Article April 18, 1953 Issue

TRUE IDENTIFICATION

MARION GRAY

"THOU art the Christ, the Son of the living God," was Peter's reply to Jesus' question (Matt. 16: 15), "Whom say ye that I am?" That Jesus not only commended the correctness of this answer, but also recognized that such identification had come from God, is shown in his joyous response to Peter, "Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven."

Are we looking to flesh and blood for our identification of man or are we accepting what has been revealed by the heavenly Father? We have only to turn to the Bible to learn that man is the son of God, made in His image and likeness. John referred to man's status and eternal identity when he wrote (I John 3:1,2): "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God.... Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is." In other words, there never has been a time when man was anything other than God's expression, manifesting His attributes, nor will there ever be such a time.

In "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" our inspired Leader, Mary Baker Eddy, writes (p. 477): "Identity is the reflection of Spirit, the reflection in multifarious forms of the living Principle, Love. Soul is the substance, Life, and intelligence of man, which is individualized, but not in matter. Soul can never reflect anything inferior to Spirit. Man is the expression of Soul." This understanding of the true identity of man did not come to Mrs. Eddy, any more than it did to Peter, as the result of turning to flesh and blood, but it was revealed to her through her close communion with God. How important it is for those who are learning to put Mrs. Eddy's teachings into practice to look for the man whose identity is found in his reflection of Spirit.

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