Article November 12, 1938 Issue

The Omnipotence of God, Good

VAN RENSSELAER VESTAL

The persistent claim of material belief is that there are two forces operating in human experience, namely, good and evil. These forces are apparently forever at war with each other, striving to predominate in human consciousness and experience. The Apostle Paul recognizes this seeming conflict where he states in his epistle to the Romans: "The good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do;" and, "I find then a law, when I would do good, evil is present with me." However, when thought becomes instructed sufficiently in the spiritual facts of being, as revealed in Christian Science, how untrue and impossible the belief of any power apart from God is seen to be!

The first chapter of Genesis recounts the facts of the spiritual creation, in which God created the universe, including man, and goes on to state, "God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good." This true record of the spiritual creation once and for all disposes of any possible reality in evil or any power opposed to God. The divine Mind made all that was made; and this creation fills all space, thereby leaving no place in which any other power could exist. It follows, then, that as God is the sole creator and His creation was pronounced "very good," good is the eternal nature of that which is real.

When one is faced with anything claiming to be real and powerful, one can apply this test: Does it manifest good; does it demonstrate peace, health, and harmony? If not, then it is false, having no reality, presence, or power; for whatever is not good, is not from God, and if it be not of God it is nothing, because God made all "that was made." Also, we should know that God, good, is omnipotent and ever present. With this realization we can follow the direction of our Leader, Mary Baker Eddy, on page 392 of her textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," when she says, "Perform your office as porter and shut out these unhealthy thoughts and fears." Thereby we rule error out of our experience.

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