THE NECESSITY FOR TRUE WITNESSING
A Vital and important part of a trial in a court of law is the testimony of the witnesses. Presumably, those who testify are able to furnish facts, and the value of their testimony depends on their veracity and their particular knowledge of that about which they are testifying. Frequently juries are instructed to discard testimony that they consider false or misleading. The valuable witness, therefore, is the true witness.
In the forty-third chapter of Isaiah we read (verse 12): "I have declared, and have saved, and I have shewed, when there was no strange god among you: therefore ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, that I ant God." Each individual has a responsibility. In order that one may be a true witness for God, he must continually give evidence of God's omnipotence and omnipresence. His goodness and His allness.
That such responsibility can be accepted and its duties discharged was thoroughly proved by that great and effective witness for God, Jesus of Nazareth. No other individual has ever done so much either by word or act to announce and prove the actual power and presence of the eternal almighty God. Yet Jesus said (John 14:12 ), "He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do." This statement by the Master surely indicates that he expected his followers to emulate his works and thus to be adequate witnesses that God exists.
As part of his witnessing to the spiritual fact that God is all-power, Jesus healed the sick and raised the dead. He said that we too can do this, and to the extent that we are true witnesses for God, we shall do it, thus proving His power. Marx Baker Eddy readily healed the sick and raised the dying to life and health. She writes in "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (p. 495 ), "God will heal the sick through man, whenever man is governed by God." That this statement is true is attested by the thousands upon thousands of healings which have resulted in the experience of those who have submitted to God's law as set forth in the Bible and as interpreted spiritually in Science and Health.
No sense of burden need come with the realization of the necessity that we witness daily to the all-power of God by demonstrating this power. In speaking of God, the Father, Jesus said (John 5:19 ), "What things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise." Because we are in reality the children of the Father, we possess through reflection everything needful to enable us to be His witnesses. Being a true witness to God, then, cannot be a laborious or tedious process. One has only to manifest his true status in order to show forth and to express all the Godlike qualities which belong to the beloved son of God.
In the inspired words of the Bible we are told that God created man in His own image and likeness. This description of man is amplified by Mrs. Eddy in her definition of man given in the Glossary of Science and Health (p. 591 ), "The compound idea of infinite Spirit; the spiritual image and likeness of God; the full representation of Mind." In accord with this definition, Christian Science teaches that man is wholly spiritual; hence he is never subject to sin, disease, death, or any discord.
How well Jesus exemplified this definition of man in his daily existence. Realizing man's spiritual nature, Jesus was not influenced in the least by the thought of those around him. He walked on the water and was able to transport himself instantly from place to place, appearing where he needed to be. John records that the disciples received Jesus into the ship, and that "immediately the ship was at the land whither they went" (6:21 ). On another occasion we are told (John 20:26 ), "Then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst." He demonstrated not only that matter is not substance, but that it does not really occupy space.
During his brief ministry he overthrew and nullified the most cherished of the so-called laws pertaining to matter. Jesus' crowning achievement, the overcoming of death and the grave, established beyond doubt that man is the idea of infinite Spirit. Jesus became the perfect witness by utilizing the dominion given him of the Father. He demonstrated his divine sonship by expressing the Godlike qualities which constitute man.
It is impossible for man, created in the image and likeness of God, to secede from God's government even for a moment. We evidence His government when we express such qualities as intelligence, loving compassion, honesty, order, and spirituality. Contrariwise, if we should be tempted to be unloving, untruthful, dishonest, disorderly, or to express any undesirable quality of mortal mind, we patently would remove ourselves from the protection and bounty of God's law.
A remarkable instance of healing occurred in the case of a young man who was told that he had an incurable stoppage in the stomach and that if he were not operated on within forty-eight hours, he would pass on. In his extremity he turned wholeheartedly to God and determined that he would be a witness to God's healing power through Christian Science. Obtaining the help of a Christian Science practitioner and gaining a degree of understanding concerning God's loving government and maintenance of man in a perfect state of being, he was quickly healed and back at his work in less than a week. He found that the endeavor to be aligned with God and to express Godlike qualities resulted in priceless blessings.
What greater reward could there be than always to be governed by infinite intelligence and bountiful Love? Mrs. Eddy states in Science and Health (p. 261 ), "Hold thought steadfastly to the enduring, the good, and the true, and you will bring these into your experience proportionably to their occupancy of your thoughts."
Should we not then joyfully assume our responsibility of being true witnesses, God's witnesses? We shall assume this responsibility, which includes overcoming sickness and disease and destroying all forms of error, by endeavoring daily and hourly to manifest only the divine qualities—intelligence, joy, gratitude, compassion, patience, forgiveness, and love.
As we are more and more instant in turning away from evil, we shall attain to the stature of the Christman and become perfect witnesses for God.
