Article September 9, 2019 Issue

Discover substance in Spirit

Isaac Otieno

When I was in high school, I liked science subjects very much. I believed the word substance had almost the same meaning as matter. In fact, I thought everything was physical, and I had almost no faith in God. Several years later, I came to realize that what can be seen, heard, and felt materially cannot actually tell us anything about God, whom we cannot see materially but can only know spiritually. Moreover, I realized that what cannot be seen with the eyes is actually what is permanent, dependable, and the only real substance.

In Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy writes: “Substance is that which is eternal and incapable of discord and decay. Truth, Life, and Love are substance …” (p. 468). The real substance of each of us is not a physical combination of flesh and bones but the expression of Soul, Spirit, or God. I’ve been learning how important it is to understand and value Spirit and spiritual ideas and qualities rather than matter as true substance.

The Bible tells us that God appeared to Solomon—a new, young king—in a dream and told Solomon to ask anything of Him (see I Kings 3:5–14). Solomon chose to ask for something truly substantial instead of something material. He said, “Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people?” God was pleased that Solomon had made this choice rather than asking for something material, such as money.

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