The True Nature of Man

DAVID HELLYER

"The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." With these words, Paul, in his first epistle to the Corinthians, challenges Christians to look beyond the human to the true concept of man as the son of God.

Obviously, Paul uses the word "natural" in the sense of unspiritual or material. A dictionary defines "natural," in part, as "in accordance with human nature."

In opposition to this human concept, what constitutes the spiritually natural man? Christian Science states unequivocally that the natural status of man is spiritual. This being true, man is not subject to the supposititious belief of life in matter, but now and always expresses the divine Mind in the spiritual qualities of health, plenty, and harmony.

In distinguishing between so-called mortal man and immortal man, Mrs. Eddy declares in the Christian Science textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (p. 301): "To himself, mortal and material man seems to be substance, but his sense of substance involves error and therefore is material, temporal. On the other hand, the immortal, spiritual man is really substantial, and reflects the eternal substance, or Spirit, which mortals hope for. He reflects the divine, which constitutes the only real and eternal entity." Without compromise, this states the truth about spiritual man. Any other concept, expressing anything less than perfection, is unnatural and nonexistent.

What are the advantages of seeking to express spiritual man? It might appear to human opinion a sacrifice to relinquish certain material pleasures which, through custom, have been sanctioned as natural by materialistic schools of thought. Yet experience reveals that these so-called pleasures are short-lived, deceptive, and shallow, despite their apparent desirability. On the other hand, "the things of the Spirit of God," once understood, bestow constant joy and peace, born of conviction and knowledge that Truth is all-powerful and omnipresent, and that man is heir to all that omnipotence and omnipresence bestows.

Material sense, which supposedly affords mortals pleasure, would at the same time bind them with disease, sin, lack, and unhappiness in many forms. This evident contradiction within the so-called material law should suffice to reveal it as the lie it is, for, as we read in the Bible, the same fountain cannot bring forth both sweet water and bitter. Conversely, no such contradiction exists in the law of God, which is the law of harmony, containing no element of inharmony. Spiritual man knows no sickness, is subject to no mutation. As the expression of perfect Mind, "which constitutes the only real and eternal entity," man inherits perpetual and complete spiritual freedom.

How can we attain to this truly natural status? Jesus' words to Nicodemus answer this query with finality: "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." Of this new birth Mrs. Eddy writes in "Miscellaneous Writings" (p. 15): "The new birth is not the work of a moment. It begins with moments, and goes on with years; moments of surrender to God, of childlike trust and joyful adoption of good; moments of self-abnegation, self-consecration, heaven-born hope, and spiritual love." Thus, every denial of material suggestion or temptation, every refusal to ascribe reality to sin, sickness, lack, or inharmony of any description, brings us nearer to the "new birth."

Progress from mortal thinking into spiritual consciousness, with consequent release from materialism, is comparable to emerging from darkness into daylight. The sunlight may seem strange and unfriendly to one who has previously known only darkness. Eventually, however, as his sight grows accustomed to the sunlight, the seeker will perceive new beauties; his sense of values will change; refreshing experiences which before were unknown, even unimagined, will come to him.

So it may seem to the earnest student of Christian Science, emerging from ignorance and the testimony of the five physical senses. At first, the light of Truth may even appear to be unfriendly, and perhaps uncomfortable, and he may shrink from its healing touch, and be tempted to return to the effortless comfort of the Adamic dream. But, persevering with courage and conviction, he will find his clouded consciousness awakening to the recognition of man's oneness with Principle. Then the student will see material so-called existence as a lie, at the same time perceiving that the only real life reflects Life, God.

Therefore it becomes necessary, in seeking the truth, to discard what human opinion has accepted as natural and to throw off material beliefs through acceptance of, and adherence to, the only real law, which is God's law, the law of Love, which brings peace, abundance, and true happiness.

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