Editorial February 6, 1932 Issue

God's Nearness

Duncan Sinclair

How often does the cry go up to God from humanity for His love, His support, His guidance! But how often it is made as if He were afar off, so far off, indeed, that He may not hear the cry at all, even the cry of agony! There is surely something wrong with the concept of God which regards Him as apart from His creation, probably far apart from it. Christian Science points out what is wrong, giving the true concept which declares Him to be omnipresent, and shows man to be ever at-one with Him. On page 596 of "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," Mrs. Eddy writes, "Paganism and agnosticism may define Deity as 'the great unknowable;' but Christian Science brings God much nearer to man, and makes Him better known as the All-in-all, forever near."

Christian Science teaches that God is infinite, omnipresent Mind, and that, being Mind, He expresses Himself through ideas. Hence, man is the idea of God. Since man is the idea of God, is it conceivable that there can possibly be any separation between God and man? The answer is, No. Thus, as the absolute unity which exists between God and man is recognized, it is seen how impossible it is to conceive that God will ever be nearer to man than He now is in true being. Our Leader has stated the relationship between God and man concisely and clearly in these words (Science and Health, pp. 465, 466), "Principle and its idea is one, and this one is God, omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent Being, and His reflection is man and the universe."

The effect of gaining an understanding of the omnipresence of God and of the unity existing between God and man is many-sided. For one thing, this understanding strikes at all anxiety and fear. For what can there be to be anxious about or afraid of, since man, the real spiritual selfhood of us all, is at-one with God, infinite Love? The fact is that there is never a moment when man is apart from perfect Love, apart from omnipotent Mind, apart from unlimited good. This being so, in reality man is protected beyond any possibility of hurt. But it should be noted that merely to voice these truths is not sufficient; they must be realized to insure divine protection. How the Psalmist must have felt the nearness of God and His protecting care when in the one hundred and thirty-ninth Psalm he wrote: "Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? ... If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me"! Beautiful, trustful, truthful words!

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