Manhood , humanly speaking, is a state to be attained by the passing of time. We speak of one who has arrived at years of discretion, or who has shown evidence of possessing dependable qualities of character, as manly. To reach this maturity, according to mortal belief, the human being must go through the process of growing. Commencing this experience as a helpless infant, he must gradually, often painfully, grow up.

Spiritually perceived, however, manhood relates to the expression of Godlike, or spiritual, qualities and the exercise of dominion over material conditions through spiritual understanding. Growth in God-likeness does not relate either to years or to gender.

One unfamiliar with the Christian Scientist's use of the word man may think reference is made to a human being. A definition of terms is desirable, therefore, and for this we turn to the Holy Bible. Man, the Scriptures record, is made in the image and likeness of God (see Gen. 1:26, 27). Since the Scriptures inform us that God is Spirit, man must be spiritual. We also read that God made all, and that He pronounced everything to be good—including man. Consequently, man knows only good, expresses or reflects only good, for the image or reflection resembles in every respect that which it reflects.

As God's reflection, man is completely free from involvement with evil, for error or evil is not to be found in God's creation, which is "very good." A realization of this spiritual fact of perfect God and perfect man brings peace to the troubled heart and healing to the mortal body. It was on this basis that Christ Jesus, the Way-shower, performed what were regarded as miracles by those around him. It was this logical deduction drawn from the understanding of God as Principle which Mary Baker Eddy reached in her search of the Scriptures to discover the rule of Christ-healing.

The light which Mrs. Eddy's revelation of Christian Science throws upon the Scriptures reveals the material body as an outcome of the mortal or carnal mind; a human belief which counterfeits real substance; a phase of mankind's belief in a power and substance separate from God; a part of the dream, if you will, as recorded in the second chapter of Genesis, when Adam slept and dreamed of a material creation. This Adam-dream has been believed in through the centuries and is still being dreamed by mankind today.

In the light of Christian Science we discern the true creation and our spiritual, real manhood, in which there is no sickness or death and no capacity to sin. The question may be asked, Of what practical value to humanity is this spiritual recognition of the true man? This is answered in the testimonies of countless thousands who have found practical the teachings of Christian Science, and who bear witness to the healing of all forms of sickness, to regeneration from evil ways, and to the comfort and renewal brought them when in sorrow and despair.

The understanding of God and true, spiritual manhood, and the fruits of this understanding, are clearly set forth by Mrs. Eddy in her textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures." There we read (p. 324): "Unless the harmony and immortality of man are becoming more apparent, we are not gaining the true idea of God; and the body will reflect what governs it, whether it be Truth or error, understanding or belief, Spirit or matter. Therefore 'acquaint now thyself with Him, and be at peace.'"

It is a truism in Christian Science to say that the more we know of God the more we know of man, yet it seems wise to remind ourselves of this fact when we desire to attain the understanding of manhood which Paul describes as "the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ" (Eph. 4:13). Thus, as our knowledge of God increases, we find that our true being, or manhood, is increasingly expressed through our reflection of Godlike qualities in daily experience.

We find true manhood in the reflection of infinite Mind or divine intelligence. Matter cannot express intelligence; therefore matter cannot express manhood. The form of matter which mankind calls a physical body is controlled by the thinking of the individual. Each student of Christian Science can exercise his God-given right to reflect Mind and manifest health, freedom, and harmony, thereby demonstrating the divine Principle of God's creation and its redemptive power in human experience.

In common usage manhood implies growth. In Truth we find the only growth to be spiritual, and in the proportion that our thought becomes more spiritualized our true manhood becomes apparent. Christ Jesus demonstrated what a knowledge of true manhood will accomplish by healing the sick and raising the dead, and by his own resurrection from the tomb. By reappearing in the flesh three days after his body had been laid in the sepulcher he confounded the beliefs of those who had nailed his body to the cross and thought they had killed him. This triumph of the Master establishes for all time man's eternality.

What a glorious privilege is ours today to claim and to demonstrate the Principle of manhood! The realization of true being that can declare, "I am man," includes all the promise and expectancy of good, of dominion over evil, and of a peace that passeth all understanding. The words of the disciple John (I John 3:2), "Beloved, now are we the sons of God," take on a fuller significance. Mortal beliefs of sickness, fear, and doubt are gradually replaced by the true ideas of health, courage, and spiritual understanding.

Perception of true manhood includes obedience to the commandment that we love our neighbor as ourself. The law of God which we invoke in our own behalf must be applied in behalf of our neighbor without partiality, whether that neighbor lives in close proximity or at the other end of the earth. Herein lies a big responsibility, for only as this universal truth is universally understood and practiced will humanity be freed from wars. Thus the desire of all Christian nations and peoples will be realized, namely, the demonstration of the true brotherhood of man.

In exquisite terms our beloved Leader sets forth the promise which will be fulfilled as we demonstrate a better understanding of our relationship with our creator, that is, as we more clearly perceive the inseparability of God and man. She writes (Science and Health, p. 246): "The radiant sun of virtue and truth coexists with being. Manhood is its eternal noon, undimmed by a declining sun. As the physical and material, the transient sense of beauty fades, the radiance of Spirit should dawn upon the enraptured sense with bright and imperishable glories."

In this eternal noon of true manhood there are no mortal beliefs pertaining to age. Christian Science furnishes the recipe for all healing, and also the antidote for mankind's fear of what may develop with advancing years. The calendar of time as part of the mortal dream of existence needs to be observed for practical purposes, but it is unknown to the ageless man of God's creating, because true manhood is the everlasting expression of God's being.