Upon the correctness of our answer to the question. "Who is my brother?" depends the salvation of each one of us, for it is impossible to claim the fullness of our own spiritual heritage without having the right concept of our brother.

The Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, Mary Baker Eddy, writes in "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (p. 242), "The divine Science of man is woven into one web of consistency without seam or rent." The true concept of brotherhood is included in spiritual-mindedness, and the garment of the Christ-consciousness must truly be woven without "seam or rent." How important it is then that we gain the right concept of our brother as well as of ourselves! For the utilization of this understanding in our daily experiences will bring us the reward of fidelity to divine Truth— ever-increasing harmony, joy, and fruition.

From the beginning of time, sin, discord, and failure have resulted from human ignorance of man's true nature and heritage as the veritable son of God. Believing in mortal man as a creator, mankind has generally accepted an erroneous and counterfeit concept of creation, rather than the truth of being as found in the first chapter of Genesis, where we read, "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness."

The nature of God, and therefore of His image and likeness, not only was borne witness to by Jesus in his life and healing ministry, but was plainly shown forth in his revelatory statement to the Samaritan woman to whom he said (John 4:24), "God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth."

Obviously, we cannot worship Spirit, the one and only creator, while believing in and clinging to a material sense of creation and a mortal sense of man. To worship God "in spirit and in truth," we must admit the spiritual facts of being and increasingly perform the healing works which these facts make possible. The spiritual fact about our brother and ourselves is that we are the sons of God, as John declared (I John 3:1): "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not." The question, "Who is my brother?" which material sense cannot answer, spiritual sense answers and demonstrates in individual experience.

Mrs. Eddy in her revelation of Christian Science, the Comforter referred to by Christ Jesus, brings to light the true nature of man as the reflection of God. On page 475 of Science and Health she answers the question, "What is man?" and this answer, while revolutionary in its divergence from common belief, has proved its scientific correctness by the multitude of healings that have been accomplished through it. Part of this answer reads: "Man is not matter; he is not made up of brain, blood, bones, and other material elements. The Scriptures inform us that man is made in the image and likeness of God. Matter is not that likeness. The likeness of Spirit cannot be so unlike Spirit. Man is spiritual and perfect; and because he is spiritual and perfect, he must be so understood in Christian Science."

The urgent need of the world to-day is for this scientific understanding of the true nature of man and the spirituality which this understanding brings. Just as belief in a flat earth restricted men and nations in times past, so belief in a limited, material man, who is susceptible to sin, disease, and death, hampers the world today in its search for peace, health, and righteous living.

Truth gives dominion, and no one would deny this fact. To rid ourselves of limited material-mindedness we must therefore be alert to see with whom we are claiming brotherhood: with a false, material belief about man or with man as he really is—the child of God, spiritual and perfect. The material concept of man and its attendant evils —sin, disease, and death—caused Job to cry in utter despair and darkness (Job 30:29), "I am a brother to dragons, and a companion to owls." He longed for the light of Truth, and his desire for understanding and his faith in God were rewarded. Reaching out to God, Spirit, as the basis of all being, all that had been seemingly lost because conceived of materially was restored, for Job was learning to worship God and was consequently losing a material sense of creation.

The Christian who is learning to be a Scientist as well as a Christian through the study of Christian Science finds that he is becoming a better Christian, because he is truly learning to worship God "in spirit and in truth." With increased spirituality and scientific understanding, he is learning to work the works that Jesus demanded of his followers. He helps himself and his brother by the correct understanding of who his brother is and the nature of true brotherhood. He knows that in addition to describing God as Spirit, the Bible and teachings of Christian Science point out that God is Mind and supreme. Therefore, it is not with minds many that he claims brotherhood, but rather with all that reflects the divine Mind. Speaking of this one Mind, God, good, Mrs. Eddy writes in Science and Health (p. 467): "It should be thoroughly understood that all men have one Mind, one God and Father, one Life, Truth, and Love. Mankind will become perfect in proportion as this fact becomes apparent, war will cease and the true brotherhood of man will be established." As Mrs. Eddy indicates on the same page, this understanding enables us to love our neighbor as ourself. Humanly, love is often based on ties of kinship. What greater bond can we find than the spiritual bond of one God and Father!

Let us resolve to keep a pure, spiritual sense of man and relate ourselves to none other than the son of God—the only real man, and the only man with whom we should claim brotherhood. Let us break down barriers of material sense by replacing the material, counterfeit sense of man with the spiritual and scientifically true sense of man—in other words, the child of God. Then in our daily experience we shall increasingly show forth the love, patience, joy, and healing work which the right concept of our brother and of ourselves makes possible.