"TO THIS END WAS I BORN"
One may ask to what end are conflict, tension, wars, and rumors of wars? Burdened by fear and the presentation of evil and discord, he may ask for what purpose he is here amidst all this conflict.
When Christ Jesus was on trial, arraigned before Pilate on charges brought against him by the Sanhedrin, he was asked if he were a king. His reply set forth his real status and purpose (John 18:37 ), "To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth." We too have authority for claiming that we are here to bear witness to the truth.
The spiritual account of creation is recorded in the first chapter of Genesis, where we are told, "God said. Let us make man in our image, after our likeness." It is our task to bear witness to this true concept of man.
When we study the Bible, together with "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures'" by Mary Baker Eddy, our concept of God enlarges, and in understanding Him as Life, Truth, Love, Soul, Spirit, Mind, and Principle, we find that He is indeed All-in-all. The study of Science and Health also enlarges our concept of man.
On page 475 of this textbook we read these statements: "Man is spiritual and perfect,"' and: "Man is idea, the image, of Love; he is not physique. He is the compound idea of God, including all right ideas." This concept of man, as presented in Christian Science, is in line with the verse already quoted from the first chapter of Genesis.
The apparent conflict between the spiritual concept of man and the material concept must be resolved until finally the perfect concept alone appears. By holding in thought the perfect concept, we have a basis from which to refute the evidence of the senses testifying falsely to a physical man.
In bearing witness to perfect God and perfect man, we are obeying the demands stated by Jesus (Matt. 22:37—40 ): "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."
It is natural that as we acknowledge God to be our Father-Mother, we should love our neighbor as ourselves and wish to see him benefited and governed by the same truth that we are declaring for ourselves. Frequently, a word of encouragement spoken to a neighbor, even at a time when things may seem black for oneself, not only encourages the neighbor but releases oneself from the depths.
In "The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany," Mrs. Eddy writes (p. 165 ), "I am able to impart truth, health, and happiness, and this is my rock of salvation and my reason for existing." Truly this statement contains a fitting answer to the question, "To what end?"
A practical example of bearing true witness in the meeting of everyday problems follows. A representative of a manufacturer was faced with a situation in which apparently a customer's instructions had been misunderstood. Figures had been misread, with the result that the article produced was useless to him. Blame was passed to the manufacturer and back to the customer, and since a very large sum of money was involved, feeling ran high.
The representative who was caught up in this conflict was a Christian Scientist. He realized that he could bear witness to the fact that harmony is a law of God and governs every situation. He turned away from the fake presentation and knew that God's idea does not make mistakes and is therefore exempt from penalties.
He reasoned along these lines for a day or so, and bearing witness to the truth as he understood it, he began to see a possible solution. So confident was he that this solution was the result of his endeavoring to realize the truth of God and man that he went to the customer and recommended a slight modification in his production line. After obtaining the customer's agreement, he went to his employer recommending a slight modification in the production tools. The employer was quick to realize that this modification would resolve the problem. What had looked like a total loss became a paying proposition.
Whilst grateful for the harmonious result, the student was far more grateful that once again in his experience the lie that man is mortal and subject to discord had been set aside by the omnipotence of Truth. How comforting it is to know that, as our Leader tells us in Science and Health (p. 449 ), "A grain of Christian Science does wonders for mortals, so omnipotent is Truth, but more of Christian Science must be gained in order to continue in well doing"!
In bearing witness to the truth of man's spiritual perfection and his government by Mind, we deny the aggressive suggestion that government is devised by men and can be disrupted. We can know that international relationships are in reality governed by divine Mind. As we hold to this truth, we shall be unafraid of such false beliefs as strife, conflict, clashes of ideology, sin, sickness, and death, knowing them to be untrue and therefore unreal.
Then shall we be bearing witness to Truth and fulfilling our destiny. "To this end was I born."
