Mrs. Eddy tells us in Science and Health that "substance is that which is eternal and incapable of discord and decay" and that "Spirit, the synonym of Mind, Soul, or God, is the only real substance." Science and Health, p. 468
What does this tell us about man's substance, his true condition? The reality is that man is the spiritually perfect image of God, reflecting all the qualities of God every single moment, including flawless substance. No disease or discord can touch this eternal reflection. The outward sense of things portrays man as a chemical, physiological being, or body, and would have us believe that this mechanism is vulnerable to attack and able to be overcome, consumed, and ultimately destroyed. But man's real, spiritual nature is eternal because God's law maintains His creation, keeping man continuously in a state of strength, health, harmony. God is holding man completely intact in this eternal state and governing every aspect of his being.
Being conscious of the reality of man's eternal, spiritual being defends us against the lies constantly confronting us about a material body that can be diseased, impaired, weak, aging, or dying. Mrs. Eddy stresses our need to look beyond this mortal sense of things when she says in Pulpit and Press. "The real house in which 'we live, and move, and have our being' is Spirit, God, the eternal harmony of infinite Soul. The enemy we confront would overthrow this sublime fortress, and it behooves us to defend our heritage.
