
But one might argue, "This sounds great, and intellectually I understand your thesis. But how is it that sickness and sin seem so real in my life?"
Trying to understand the nature of Mind solely with the human intellect leads only to confusion. Realization of the true nature of God comes from one's spiritual sense and brings spiritual facts into focus in one's life. In Science and Health Mrs. Eddy tells us, "The spiritual reality is the scientific fact in all things."Science and Health, p. 207.
It takes a development of spiritual sense for one to discern the spiritual facts that Mind unfolds. It is the Christ that imparts to human consciousness this spiritual sense. Christian Science teaches that Christ emanates from God, forever unfolding to human consciousness. It reveals the true idea of perfect God and of the perfect man He created.
The Christ comes to human thought to awaken it to the truth of Mind's idea —that this idea has an indestructible relationship to the impelling Principle that created it. This Christ, Truth, lifts thought beyond the belief of the flesh as substance into a comprehension of spiritual substance. Christ is always imparting to mankind the spiritual focus of existence. It is forever active in human thought. As one's thinking yields to this divine impartation from Mind, his understanding of his relationship to this Mind lifts him beyond mere human reasoning into an unequivocal spiritual realization that Principle and its idea can never be separated, because Principle is God, omniscient, all-powerful, and omnipresent Being.
Because Mind's idea, man, cannot wander from his source, he cannot become enmeshed in any development of evil. Divine Mind is the source of all functioning, so there is no malfunctioning in Mind or in its idea. This truth is a divine law that governs man. All beliefs in a malfunctioning body, or bodily parts, stem from a false law calling itself disease. This so-called law is obliterated by a realization that real law finds its source in divine Principle, God. Mind's absolute control of its idea, and the proper functioning of this idea, are indisputable spiritual facts.
Mortal mind would contradict the divine law and claim to govern the material body. But the so-called mortal mind is a false mentality—a belief of intelligence in matter, separate from God. When the body malfunctions, mortal mind is saying an individual is sick. The supposed laws of physics then prescribe a certain process that the sickness must follow before the body can recover.
But Christian Science introduces the true law of divine metaphysics which proves God did not make and does not support malfunctioning. Spiritual law sets aside the belief in material law, and even the human body must respond to Truth instead of to the erroneous material concept.
There is no stage of sickness that cannot be stopped immediately by the healing and regenerating power of God's law. Because man is spiritual, he is not at the mercy of physical laws. Proper functioning is restored to any bodily part as one understands and lives the truth of man's relation to the impelling power of Mind.
Under Mind's control, ideas of Mind not only function properly but also are properly formed because they are spiritual ideas. Spirit is the substance of man, and there is no malformation in Spirit's substance. Science and Health states, "Spirit and its formations are the only realities of being."Ibid., p. 264.
Spirit's formations cannot be altered, interfered with, or destroyed. But these formations have nothing to do with matter and are entirely separate from the belief that man is formed of material substance called flesh and bones. Man is not material, living in a mortal realm now and needing to reach out somewhere in time and space to find an eventual spiritual state in which matter subsides and Spirit's formations become real. Because the only realities of being are spiritual, then right where the malformations of matter seem to exist, one can exchange the false picture for the true fact of being—the spiritual one.
How does one do this? Here's an example. A Christian Scientist who would by the world's standards be classified as a senior citizen stepped off a curb into a deep hole in the pavement and took a hard fall. One ankle was sprained badly, and the physical evidence indicated that the other ankle was obviously broken.
But this woman's deepest concept of herself was spiritual, as the reflection of the divine Mind that eternally impels and controls its own thoughts. She rejected the view that bones are harder to heal when one is older, or that the flesh is less resilient. Her realization that she had never been more nor less than Spirit's own child put to silence the false laws about her supposed identity in matter. The spiritual reality that was the truth of all Spirit's formations shut out the lies about malformation. She therefore felt no need to rely on any material means for healing. In three days this woman was walking on both feet—even climbing the stairs of her home. Soon after that she was able to resume wearing shoes and go about her daily life normally.
Because she rejected the false beliefs about the formations of matter, she filled her consciousness with spiritual thoughts and spiritual concepts of God and of man as His perfect reflection. Thus she was not fooled by mortal mind's illusions or their effects.
The substance of Spirit must be real to one who would demonstrate spiritual healing. The consciousness of Mind's control must be a deeper conviction to us than the supposition of a life out of control—a life subject to sin, sickness, or accident.
Understanding the facts of Spirit awakens us to the reality of Spirit's formations, and these formations point us to the state of spiritual existence. But like the woman whose ankles were healed, one must consistently deny that man's life is governed by material formations, functions, and actions.
Man cannot be separated from his understanding of Spirit. But sometimes individuals feel they are separated. Mrs. Eddy writes, "The suppositional world within us separates us from the spiritual world, which is apart from matter, and unites us to one another." The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany, p. 167.
It is the Christ that reveals to us our spiritual nature. Christ awakens us to the only Mind we have—the Mind of God. Through the consciousness of ourselves as Mind's idea, we need never feel shut off or shut out from the impelling power that made us. Because there is only one Mind, no one need be afraid of a so-called mind of a mortal. Mortal mind has no power to harm or injure divine Mind's idea.
Jesus' consciousness of the spiritual realities of being enabled him to silence all false beliefs about matter's formations and functions. His spiritual selfhood was the Christ, and he proved that this is the spiritual identity of all of God's children. Therefore individuals today can emulate the Master's Christly works. And they can awake right here to their spiritual identity.
Mind impels its own ideas and holds them forever intact in Spirit's universe. As we bring the spiritual facts of reality into focus, our lives express greater harmony and well-being, and we are better prepared to follow Christ Jesus as disciples and Christian healers.
God that made the world
and all things therein,
seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth,
dwelleth not in temples made with hands;
neither is worshipped with men's hands,
as though he needed any thing,
seeing he giveth to all life,
and breath, and all things.
