The Apostle Paul had a clear concept of God, divine Mind. He realized the value of expressing in daily affairs our true unity or oneness with God. He recognized the importance of living in concord, of being "of one mind" (II Cor. 13:11). He said (I Cor. 2:16): "Who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ."

What, according to Christian Science, is the nature of "the mind of Christ"? God is the only Mind, and hence God is the Mind of His Son, Christ. "The mind of Christ" is perfect, infinite, good. There is one Christ, for there is one Mind. This Mind is one as contrasted with many, a unit, as contrasted with division. It is not a mortal or finite consciousness, for God is immortal and infinite. Since God is omnipresent and universal, "the mind of Christ" is always everywhere. It is right where it is needed every moment. Christian Science, in defining God, employs the word Mind as a synonymous term. The Mind which Christ Jesus had is identical with the Mind which we have today. Mind, then, has continuity. Mind does not age, decline, weaken, or terminate, for Mind is eternal and perfect.

Of what value is it to recognize that we have one perfect and infinite Mind? It gives us a more discerning sense, more foresight, more wisdom, more alertness, more ability, in the performance of our daily tasks. Paul's recognition of the one Mind gave him ability to discern what to do when the ship which was taking him as a prisoner to Italy was being blown toward the shores of Melita in a great storm. He said to the master of the ship and to the Roman centurion (Acts 27:22), "Be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man's life among you, but of the ship."

Paul advised those on the ship how to conduct themselves in order that they might all be saved. And it was even as he foresaw, all—the entire company of two hundred and seventy-six men—escaped safely to the shelter of the island.

Paul counseled the Philippians (2:5), "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus." In her discussion of the question, "What is Mind?" Mary Baker Eddy says (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 469) : "There can be but one Mind, because there is but one God; and if mortals claimed no other Mind and accepted no other, sin would be unknown. We can have but one Mind, if that one is infinite."

Mind is indeed infinite. And Mind understood and applied is the destroyer of finiteness, the destroyer of all that would claim to cause disease, disaster, death. The clear consciousness that there is one God, one Mind, one good, is the eradicator of the negative claim that there is intelligence in matter, satisfaction in sin, pleasure in the senses. One Mind forms one creation—a good, a spiritual, creation—one in which sin is unknown. That creation includes man, the real man, our true selfhood.

A negative, wicked, sick, or stagnant mind is inconsistent with infinite Mind. The opposite of Mind is never real. And the opposite or the perverted sense of Mind's manifestation or reflection is not real. On the basis of one Mind we are equipped with the ability to demonstrate perfection and to do the right thing at the right time in ordering our affairs.

The consciousness of the oneness of Mind, God, aids progressively in improving world conditions. The fearful, insecure, confused thought of humanity is a malinfluence. The humanly good may say, "We are good, but our neighbor is bad—irretrievably bad." But Christian Science says: "Man is God's perfect child. All of God's children have one Mind, and all are good."

Our neighbor or our so-called enemy has access to and in reality loves the one Mind, which is perfect and exact. This one Mind is an awakening influence everywhere. It does not operate in limited areas. It is, rather, universal.

Christian Scientists at this moment should recognize the truth that there is one supreme, infinite Mind and assist in awakening others to the presence of that Mind. They must know that in Mind, God, there is no war, aggression, oppression, or lust for power. How much better to do this than to believe in or fear evil, to fear the mentality of others, or to condemn them to a state of moral and mental inferiority or idiocy!

Yes, "we have the mind of Christ." But so do all others, in truth, have that same Mind. Until one awakens to the presence of one good, directive Mind, he may suffer the consequences of belief in many minds, with its confusion, suspicion, intrigue, disaster. Our thoughts and actions must be consistent with the Mind of Christ. For every hate, we must love, even while denying error's claim to reality and guarding our mental or human homes. Every malicious deed we must wisely but lovingly stamp out.

There is no weakness in the Mind of Christ. It is absolute and requires us to obey it. By obedience to Mind and by wise actions in pursuance of its directives, we shall eventually demonstrate to the world that "we have the mind of Christ." And the grand influence of divine Mind will spread until finally the one Mind, one God, is demonstrated as supreme over all.

John J. Selover