Editorial February 14, 1931 Issue

Divine Authority

Duncan Sinclair

Christian Science teaches that God is divine Principle, and that the universe including man—God's creation—is governed and sustained by perfect spiritual law. Thus, the real spiritual universe continues to exist by divine authority. Moreover, the spiritual universe, which is the full manifestation of God, Mind, consists of divine ideas. And, furthermore, since Mind's creation of ideas exists under divine authority, it is indestructible, eternal. What a revelation is this of God and His universe! How wonderful to behold the universe of reality existing by divine decree, and to know that because of this it will continue to exist forever!

Whatever, then, is of God exists by His authority. It has the divine right to exist; and it does exist, and will persist. Mrs. Eddy writes on page 93 of "Miscellaneous Writings," "Science sanctions only what is supported by the unerring Principle of being." Thus, for example, good is of God. Good therefore has divine sanction; so it exists and will continue to exist: it is indestructible, eternal. It is similar with life, which is of God—infinite Life. It exists and will continue to exist; it is indestructible, immortal. Love, also, being of God—infinite Love—exists by divine authority, and it will continue to exist eternally. And so it is with every idea, attribute, or quality of God: each exists by divine authority, and is eternal.

But what of those beliefs which often hold mankind in bondage, such as sin, sorrow, suffering, disease, discord? They are not of God, infinite good; they are not a part of the full manifestation of God—the real universe—and are not supported by "the unerring Principle of being." In other words, whatever is unlike good is unreal. Thus Christian Science maintains that all that is good exists by divine authority and is real, and that whatever is not good is without divine authority and is unreal. In this way a clear line of demarcation is drawn by Christian Science between reality and unreality, between that which exists by divine authority and that which apparently exists, but does not.

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Perpetual Light
February 14, 1931
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